WinSport Blog

WinSport’s Early Explorers program builds on our legacy of fostering resilient, confident, creative and self-directed individuals with some of our youngest of citizens aged 3-8 years old.

Elements critical to the Early Explorers program include a commitment to outdoor play; a deep interest in movement; emergent curriculum; and support risk-taking.

Earlier this semester on a crisp fall morning, our Friday class spent time experiencing the fall leaves. We discovered a large ash tree that had shed most of its leaves in our snowstorm. The children were immediately drawn to it, especially playing in its mountainous piles of leaves.

They started by shuffling around their feet. I saw their interest in the leaves as a perfect play opportunity and halted our plans for the final 45 minutes of the day. I sat amongst the leaves with them, while many of them went to retrieve shovels and rakes from mud kitchen. Soon, we were throwing, gathering, and rolling in the piles of leaves around us. The joy and laughter filled our space. Then we began to pile the leaves, some for jumping, and some for throwing. The children broke off into small groups, negotiating the rules of the piles and collaborating to build bigger and bigger piles. Some children built beds, others made piles for throwing and shoveling.

Abandoning our structure for a short time and just embracing the moment the natural world offered us, allowed us to create amazing memories outside together. Through our leaf play, we found laughter and collaboration. We also found we were learning about working together on common goals, setting boundaries with friends, and developing new creative ways to play with leaves which allowed us to grow. We developed creativity, teamwork and social-emotional skills, all while simply playing in the leaves. Just like when the forest floor is covered in its autumn blanket, in play, we are experiencing that there is always more happening then what appears on the surface.

Play.

That word is something everyone can relate to. We can think back to where we played, how much we played, and how it made us feel.

Play helped shape us into who we grew up to be. We know it has purpose, but how do we measure it? More specifically, how do we measure outdoor play?

Outdoor play is open-ended play within a natural environment that allows children to choose what they want to do. WinSport understands its importance to childhood development and facilitates it through the Early Explorers program. These are the four pillars and outcomes that are key to the Early Explorers program and give it purpose:

So, how do we know that these outcomes are being achieved? Well, we developed an evaluation tool that allowed us to observe kids during their outdoor play and count the amount of times we saw an outcome being expressed and record how it was expressed. For example, if a child was seen jumping off a rock, a tally would be marked in the outcome ‘supported risk taking’. We would write down exactly what we saw. And let me tell you, we had some great results!

 

The graph to the right shows the data that was collected by a teacher from just one class. Each outcome was expressed through various activities. For example, kids were using mud as concrete to reinforce a pirate ship they built. How creative! Despite the rain, kids were happy to play outside, which further develops their relationships with nature. And holy smokes, these kids love to move! Whether they were wolves crawling around or jut kids wanting to climb trees or tables, they were rarely sitting down.

 

 

The graph to the left was from the parent’s perspective. At the end of the spring season, we gathered survey responses from the parents and asked them what they think their child’s biggest improvement was from the start of the season. We then related the responses to our program outcomes. We were excited to see that the parents were noticing the benefits of the program, too!

What did we learn?

These responses showed us that our purpose is being achieved! The kids in Early Explorers are receiving quality programming unlike any other. Our emergent curriculum allows us to support kids in a way that encourages outdoor play and fosters intentional childhood development.

Overall, the evaluation tool allowed us to record specific instances of when kids were developing each curriculum outcome. We were then able to compare that data with what the parents thought their children were gaining from the program and the results were similar.

We are thankful to all the parents that answered our survey questions that provided us with further insight about the program. We look forward to the fall season!

Happy exploring,

Early Explorers team

WinSport

 

WinSport is always looking for ways it can be better than yesterday in its programming and the WinSport Skills Centre is its latest example.

The skills centre, which opens July 1, is a progression-based network of cross-country (XC) and flow trails, features and loops for mountain bikers of all ages and abilities.

It’s located on the west side of Canada Olympic Park and will feature nine acres of terrain with 14 trails, which include both technical and flow trails along with two skills loops in green, blue and black levels. The Mountain Bike Skills Centre accompanies the existing downhill trail network to form WinSport Bike Park.

The skills centre will be used in WinSport’s mountain bike and summer camp programming.

Andrew Lunt, WinSport’s Manager of Sport Development, says the skills centre will allow instructors to introduce participants to certain features of the downhill trails, so they are able to take the trails with the proper skillset and confidence.

“We are using the skills centre as a progression-based area. Let’s say the kids don’t know how to take jumps or are not used to going over rocks – the skills centre is going to be used as an area where they can get used to those features and get repetitions in on practicing certain elements,” Lunt explains.

Some of the challenging features of the downhill trails are berms and jumps, which Lunt says can be practiced on in the skills centre.

“We’ll put kids through an area for however long it takes, so they can confidently ride the berm and hit the jumps – if you can do it in the skills centre, then you can do it on the downhill trails.”

Unlike the downhill trails, the skills centre allows instructors to train participants in a focused area so participants can gain confidence and improve their skills in a shorter period of time and in a safer environment.

“It allows instructors to teach skills more effectively and allows the kids to progress at their own pace where they don’t have to worry about another group whipping down behind them,” Lunt explains.

Lunt says the skills and confidence riders will gain in the skills centre extends beyond what riders can accomplish at WinSport’s Bike Park.

“When people go to West Bragg Creek, Canmore or Moose Mountain, they’ll find the same features and they’ll and be confident enough to ride them because of the repetitions they’ve had in the skills centre,” Lunt says.

For more information on the WinSport Skills Centre, visit: https://www.winsport.ca/activities/summer/bikepark.cfm

By Kent Bastell, MSc, CSCS Strength and Conditioning Coach

Everyday we are bombarded with information regarding nutrition science, especially as it applies to workouts/training. Below is a guide of supplements that I take and regularly recommend to my clients.

Multivitamin – Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) can be acquired by eating a balanced diet, however, I do not know too many people that eat the correct variety of foods to fulfill the requirements. Micronutrients are the foundation for almost all the body’s processes such as growth, metabolism, immune system, energy production, etc. I always recommend getting vitamins in capsule form, instead of tablet form, as the tablet is hard to digest. I personally use the Total Defense 2.0 from atplab.com.

Omega 3 (fish oil) – Omega 3 and Omega 6 are essential fatty acids (our bodies do not naturally produce it – we must ingest it). Omega 6 is thought to be necessary for inflammation, while omega 3 is thought to be anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is a natural part of the body’s defense system, but we know that chronic inflammation can lead to many chronic disease-states. The North American diet usually sees people eat a ratio of 20:1 Omega 6 vs. Omega 3s, meaning that our diets have become pro-inflammatory. The recommended ratio is 2:1 to 4:1. Supplementing with Omega 3s can help balance this ratio. Omega 3 supplementation has been linked to improvements in cognition, brain aging, ADHD, mental illness, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular health, nerve pain, arthritis and more. I prefer to ingest fish oil in liquid form, rather than in a capsule.

Pre-workout: Caffeine – Ingesting caffeine 30 minutes before working out found an increase in physical and mental performance. One to two espresso shots, or a cup of Matcha green tea have enough caffeine to see benefits. Taking pre-workout supplements such as C4 powder or high-sugar energy drinks are typically unnecessary for most people/athletes that workout/train. Caffeine pills are likely excessive, but have been found to be effective at lower doses.

During Workout: Branch chain amino acids (BCAA) – BCAA’s are a broken-down version of a protein molecule. Think of protein as a train. It’s one big linked unit with a string of railcars attached to one another. BCAAs work as if each individual railcar was stripped of its bond and existed on its own. When we digest protein this “stripping of the bonds” occurs to utilize the nutrient. Therefore, BCAAs are more readily available to use than protein itself. Some studies have shown BCAAs have a positive effect on muscle growth and recovery, prevents muscle loss, and may increase energy in athletic performance. However, some researchers are skeptical of BCAAs stating that “as long as you are getting enough protein supplementation during the day, you should get the same effect.” I still recommend people use it to make sure they’re filling any gaps they may have.

After Workout: Protein + carb combination – Have you ever heard of chocolate milk being the best post workout drink? The reason behind this is the carbohydrate + protein combo in this drink. When we train, it stresses our body out and activates the sympathetic nervous system, which releases stress hormones. Prolonged stress in our body causes muscles to breakdown. Eating carbs helps to deactivate the sympathetic nervous system, which pulls our body away from stress. Protein availability helps stimulate muscle protein synthesis, meaning muscle recovery will be enhanced. Another example of a good post-workout meal is a banana blended into a protein shake.

Creatine: Creatine unfairly has a bad reputation. In my opinion, many of the negative results that suggest it is harmful for your liver and kidneys were cherry-picked from studies with poor methodology. There has been little to no human research to support this. Creatine is also found natural in many foods, especially meats. About 90- 95% of creatine is stored in muscles. It acts by binding to and storing phosphates, which in its final form, is called phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine is used to produce a large amount energy at a fast rate. If you need to sprint away from a bear, your body will use its phosphocreatine first to give you a big initial energy burst (for about 10-15s). Benefits of creatine include increased recovery from high-intensity training, improved athletic strength and power output, and enhanced muscle recovery. No research has been done on the effects of creatine during growth, so I usually recommend people be 18 before they take it. But for a mature amateur or elite lifter, I think it’s a necessity to cycle during the year, especially during the most intense sessions/blocks.

*For any extreme changes in diet, or for people with chronic illnesses it is always recommended to consult a physician or dietician first. This article is not intended to replace the advice of these professionals.

WinSport has continued to invest and enhance its summer camps this year and wants parents and kids to see what the new camps are all about at its FREE summer camp kick-off on Friday, June 21.

“This is a great opportunity for parents to meet instructors and gain an understanding of what their children will experience and learn at camp,” says Jennifer Konopaki, WinSport’s Director, Sport Leadership. “Summer is a precious time for families. We want parents to walk away feeling confident that they made the right choice for their child in registering in a WinSport camp. School is out, and summer is time for children to be engaged in active, outdoor play where they get to have fun with their friends.”

The kick-off features activities for all camp activities – 11 in total – for ages 3-15. They are some of the activities featured in our hockey, sport development, wildhood nature, bikes and blades and trampoline camps.

WinSport has been running camps for more than 20 years, so as you can imagine, a camp today is very different than it was back in the ’90s. That’s because our programming is dynamic and innovative – the team incorporates the latest research and best practices to ensure an optimal learning and quality sport experience. Today, kids are attached to technology through their phones, iPads and TVs and it can be detrimental for their development – both socially and physically. That’s why our camps focus on getting kids off their screens and back outside, Konopaki says.

“It’s one of the reasons why we changed our camps and did so by focusing on outdoor play to ensure the health and well-being of the next generation,” she says.

You and your child will experience this at the kick-off. The hands-on approach will allow kids to try activities and interact with instructors, so you know which one best fits your child’s interest. Sessions take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on June 21. These sessions will allow the entire family to truly experience what our camps have to offer so you can see which one fits your kids.

You can register your family here.

We believe good things happen when kids play and we are confident you will, too. We hope to see you at our Summer Camp Kick-Off Family Open House.

If you would like to browse our camp guide or purchase a camp, click here.

 

 

By Kent Bastell, MSc, CSCS Strength and Conditioning Coach

Nutrition is a hot topic in the world of fitness and we’ve reached a point in society where it has become hard to filter out the solid evidence based information from the “magic” diet and food revolution. What people fail to realise is that the real magic diet is the one that is flexible to your own personal needs and is sustainable as a lifelong habit. One such habit that may be beneficial is protein consumption.

A common question I ask athletes/clients is “how much protein are you eating?” After listing all the foods they typically consume in a day, we usually come to the conclusion: “not enough”

Why is protein important?

1. Protein provides the building blocks for developing, growing, and maintaining almost every body system – Organs, hormones, muscles, bones, skin, enzymes, immune cells and neural messengers are just some of the systems that rely on protein.
2. Protein builds and maintains our skeletal structures – For athletes and those who workout, protein is important for building muscle and bone (increases strength) and aids in recovery after activity. For general health, protein can slow muscle and bone loss due to aging (after age 30, people tend to lose 3% to 5% of their lean body mass per decade).
3. Protein makes you feel full – Protein increases the demand of energy needed for digestion and suppresses hormones that drive the feelings of hunger. The thermic effect of protein digestion can be up to 20%, meaning your body uses up to 20% of the calories consumed by the protein source to digest it. These characteristics of protein help people maintain weight as it leaves less room for calorie dense foods.
4. Protein increases energy – Protein is a foundation of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and dopamine, which help increase the feelings of energy and alertness.

So how much protein should you be getting to gain from these benefits of protein? In my own experience, I find that people benefit most from consuming 0.5 grams to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim for between 75 grams and 150 grams of protein per day. I tend to be a bit less conservative and try to get people to experiment with the higher end ranges, especially if they are athletes, or are weight training. To ensure you are getting enough protein, I always recommend using a food diary to track intake. The MyFitnessPal app is a great tool that contains a database of hundreds of thousands of different foods and brands. It will automatically calculate how much protein you have consumed from your diary inputs.

41 High-Protein Foods Ranked By Protein Content Per 100g

1. Beef jerky 30-40g
2. Parmesan 32g
3. Tuna steak 32g
4. Pumpkin seeds 30g
5. Turkey 30g
6. Peanuts 25-28g
7. Edam 27g
8. Canned tuna 25g
9. Cheddar 25g
10. Seitan 25g
11. Beef 20-24g
12. Chicken 24g
13. Salmon 24g
14. Stilton 24g
15. Almonds 21g
16. Sardines 21g
17. Cod 20g
18. Lamb 20g
19. Mackerel 20g
20. Pistachios 20g
21. Pork loin 17-20g
22. Tempeh 20g
23. Cashew nuts 18g
24. Mozzarella 18g
25. Mussels 18g
26. Chia seeds 17g
27. Walnuts 15-17g
28. Prawns 15-18g
29. Quorn mince 14.5g
30. Brazil nuts 14g
31. Edamame beans 13g
32. Eggs 13g
33. Tofu 12g
34. Cottage cheese 10g
35. Greek yogurt 10g
36. Oats 10g
37. Lentils 7-9g
38. Kidney beans 8g
39. Chickpeas 7g
40. Peas 6g
41. Quinoa (cooked) 5g

Disclaimer: This is not to be used in place of medical advice. For any extreme changes in diet, it is suggested for individuals to get approval by an accredited physician or dietician.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One morning as we arrived at class we found a large pile of blocks and other materials on the table. Kinsey (our bird puppet) had a challenge for us, could we build him a home?

We started to work, we drew plans, we built models and we talked about what we would make our birdhouse out of. Would it be made from wood? Would it be a nest? After a few weeks of planning and deliberation, we finally settled on building a birdhouse out of wood. Once we decided on wood, we ran into another problem! How would we attach all the pieces of wood together? One boy suggested using a hammer and nails. There, now we have a plan!

When we arrived the next week, we used all the wood scraps we could find to test out different designs. We experimented with how the pieces fit together and came up with several options for a birdhouse. We voted on our final design and got to work. Before we could put our plan into action, we had to learn tool safety. So, we sat together and came up with an agreement on how to be safe with our hammers. Remembering to keep space, watch where you’re hammering and only go one at a time, were among many of the suggestions on how we would keep everyone safe. Now we were ready! Each of us took turns to hammer in one nail at a time. It was hard work, but we kept at it and finally, we had a beautiful birdhouse for our friend Kinsey. Piper had an idea though – the bird house wasn’t finished because it needed to be decorated! We made a plan to paint it the following week and hang it outside.

Although it was a big undertaking, we all worked together to achieve a common goal. We also embraced taking a risk – we learned how to safely use a real tool. Allowing children to take risks builds them into capable and confident learners in their future. Using our muscles, motor skills and creativity, we learned so much building a bird house together.

WinSport’s Early Explorers program – an early childhood development program for children ages three to five – builds the physical and cognitive development of children in an engaging indoor and outdoor environment. The idea to create the program was inspired from WinSport’s legacy, which was formed by relentless, bold, and fearless individuals. The organization’s goal is to continue that legacy by creating the next generation of leaders – children who will make an impact and continue to inspire their community. The outdoor play component of our ECD program is complimented by the newly designed calm and nurturing indoor learning space. Below is an example of a learning story written by WinSport Early Childhood educator Brittany Caldwell.

As I sat beside a boy on a log, I noticed beside us sat a little beetle. I reached out and grabbed a stick to pick up the beetle. I showed the beetle to the boy and a big smile grew across his face. I asked him if he wanted to show the beetle to his friends. He nodded in agreement and grabbed my hand and guided me towards a small group of boys. The boys quickly gathered around the beetle and began to observe him.

“He is so big”

“Wow, look at his legs”

“I wonder if he is alive”

We watched as the beetle began to crawl. All of a sudden one boy raised his boot and stomped right over the beetle. The other boys cried out, “stop!” The one boy began to inquire why he should care to not stomp on the beetle. Was it just a bug? Isn’t that what you did when you found a bug? You stomp on it!

Before I knew it the boys were divided into a deep debate about the beetle sitting before them. Should we stomp on it? Why or why not? One boy quietly engaged in the conversation and said “If you step on the beetle its life will be over, that’s it, no more for the beetle, and his family will be so sad.” I watched on as they poked and prodded and debated over how to treat this creature before them.

As global citizens we are often put in situations where we must work cohesively with others who may not share our values. Yet, we must get along. Learning how to respectfully disagree and work alongside each other is a life skill that we must carry with us. While only young preschoolers, these children were tackling topics that are debated in the adult world. What is the value of life, and how do we respect it? I have no idea what the right answer was – should we squish the beetle or not – yet I am sure that in our time with the beetle we learned more about the world around us than we ever could have sitting in a classroom.

 

 

By John Francis, WinSport Director – Marketing, Communications & Guest Services 

I was over at a friend’s house having coffee when his tween and teen kid’s and friends emerged from the basement, fresh off of a marathon gaming session. As the kids made their way upstairs, they shielded their eyes from the sunlight and avoided any opportunity to join us on the back deck. Instead they settled in on the couches in the family room, shutting the blinds so the sunlight did not pierce their sensitive eyes.

Our discussion over coffee started to evolve and as a group of 40 somethings, we began to sound like our parents. Chatting about how kids are not getting outside, forgetting how to play and losing some of the essential skills that truly shaped our generation.

One parent did pipe up that our kids will have a much easier time controlling heavy duty equipment given their ability to manipulate joysticks. Another said scoring in hockey, soccer and other sports will go down as kid’s play first-person shooter games.

After a few more laughs we got back to our discussion. We all admitted some guilt on putting technology in front of our kids to get a couple minutes to prepare dinner, read an email or hop on a conference call. Some had strategies on limiting the time their kids played and working on finding a balance for both on and offline play.

Our discussion came full circle and we all agreed that our kids were certainly missing some of the fun play that we experienced as kids.

We quickly circled the table and each asked a question:

• Has your child climbed a tree?
• Has your child organized a pickup game of baseball or road hockey?
• Have you ever looked at the stars with your kids?
• Does your child know how to setup a tent?
• Has your child made a mud pie?

As we went around the table, it was disappointing that the majority of us answered “no” to most of these questions.

Our conversation went back to asking ourselves how we can help our kid’s learn these skills, which we identified in three ways:

• Be better role models – spend time with our kids offline and outside. Show them how we played growing up. Live in the moment and put down our phones.
• Encourage our kids to get outdoors and get dirty – After a rainstorm, put on some rain boots and jump in puddles, play in the dirt and show it is ok to get dirty or get out in the cold and snow and build a snow fort, snowman or have an epic snowball fight
• Find some great programs for our kid’s – most of us had our kid’s in organized sport. We all agreed that we need to find programs that encourage outdoor play that push their limits. Some talked about scouts and sleep-away camps. At that point, I was very excited to share the new programs our team at WinSport built.

I was able to share our new Wildhood camps which provides exposure to the outdoors across multiple ages. Kids can learn how to build shelters, purify water and start a fire. Our adventure camps have kid’s climbing rocks, trees and playing outdoors.

I encourage many of you to start the conversation with your family and friends and see how you can help your kids grow offline and outdoors.

For more information on WinSport’s new summer camps, visit: https://www.winsport.ca/lessonsprograms/summercamps.cfm