captainjjshaw-blog

[captainjjshaw-blog]

Coming Full Circle

All of the local sport organizations that I was involved with over the years operate as not for profit. The board of representatives donates their time to a very great cause. They are giving up their free time to build community so the children have opportunities and a safe environment in which to succeed.           Growing up and being a part of these associations I have had no concern or correlation between my fun and the amount of hard work that happens months before the season even starts. My dad would say it was time to go and I would get ready to play. That was the extent of my knowledge. When I showed up it didn’t cross my mind that the coaches were on their free time and perhaps had other activities that they enjoyed. Now that I am a lacrosse coach I have a greater appreciation for the organizations presidents, head coach, and team coaches.             I take time organizing how to teach skills and run drills for the kids. I arrive early and leave well after the kids are on their way to ice cream. When it is game time I have to make sure all of the jersey’s are hung up and the score sheet is completely filled out. During the game I do my best to remind them of the skills they have learned in practice, reinforce positive behaviors and make sure all of my players feel encouraged. In the dressing room at the end of the game, it is my last chance for the team to leave with some positive inspiration; successes are celebrated and everyone is recognized for his or her hard work and great passing. Hopefully they take something positive away from the experience and come back for practice the following week. It is a ton of work! Even so, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love giving back to the organizations and communities that raised me, and I hope that they will be as lifted up and inspired as I was. Thank you to all the coaches who might be reading this! 

         If anyone is curious about how they can become involved in their community sports, here is a link that may be of service. http://www.coach.ca/coach-training-in-canada-s15408 Retrieved from https://www.kingsrecruit.com/vacancies/uk-multi-sports-coach-at-kings-camps/

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Trying New Things

          I once lived with a housemate named Paul and he used a wheelchair to get around. We played a lot of fun games together, most of them were video games though. Throughout the winter Paul would become depressed because of the grey and slushy Okanagan weather we usually have. I talked with him about potential remedies to help with his depression. I eventually picked up a City of Kelowna Activity Guide and started to look for activities that were wheel chair accessible. As I flipped through the pages, I thought back to when I was a kid and how I had to stay inside to get my homework done. I remember how good it felt to get out of the house and be active after completing homework assignments.  I didn’t know much about wheelchair sports when we first started brainstorming ideas but we definitely found fun things Paul wanted to try.              The first adapted sport we played was sledge hockey. We joined a small group of players for the quick one-hour sheet of practice time. They provided all of the gear for us and we had a great time. We both smiled and laughed most of the time because we kept falling over or missing the puck completely. At the end of the practice I made a point of expressing how much I enjoyed it and wanted to come back. Paul on the other hand didn’t want to because the lack of dexterity in his hands he couldn’t grasp the sticks very well. I continued to play sledge hockey for the last ten years even going as far as playing in tournaments in Ontario. I even had the opportunity to play against South Korea’s National team.             The next sport Paul and I tried was power wheelchair soccer. This sport required less dexterity but more patience. Paul and I had a quick intro to the rules of the game, and then they encouraged us to get into a power wheelchair and chase an oversized soccer ball around the gymnasium. It was as close to a video game as Paul was going to get. He got to jam the joystick side-to-side trying to get the ball from the other players. He felt very comfortable playing, so much so that he joined the team. It was the first team sport he was a part of and he was honored with the assistant captain title. That team traveled to Vancouver and Arizona to play in power wheelchair tournaments. Paul was excited to be out of the house! He finally found something to be excited for outside of his four walls. Every weekend he looked forward to getting out of the house to make it to practice. He eventually met a girl in a Vancouver tournament from the Nanaimo area and they dated for a few years. We no longer live together but I have heard he has formed positive habits of staying active and being outside.

Here is a link to the Kelowna Activity Guide,  just in case you know someone looking to be active.  https://www.kelowna.ca/parks-recreation/programs-registration

Retrieved from: http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/Team-Canada/Men/WSHC/2016  

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Catapult

All of the kids wanted to go to Toys R Us, but not me; I wanted to go to Play It Again Sports. I remember the day that my dad brought me there. He looked at me and said, “ go find something you would like to play”. My eyes lit up and like a flash of lighting I was gone. Looking at all of the sports gear, I had no idea what was what. I eventually came back to my dad, who was waiting at the front of the store. I ran up to him, flailing around an old lacrosse stick. I recall thinking to myself, “a sport with a catapult? There can’t be anything better!”  Holding the stick high, I exclaimed that I wanted to play this! I had no idea at that moment I would be playing Canada’s national sport. I had no idea that the history was so deep and it was a tradition in some native American cultures. 

It became a part of my culture to play lacrosse. I played for the next 16 years. I had many teammates over the seasons, some rougher around the edges than others, but all had a love for the game. I have learned from the elders on my team about leadership, sportsmanship, brotherly love and hard work. It is truly incredible the bonds that form when you play a sport. Over the span of a few months one gets to know the people on the team as if they are family. You win and you lose with them, you get rides to and from practices and even someone else's mom washing your stanky jersey for you. Having an extended family in different seasons really make a community flourish. One day, when I can children, I hope that they will find as much joy in this beautiful game as I have found.

         I know that suiting up a kid in any sport can be so expensive, especially when they will out grow it in a single season! Here is the like to Play It Again Sports, which makes all the difference in affordable gear.      http://www.playitagainsports.com/

Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/nll-season-jeopardy-contract-dispute-1.4903658

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In The Beginning....

Before I was five years old my parents enrolled me in gymnastics, figure skating, rugby, lacrosse and cross-country skiing. They almost went bankrupt paying for all of my sports, sports gear and travel costs! I learned at a young age how to appreciate all the opportunities they provided me. They also reminded me once in a while when I was being a little brat on the way to the activities.

My very first organized sport was gymnastics. Here I learned a whole bunch of fundamental movements; we eventually practiced choreographed routines with ribbons, log rolls, somersaults and cartwheels. Not bad for four years old! Figure skating was another sport that taught me some serious body coordination, but the edges of the skates and lack of friction added another element of challenging fun. You can also expect, I learned the consequences of falling, which was a phenomenal teacher... oh gravity! To this day I can skate backwards on a dime, no problem. Skating wasn’t the only gliding that I did growing up; my dad is an avid skier, both downhill and cross-country. I have many fond memories of the two of us gliding through the trees and of my brother and I challenging each other in races. Whenever I want to get away form the hustle of life in the winter I don’t have to go far; my favorite spot in the Okanagan is Telemark Nordic Ski Club, which is only a twenty-minute drive from my house. There can be stillness and serenity in the woods while watching the falling snow.  I find it satisfying listening to the rhythm of the skies gliding by and quick acknowledge from others as i try to catch my breath. That is, at least when I’m not scared s*%#less by wildlife on the trails! This year I came face to face with a moose! I almost skied off the trail I was so flabbergasted!

This is the link to my favorite winter wonderland ski club.

http://telemarknordic.com/

Retrieved from https://wildpoland.com/more-recent-bison-elk-trips-photo-report/

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Inventing the Wheely

Hello everyone! This is my blog about how I grew up playing sports and it how it has shaped my life.               As far back as I can remember I have always loved being active. It always makes me smile and feeds my soul. My mother says when I was in her belly I would keep her awake with all of the kicking and punching. I could walk before I could talk and when I could walk I would always run. It didn’t matter if it was down the hallway from the family room, from the kitchen to the bathroom, or down the grocery isle, I needed to be active. My mom still tells the story of how I never sat down to eat food, always standing in my high-chair.  My parents gave me a little plastic pushbike on which I learned how to balance and coordinate my legs. I also learned how to be agile because the first few times falling off weren’t my greatest moments. I eventually broke that bike because I was trying to ride it while straddling the handlebars and seat… oops. The next bike was a silver BMX bike with training wheels. It also came with a helmet, and the rule was to always wear it when I was riding. I learned how to be responsible for my brain with that lesson. I remember riding that bike everyday. I eventually bent the training wheels so badly that my father took them off because I was turning into the corners too hard. To keep tradition, I got a new bike after I broke that one. My handlebars broke, resulting in an arm full of stitches from jagged metal gashing up into my arm. In between all of this bike riding, my parents introduced me to many other sports. 

Check out this website for a variety of different bikes for all ages of riders! https://www.twowheelingtots.com/ Retrieved from https://www.kingdomexperiences.com/backwoods-benediction/