Every year we like to take a moment to look back on the impact that sport has had on the community. Whether it be supporting amateur athletes, creating community programs or providing funding for worthy programs, the Ottawa Sport Council loves playing a role in making the Ottawa community a fun and healthy place to live. 2019 has been a great year for the Ottawa Sport Council (OSC) – here are some of our favourite memories.
2019 Winter Games
In February, 22 Ottawa-area athletes represented Ontario at the 2019 Winter Games in Red Deer, Alberta. Thirteen ended up bringing home medals in hockey, ringette, table tennis, speed skating, boxing and artistic swimming. The OSC was very proud of all the Ottawa-area athletes who represented the region so well.
2019 Ottawa Spring Sport Summit
In April, the OSC hosted the seventh annual Ottawa Sport Summit. This year’s theme was focused on strategic planning and “future proofing” organizations. Community sport organizations across Ottawa were invited to the Sport Summit at the Nepean Sailing Club where they were guided through the development of a Strategic Plan. We were very pleased to have the Summit facilitated by local business leader Julien Leblanc and sports broadcaster and communications expert Ian Mendes who generously shared their expertise with the participants.
OSC Concussion Education Initiative
On July 1, 2019, Phase 1 of Ontario’s Rowan’s Law officially came into effect. The OSC responded to this by creating our Concussion Education Initiative. Its goal is to provide members of local sporting organizations – volunteers, coaches, athletes, official- with the knowledge of how to apply the 4 Rs of concussion management (Recognize, Refer, Remove, Return). The free program will bring certified health care professionals directly to organizations to provide education and resources regarding fostering a safer environment where athletes can thrive. Sessions will bring knowledge from Parachute Canada (the country’s leader in injury prevention) and will launch in January 2020. For more information or to book your session contact OSC.
Ottawa Sport Council Foundation: 2019 True Sport Community Grant Recipients
The OSC has announced the recipients of the Ottawa Sport Council Foundation: 2019 True Sport Community Grant- the Ottawa Shooting Stars Basketball Club and the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation. Both organizations were awarded $1500 by the True Sport Foundation to support the development of their initiatives. The Ottawa Shooting Stars Basketball Club is using the funding to support a program called Leadership in Basketball and Life which will offer a basketball program to support Grade 4 girls’ leadership and skills development. In collaboration with the Ottawa TFC Soccer Club, the Ottawa Community Housing Foundation’s Shoot for the Stars Community Soccer Program will offer high quality soccer programming at no cost to families in three Ottawa Community Housing neighbourhoods.
Rideau-Vanier Multi-Sport Program
The OSC successfully completed the pilot year of the Rideau-Vanier Multi-Sport After School Program! Funded by an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant and in partnership with the Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association and the Ottawa Internationals Soccer Club, the program provided 89 youth grades 4-6 from 3 schools in the Rideau-Vanier Ward the opportunity to learn to play soccer and ultimate frisbee after school. The program was considered a great success as it achieved its main goal of increasing activity levels while introducing the youth participants to being a part of a team.
2019 was a great year and the OSC is very proud of the initiatives in which we have participated and led. We want to thank all of our advocates and supporters and look forward to working with you in 2020 as we continue to bolster our current initiatives and look for new opportunities to foster positive experiences in sport.