"I wish I could fly!"

After 38hrs driving and 1,600 kilometers covered, Coach Scott Haines finished the last section of the Athletics Ontario Ice Road project. It prompted him to comment “I wish I could fly” and quite literally Scott means it! The ice road system has provided a fantastic opportunity to visit some of the province’s most remote communities but it’s not the easiest way to get around. Over the last 8 weeks, Scott and his team have visited 10 fly-in communities from the Nishnawbe Aski Nation and using only the winter roads that is quite an accomplishment.

The environment is tough and Scott tells of a few close calls. Notably, after leaving the Wunnimun Lake community they planned to head north to the Big Trout Lake and Bearskin Lake areas. Fortunately they checked in with a community Elder who convinced them to head south. Scott explained that you can’t beat local experience for knowing the safety of these roads and after arriving in Pickle Lake, the pair found the roads had been closed that night due to the warming weather. If he had gone north their vehicle may have been stuck until freeze up next year!

Using the road system has been a race against time because there are 18 communities linked by the network and this season has been short. Scott has managed to visit 10 communities and he is already enthusing about completing the tour by air.

But that’s not the only reason for his excitement; unknown to these schools, this trip has been a field test for a new form of competition that may remove the need to travel completely. Developed in the United Kingdom, this new software and format allows Fun in Athletics competitions to be completed using the internet. The competition results are already posted in the results section of this website and the community of Sandy Lake has won the first round. Well done Sandy Lake you have not only won but you are the first ever winners of a Virtual Fun in Athletics competition in Canada! And for the other teams taking part, congratulations, you have helped make Fun in Athletics history because we believe this virtual competition format will spread right across the province and eventually the whole country.

Scott makes no secret of his thoughts on this new development. “I’m really excited about the virtual competition because it will make a huge difference to this region. It’s so simple for us to use because the software is a development of the data collection tool we are already using. All I have to do is complete the events as before and the software does the rest for me. I will be using it with all the communities I visit and I’m hoping many communities will take up the challenge themselves. A number have already invested in Fun in Athletics equipment so it very easy for them to complete the events themselves”.

It is not just the communities in the north who will benefit from this new development. Milt Ottey and the IFTA team in the south of the province plan to pilot the new competition in the Toronto area. Here the distances are more manageable and many schools compete regularly Fun in Athletics competitions. Milt says “Nothing beats the atmosphere of seeing the schools battle it out in a Fun in Athletics competition but this new virtual competition will add depth to our program. It will allow all the children in each school to participate and give them an added incentive to improve their core skills and fitness.”

The IFTA Fun in Athletics program is supported by The Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion which is delivered in partnership with Athletics Ontario

Fun in Athletics

Ice Road Communities - Virtual Competition

February – March 2010