A Pacific Sports Institute to D-elite

December 21st, 2006

To sum things up regarding the Pacific Sports Institute neat Camosun College, it’s a waste of money.

Athletes of this caliber should not receive government funding. The money raised will only ever reach 200 competing athletes at one time, the remaining proceeds will never be invested in unorganized sports and new facilities for our youth that will benefit society as a whole. The athletes in favour of the pacific sports institute are selfish individuals who only care about their own performance.

Here’s the original editorial that was published in the December 21, Victoria Times Colonist regarding the Pacific Sports Institute and how it alienates our youth.

Participation in sport contributes personal and social development. While physical exercise is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle, helps promote personal well-being, and increased participation contributes to stronger more cohesive communities. The problem is there is a lack of venues as sporting interests change and new sports grow.

More facilities for traditional sports ignore our youth and the increasing number of individuals involved in modern sports such as skateboarding, freeride, trials, dirt jumping, BMX etc… So how can we expect kids to be active when Victoria won’t provide facilities for alternative sports as interest in traditional sports decline?

The fact is kids can’t even get land to build dirt jumps in Victoria, and the Vic West skate park is constantly overcrowded with users, thus creating a hazardous situation. With the lack of facilities kids will go out of their way to find new and creative places to ride, only to have the police treat them as criminals. The real crime here isn’t our youth, it’s the lack of venues where people can play, innovate, and express themselves through these sports.

Instead of pumping money into a new sports institute for the elite, we should be creating venues to increase sport participation before more people (and kids) quit. Victoria needs more progressive thinking, because all the red tape surrounding these sports isn’t creating any growth.

Entry Filed under: General