The saying goes “If you can see it, you can be it.” It’s something that can apply to many areas of life, but for me, it always rings true for the importance of finding local role models and heroes.
When I was younger my parents would frequently take us up to The University of British Columbia on Friday and Saturday evenings to watch the Thunderbirds play volleyball, basketball and hockey. I think for my parents it was accessible and inexpensive entertainment – getting to take their five kids to high level sport games just minutes from our home. As a kid, it was exciting to step into the big gym or arena, and then choose how close we were going to sit to the action.
When we were younger, the freedom to move around the stands, high five the Thunder mascot and eat from big bags of popcorn were definitely the most interesting parts of the games for us. But, as we got a little older, we started paying closer attention to what was happening on the court/ice. We got to know the different players by name and enjoyed looking through the program to see where they had grown up, what high school they had attended and what they were studying at university.
Taking your kids to a Canucks, BC Lions or Whitecaps Game is amazing and so much fun. However, tickets for those games are not accessible for everyone – and when it comes to that saying “If you can see it, you can be it“, well, for girls, those pro sports teams don’t offer that same experience. When the Olympics come around every four years it offers us all a great chance to see young, male and female athletes and their stories highlighted on our screens. Cheering on the amateur athletes as they achieve greatness is such an inspiring thing for kids – but we don’t have to wait for the next Olympics. Many of the current Olympians as well as future Olympians are competing right at our local universities (for example the many UBC swimmers who represented just this past summer in Tokyo.)
Growing up watching the Thunderbirds play, I became a big fan. I knew the stars by name and couldn’t wait to sign up for summer camps at the university, where I could be coached by some of the players. As I went through high school and developed as an athlete, I set my goals and dreamed my big dreams of playing post secondary and one day for Team Canada, in part because I had grown up witnessing what it takes to be successful at that higher level.
Now, I get to take my own kids to watch the university games. Although volleyball was my chosen sport in the end – we will be taking in every spectator sport we can. In the Lower Mainland we are lucky to have a number of schools with great athletic programs to choose from like UBC, SFU, Fraser Valley University and Trinity Western University and Capilano University to name a few. Under current COVID restrictions, games have re-opened to spectators but masks are required and pre-booking tickets online. At UBC, this year, tickets to all games are FREE, you simply have to register ahead of time and tickets will be emailed out to you.
Even if your child has no interest in playing sports themselves at a post secondary level, becoming a university sports fan is more than just great entertainment – it is a wonderful example of the importance of continuing physical activity throughout adult life, the value of teamwork and the fun that comes with being part of a college/university community.
