Youth of all ages gathered at the Upper Pontiac Sports Complex (UPSC) in Chapeau on Tuesday evening to participate in one of the last Family Sports Program events of the summer.
The Chapeau Recreation Association has been hosting these recreation and games evenings for all ages every Tuesday in June and July.
The weekly event offers many engaging activities for those looking to have some fun or try their hand at something new, including ball hockey, basketball, skateboarding, and pickleball.
‘Kids can bring their roller skates . . . a child tonight brought his bike, so just any form . . .
of activity that we can do indoors here is accepted and promoted,” said Chapeau RA president Karie Bissonnette-Sullivan
“It’s going very well. Every week there seems to be new faces coming out,” she said, noting pickleball has been growing in popularity.
Several kids were playing different sports, including sisters Destiny McCoshen and Brooklyne Chartrand, who have attended the Family Sports Program every Tuesday since it began in June.
The two agreed they were having an enjoyable time at this event.
“We like playing with the younger kids here,” Chartrand said, without interrupting her fun.
One of the more popular activities that takes place during the family sport evenings is skateboarding, which is taught by Mike McDonald, a skateboarder who works for the Colony Skate Shop in Pembroke.
“I love teaching skateboarding and I have so much knowledge of it that I just want to share it with anybody that wants to learn,” McDonald said.
Bissonnette-Sullivan ran a similar sports program in Chapeau and Waltham two years ago, and this summer the arena in Chapeau stepped up to host it.
“The goal was just to get people from the community and surrounding areas out and about and become more active,” she said, explaining why it is important to have these activities for the community.
“It’s just to have a place for kids to drop in. [ . . . ] We call it a family sports program, so that parents can bring their kids and play with them, or watch them play and develop different skills.”
by by Leiya Fischer
Chapeau
July 16, 2024
