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Let’s Get Physical is a new senior-focused exercise program developed in collaboration between Wheatland Senior Centre and Saskatchewan Health Authority, in partnership with Weyburn Caravan Society and the City of Weyburn which began in February 2023. Wheatland Senior Centre is a community-based charitable organization that provides regular social, leisure-based programming for seniors, delivered primarily by seniors in the community. Since COVID-19 interrupted programming and shut down the Wheatland Senior Centre, reviving programs has been challenging. The new Let’s Get Physical exercise program has been carefully developed with community partner support to address barriers that existed prior to COVID-19 and is intended to sustain participation into the future.

Wheatland Senior Centre received funding through the GROW Your Community Grant to purchase items needed for the exercise program to get started such as therapy-bands, balls, hand weights, and mats. The exercise program is provided free of charge for members of Wheatland Senior Centre, thanks to an additional program grant received from Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism. The exercise classes are offered on Mondays, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at the Wheatland Senior Centre.

Wheatland Senior Centre has been working with their partner agencies to enhance their programming with a goal of improving and maintaining health of seniors in the community through physical activity and social engagement. Being physically active improves quality of life and helps seniors maintain independence in the community for as long as possible. The exercise program is designed to engage seniors in health-promoting social and physical activity and build strong social connections with others without barriers. Wheatland Senior Centre has been working with Weyburn Caravan Society on a proposal for accessible transportation for those with assisted mobility needs to encourage as many people as possible to attend programs and events occurring at Wheatland Senior Centre.

To build program attendance, participants are encouraged to ‘invite a friend’ in an effort to reach those who may benefit from programs offered but may not be aware of what is happening at Wheatland Senior Centre. The new exercise program started with about 8 people and within a month, has grown to an average of 12-14 people attending regularly. An important component of the exercise program’s success, in addition to the much needed funding assistance provided by the Grow your Community grant and Saskatchewan Senior’s Mechanism program funding, has been the social visit time after the low-impact exercise program, which has created a positive, engaging environment for exercise participants. 

Article Credit: Coral Schindel, Weyburn Wheatland Senior Centre

Photo Credit: Wheatland Senior Centre

As we celebrate National Volunteer Week, we want to look back at the Saskatchewan Winter Games and take a moment to express our gratitude to the amazing Team South East Mission Staff volunteers who helped make the games a success. Your dedication and commitment to ensuring the games ran smoothly and efficiently did not go unnoticed!

We received some wonderful feedback about their volunteer experience at the games. One volunteer shared, “I LOVED EVERY MINUTE! It was everything I hoped it would be and so much more. I have made some great new friends, and had so many laughs, and tears of happiness.”

Another volunteer shared, “This was my first games, and it was amazing. I can’t talk about it without crying happy tears. I loved everything about it. From the connections with the athletes, coaches, managers, and other volunteers. Connecting and reconnecting with the other districts and volunteers, to the sheer joy on almost every child’s face at their events and at the athlete’s village. I can’t even describe how grateful I am for this opportunity.”

As volunteers, they all contributed in their own unique ways to make the Saskatchewan Winter Games a success. Whether it was supporting athletes, providing information, or offering a friendly smile, their dedication helped make this event a positive experience for everyone involved.

We cannot thank you enough for your time, energy, and commitment in supporting Team South East! We look forward to working with you all again in the future!

#NVW2023 #WeavingUsTogether

Check out our latest video to see what it takes to be a Mission Staff member!

The Town of White City was bustling with excitement as they prepared for their annual ChillFest Festival. After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the town was eager to come back stronger with a new brand, covid safeguards in place, and the overall goal of creating winter family fun. The festival was not only about continuing the winter excitement from last year, but also about elevating it to a new level by adding a cultural component and creating new opportunities for winter lifestyle activities for residents.

ChillFest was a reflection of the town’s strategic priority of providing an Active and Healthy Community. The festival aligned with this priority area by providing support to enhance active and healthy lifestyles for residents through recreation program opportunities for all ages and abilities that supported the physical and mental well-being of the community.

The festival was held at the Double K outdoor rink, rink pavilion, and community center. The outdoor rink and pavilion offered a variety of activities, including skating, bonfires, roasting marshmallows, BBQ, snowshoeing, and a DJ. The community center provided sleigh rides, face painting, balloon twisting, interactive games, inflatables, cotton candy, and Hoop Dancing by Terrance Littletent.

To make this winter event successful, funding and volunteers were needed. Council’s priority was ensuring an active and healthy community, so they put great care and attention into enhancing resources for increased recreational programming and events for all ages and abilities. Although the town struggled with finding enough volunteers for the event, key volunteers and the Town administration stepped in to help ensure the event was safe and successful for residents.

The good news is that the festival was a success, and it will be offered again as an annual event. The estimated amount of individuals that attended both locations was around 300, and the town was thrilled to have created a memorable experience for the community. With ChillFest in the books, the town looks forward to continuing to provide opportunities for active and healthy lifestyles for residents.

Article Credit:  Ruchelle Himmelspeck, Manager of Parks, Recreation & Culture, Town of White City
Photo Credit: Town of White City

Sisters, Meagan Rothwell and Kimberly Neithercut, of Weyburn will be managing and coaching the Artistic Swimming team at the 2023 Saskatchewan Winter Games in Regina. Meagan coached the team at the 2018 Winter Games and looks forward to having her sister join her this year.

Artistic swimming has been a part of Meagan and Kimberly’s lives since they were children and they’ve both been coaching competitively for ten years. Artistic swimming has always been a family affair. Their mom is the current head coach of their club and has been involved since they first started swimming.

“Artistic swimming is like figure skating in water. We have figures and elements to learn and compete for judges as well as routines (dances) in the water that are creative and a fun way to express emotion and music,” Kimberly explains.

Kimberly continues, “Meagan and I have always made a good team. We understand each other and can tell what one usually needs before being asked. The opportunity to go as co-coaches and managers to the Saskatchewan Games is amazing. We both have competed in the games as athletes, me in 2004 and 2008, and Meagan in 2008. It’s always exciting to bring a new group of athletes to the games. The experience is one of a kind, and they will remember it all their lives, just as we have in our own experiences attending the games. So just making sure our athletes have the best time will be our goal and what we most look forward to!”

New to the 2023 Saskatchewan Winter Games sport calendar is futsal! What is futsal? Futsal is a type of soccer that is played on an indoor court with a smaller, low-bounce ball. The smaller field size ensures a game of futsal is fast-paced and more intense, with more opportunity for scoring.

Another difference is in the number of players. Futsal is played with five players on the court, while there are eleven players for each team in the game of soccer.

Jason Roy is one of the Team South East coaches for the futsal team. Jason has been involved with coaching soccer and futsal for over ten years. His son Brennan, who has been coaching soccer and futsal for the past four years, will be joining Jason at the Winter Games.

This will be Jason and Bennan’s first time participating in the Saskatchewan Games. Jason was originally selected as the coach for the South East soccer team at the 2020 Saskatchewan Summer Games.  Brennan was the age required to participate in soccer that year and hoped to play in the games. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the summer games were cancelled.

“Brennan and I were asked to coach the South East Futsal team for the 2023 Winter Games, and without question, we knew this was a special moment we wanted to experience. This is our way of getting that cancelled games back. I could not imagine doing this without Brennan,” Jason explained.

Jason continued, “There is so much to look forward to. We have met some incredible new families and young athletes, and it is the pleasure to be the one to lead this team to create the memories we will share for a lifetime. I want to thank everyone who has given us another opportunity to get back what we missed out on in 2020.”

 

Outdoor rinks are a great place for communities to share the joy of skating and are perfect for families and friends to spend some time having fun together. An outdoor rink can provide enjoyment all winter long.

The City of Weyburn recently opened a new outdoor rink at Jubilee Park, which is operated and maintained by the City of Weyburn Parks & Leisure Department. The rink features a 200ft x 85ft multi-use pad equipped with benches, dasher boards, lights, and access to Credit Union Spark Centre dressing room.

Andrew Crowe, Director of Leisure Services for the City of Weyburn shared his thoughts on how to run a successful outdoor rink.

What are some challenges to having an outdoor rink?

• The weather.
• Finding time to build the ice with a structured scheduled staffing environment.
• Providing fair and equal access opportunities.

What are some solutions to those challenges?

• Begin making ice as soon as possible, build the ice as thick as possible (we aim for 8 inches) to carry you through warm weather trends as they appear throughout the winter, this will also carry you further into the spring.
• Limit scheduled programming, however, set aside time on the ice for a stick and puck-free environment to make things more enjoyable for “non-hockey skaters” or those learning to skate.
• Due to structured employee hours, give yourself a long lead time to opening the rink and understand that you may be unable to have the ice in at the very second the public expects it. Or better yet, form a partnership with a local community group that may be interested in making the ice and maintaining it through the season.

What are the top 3 key steps to consider when building an outdoor rink?

• Base – find an area that is as level as possible, and whenever possible build ice on a hard surface i.e., pavement, concrete, etc. When making ice in a park setting, be prepared to use more water, or utilize a tarp or some sort of vapor barrier to stop water from being absorbed into the ground. Building ice on grass areas may also be detrimental to the health of the turf in the spring so keep this in mind.
• Find an area sheltered and out of the wind, for skater enjoyment and to ensure staff or volunteers making ice don’t get too cold when performing maintenance.
• Water availability – this may seem like an obvious one, but having water available is the most crucial item when planning out a rink

Any other considerations for maintaining or reducing the risk of outdoor rinks?

• Outdoor rinks should be inspected regularly by trained staff and any issues that may result in an increased chance of injury should be addressed immediately. Or if unable to be addressed quickly the ice surface should be closed
• Lots of ‘Use at your own risk’ signages, along with recommendations for protective wear, but do not make things mandatory or you will have to enforce them. Leave a contact number and or email for community members to reach out if they have concerns.

What value or benefits do outdoor rinks bring to the community? 

Outdoor rinks are a huge benefit to the community as they provide a free barrier-free avenue for outdoor leisure activity. We also find they become a great centre piece for community celebrations and events. As times are getting tighter for families due to inflation it is important that communities continue to offer free to use services for our community members to get out and get active.

The Town of Kipling is receiving an award from the Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism (SSM) to acknowledge their work on activities and programming to be more inclusive of seniors and older adults. An age-friendly community is designed to enable all residents to live safely, enjoy good health and stay involved.

Kipling was one of three (3) Saskatchewan communities recognized for their commitment to age-friendly principles through community engagement and action.

Kipling has offered many activities for older adults throughout the years, including, Forever Fit! classes provided by a Forever…in motion instructor, chair yoga for seniors, aquafit, afternoon curling, and numerous activities at the Kipling Friendship Club and Kipling Public Library.

“A few projects that have recently been completed with the ‘Age-Friendly’ intention have been Kipling’s Walking Trail to promote safety and enjoyment of walking, with ample rest areas to take breaks, and Kipling’s Downtown Park, this is a space for all ages to gather and enjoy a visit,” explains Susan Hengen, Leisure Services Manager.

Hengen explains, “Activities that bring older adults out into public spaces enrich the lives of those adults and contribute to a healthy and happy community. Many of the offered activities have a distinct social impact on the participants, which is paramount in countering social isolation.”

“Most of the activities aimed at getting our older adults involved were suggested by the older adult population through the Kipling Friendship Club, Quality of Life Survey (Town of Kipling), or through focus groups held throughout the community by the Kipling & District Age-Friendly Committee.”

“I would highly recommend going through the process necessary to become an accredited Age-Friendly Community. The process causes a community to evaluate their existing programs and services to create an Action Plan for mindful consideration of all ages in the community, with a special focus on older adults,” Hengen said. 

Estevan’s Erin Wilson has been recognized for her many years of service to the Canadian Red Cross. Wilson was inducted into the Order of the Red Cross during an event in Toronto on Oct. 24. Up to 25 people from across Canada are enshrined into the order each year.

“It’s not something that they hand out [to anybody],” said Wilson. “It’s something that the process is a bit complex, and it’s certainly something that I’m very proud of.”

Four other people were recognized at the event she attended. She noted that her award number is 344, and she believes only 345 have been selected for the honour.

The citation that came with the award explained a lot of what Wilson has done over the years with the agency. A lot of her work has to do with the volunteer time that she has contributed in order to help improve water safety, and things she has done through first aid and the aquatic program.

“I don’t feel like I’m doing anything special. I’m just doing something that I love, and to be recognized for the time and the activities that I’ve done is just icing [on the cake]. But I would never be doing it just to claim an award like this,” said Wilson.

Joining the Order of the Red Cross causes her to look back on what she has done with the organization over the years, and she is grateful to her family and friends who supported those activities.

“It’s an award that I’ve received, but I definitely couldn’t have received it without having such a fantastic support team,” she said. Wilson looks forward to being involved with the Red Cross.

“With the water safety program being removed from the Red Cross, it will be interesting to see what new adventures my volunteering takes with the Red Cross now,” she said. She might be involved with first aid, psychological first aid or disaster management, but she won’t be leaving the Red Cross any time soon.

Wilson isn’t aware of anyone else from the Estevan area who has received the award, but she described Estevan as a community filled with great volunteers, and she would like to meet anyone who has received the award.

And she encourages people to volunteer and be involved with the Canadian Red Cross, because there are lots of ways to use their specific talents to help others.

Article credit: David Willberg, Estevan Mercury
Photo courtesy of Erin Wilson
Sask Today