New physical literacy program gets funding from Canadian government
When kids are injured playing sports they get discouraged because they can no longer participate, and that can lead to them dropping out of activity altogether.
But Canadian Sport for Life‘s Richard Way says that most sporting injuries are preventable. What’s missing, he explains, is proper warm-up routines and key elements of physical literacy.
To that end, a new program will teach kids the proper way to do the movements required of their sport. They are scientifically-designed routines that are built on the principles of physical literacy.
It’s all part of a Health Canada “Active and Safe” initiative to help Canadians avoid injury while becoming more physically active.
Dr. Colin Carrie is parliamentary secretary to Canada’s Minster of Health the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, but before he entered politics he was a chiropractor. “One of the things I saw as a chiropractor was repetitive strain injuries in kids because they were throwing or swimming incorrectly,” he said at the announcement of the new program in August.
The pilot program is being coordinated by Canadian Sport for Life in B.C. and Newfoundland. It involves teaching a selection of basic physical literacy skills as well as reviewing the rules of four sports – soccer, lacrosse, rugby and baseball – to increase injury prevention awareness.
