Sport Aurora’s Annual Spring All-Sport/One Day event inspires youngsters to try eight new sports

In optimal mid-June conditions, Sport Aurora presented its Annual Spring All-Sport/One Day event on Saturday at McMahon Park. 

Participants between the ages of 6-18 availed themselves of the opportunity to try new eight sports in one day.  Instruction and play at all levels were provided by qualified Sport Aurora member organizations. 

The morning session at McMahon Park featured Lawn Bowling led by the Aurora Lawn Bowling Club; Tennis led by the Aurora Community Tennis Club and Total Tennis; Martial Arts led by Shaolin Martial Arts; and Rugby led by the Aurora Barbarians Rugby Football Club.

The afternoon session featured Pickleball led by Elevation Athletics; Soccer led by Rising Stars Soccer Academy; Lacrosse led by Redbirds Lacrosse Club; and Gymnastics led by Kids Super Gym.

It was mission accomplished, according to Sport Aurora Executive Director Laurie Mueller, who observed, “There's no opportunity like this. It's great to see multiple generations enjoying a sport together in a great setting here at McMahon Park. I love this park and it's been fun to observe all the stations. One of the girls had her first touch in lawn bowling this morning and she described it as her new favorite sport. She made my day.”

Due to the ongoing popularity of this event, Mueller described how All-Sport/One Day might be evolving: “We're thinking of adding another sport to make five and then shortening times.”

Sport Aurora Chair and Volunteer Coordinator Karla Lees elaborated: “We'd be going with ten half-hour sessions and offer five sports in the morning and five in the afternoon. The benefits of modifying the program are the increased exposure to 10 sports instead of eight and it's expanding an opportunity for lots of young kids trying these sports. They're trying sports they've never tried and they're enjoying it.”

In addition to making slight modifications to their winning recipe for an upcoming all-girls All-Sport/One Day event in September, Mueller also noted the positive impact of a local hockey organization on Saturday's sessions at McMahon Park.

“In addition to our terrific volunteers who help us make these events possible and the excellent organizations that introduce the sport, today's events featured the efforts of six Central York Panthers from the U14, U15, and U16 rep teams who brought their volunteer spirit to today's event.”

By Jim Stewart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter