The following points are more often raised as championship banners are waved, or the city/region is hosting some major tournament.
Much was said in favour of organized sports during the BC Seniors Games held in the West Kootenays in 2011, for example – the health and social benefits of staying active and sportingly competitive are hard to dispute.
But there’s something else that comes with sports that’s valuable too, and that’s the way the teams compete on behalf of their whole school or town.
Two teams doing especially well lately are the Castlegar Rebels and Selkirk College Saints. These hockey squads are giving a boost to anyone who happens to follow them, or just hear about what they’re up to.
There are more than enough things going on that a person can worry about, so we take our postive news where we can get it. If a Castlegar outfit is having success against a regional rival, let’s say Nelson or Beaver Valley, or the Saints are successfully flying the local colours against a group in Langley or Kamloops... it’s a civic boost that’s as important as someone wants to make it.
So here’s a thumbs up to the teams mentioned above, and all the players in all sports who represent this community.
Naturally we should support them in tough times too, that makes the good times all the better.