Spring has sprung in Cochrane, which means it's nearly time for local families to sign their kids up for the bountiful recreational offerings and clubs that are available in the coming weeks and months.
Cochrane families have plenty of options to consider for their kids' recreational pursuits this spring and summer, whether it's sports clubs like Cochrane Minor Ball, Cochrane Minor Basketball, or Cochrane Minor Soccer, or community-centric organizations like BGC Cochrane or the Cochrane Lions Club.
Another option families can consider this April is the SLS Centre, which offers myriad programs to pass-holders and members of the public alike.
And according to the multi-sport recreation facilities programs manager, Brooke Sabourin, the SLS Centre is offering a handful of exciting new programs as spring 2023 gets into full bloom.
“We do everything from sports, to fitness, to arts, and day camps,” she said, adding there are plenty of options on offer in the coming weeks, such as a Yoga for Runners program for participants of all pages.
For the first time, Sabourin said the SLS Centre is offering a girls-only basketball program starting this April, which will be catered to players ages 10 to 13.
"We’re trying to reduce barriers for girls to join us for drop-in programs, and we felt by having a dedicated program for them, where they could make friends and build some confidence, they’d start joining our drop-in times,” she said.
In a similar vein, Sabourin said the SLS Centre is also starting a French-taught ball hockey program, to accommodate what's been identified as a growing Francophone community in Cochrane.
“We have a couple of instructors who are bilingual and we know there’s a large Francophone community in Cochrane, so we’re running a ball hockey program that will be taught in French,” she said.
Another popular springtime offering at the SLS Centre is the venue's swim lessons, which always fill up quickly – Sabourin encourages families and pass-holders to sign up as soon as they can, which depends on if they're already members of the SLS Centre or not.
“Most of our programs start after the spring break at school, so in mid-April,” she noted. “Registration opens up for the public on March 30 [but] members get a few days early to get in and get their registration [early]…on March 27.”
Also on the horizon at the SLS Centre this April is a unique Easter egg hunt that will be held in the swimming pool on April 8. According to Sabourin, the eggs will have been tossed into the pool itself, and participants will have to swim down to the bottom to retrieve them, or grab them from the surface if they're floating.
That same Easter weekend, the venue will see the return of an annual ball hockey tournament on April 7, held in honour of Green Shirt Day – a day intended to memorialize Logan Boulet, a Lethbridge hockey player who died in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in April 2018. Boulet became an organ donor shortly before his passing, and Green Shirt Day intends to raise awareness and promote the value and importance of organ donation.
As part of its Green Shirt Day event, on April 7, the SLS Centre will facilitate a ball hockey tournament, including a less-competitive event in the parking lot outside and a more competitive tournament in the hockey rink inside.
"We have a few people leading it who have been organ donors or organ recipients themselves," Sabourin said. "We’re actually doing an organized indoor ball hockey tournament this year, so outside will be free, unstructured play…and then we’ll do an actual tournament inside for teams who want to register for that.”
According to Sabourin, the best way to register for any of the above programs is online through the SLS Centre’s website or in-person at the customer service desk.
