While the Canada Games is the premier minor sporting event in Canada, it isn’t the only exciting sporting event Newfoundland and Labrador will host this summer.

For the first time, the province is proudly welcoming the Tackle Football Atlantic Championships from July 8-13 in Paradise on the new turf at the Dianne Whelan Complex.

Yes, we have tackle football in Newfoundland and Labrador!

HKR and provincial sport collaboration

You may ask, “What does this have to do with Memorial University?”

As the associate dean of undergraduate studies in the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation at Memorial, I can tell you that we — our faculty, administration, staff and students — understand that sport is more than just wins and losses, medals and prestige.

“Sport is about building people.”

Youth sport in particular provides an opportunity for young people to build confidence, resilience and perseverance, to learn how to win with humility and lose with grace, to build character and an understanding that putting the team first — the collective — yields better results than acting alone.

In other words, sport is about building people.

That’s why our research team submitted and received a Public Engagement Grant titled, Stronger Together: Enhancing Sport and Health Through Partnership.

The grant supports a collaborative initiative between the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation and two provincial sport organizations, Football Newfoundland and Labrador and Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador.

It’s more than just a project: it’s a movement to connect students, athletes, researchers and communities through shared goals.

We are working to grow and enhance sport in Newfoundland and Labrador, one sport at a time.

Nationally competitive

The momentum is real.

Athletes from our province continue to prove they belong on the national stage and beyond.

This year, seven young hockey players raised and trained in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quinn Norman, Ben Veitch, Cameron Haye, Parker Banks, Ethan Fitzpatrick, Sam Pitcher and Ryan Jewer, were drafted into the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

I’ve watched them play and grow from under 9 onwards and can attest they are all amazing players and athletes.

“Striving for excellence can have a ripple effect that motivates teammates, families and entire communities.”

Meanwhile, we’re seeing growing momentum in tackle football with athletes Mitchell Peach, Brady Coombs and Tyler Roberts heading to college- or university-level programs outside the province.

All of these players are blazing a trail for the next generation and proving that opportunities in football are expanding for youth in Newfoundland and Labrador.

And while sport is not all about the accolades, there’s a lot of value in having a dream and working towards it.

Striving for excellence can have a ripple effect that motivates teammates, families and entire communities.

HKR students on sport front lines

The Public Engagement Grant puts Memorial University Human Kinetics and Recreation students on the front lines, helping to organize large-scale events like the Atlantic Tackle Football Championship and Hockey N.L.’s high-performance camps; conducting performance analysis; supporting injury prevention; and gaining hands-on experience that textbooks alone can’t provide.

These future educators, health practitioners, scientists and recreation leaders will apply their classroom knowledge in real-world settings, strengthening their career readiness while making a difference in their communities.

Just last year, three Memorial undergraduate students attended Hockey N.L.’s high-performance camp in Corner Brook to conduct on-ice assessments.

It led to the students pursuing research projects that they will present at a national conference this fall; the same three students plan to pursue master’s degrees at Memorial on these topics.

For our partners, Hockey N.L. and Football N.L., the collaboration with Memorial offers access to expertise, equipment and enthusiastic student volunteers and faculty members who are eager to contribute.

It means better data for athlete development, enhanced event management and the promotion of health and wellness.

And for our province, it means higher-quality sport programming and more opportunities for youth to experience the life-shaping power of sport.

Common goal, collective success

The project doesn’t just fulfill the School of Human Kinetics and Recreation’s mission, it directly supports Memorial’s broader goal of community engagement and bringing our collective expertise to the public.

As we celebrate the Year of Sport, let’s use it as a launchpad.

Let’s recognize that public engagement isn’t an add-on to education — it is education.

And most importantly, it’s a reminder that when we work together towards common goals — students, educators, athletes and communities — we really are stronger together.