For Fitness & Fun

BY MARK BOGHEN, Writer

The corridors of LCC’s athletics facilities are liberally festooned with banners and plaques commemorating the outstanding history of athletic accomplishments by school teams and star athletes.

In the past decade alone, dozens of championships have been won and celebrated. And while participation at the highest level of sport is significant, many LCC students don’t pursue sports to that standard. A host of engaging athletic opportunities exist for students in all grades, promising fun, learning, and ways to embrace a healthy approach to fitness that can serve them for a lifetime.

Just a few years ago, LCC intramural basketball consisted of the same eight or ten students showing up once a week to shoot some hoops.

Badminton

Senior School phys-ed teacher Dima Povalyaev saw an opportunity for expansion. He proposed an informal league consisting of selfformed teams of friends, only two of whom could come from any of the competitive LCC squads. The game would be 3-on-3, just 20 minutes, and everyone would get to play. In two years, this concept, dubbed the LBA (Lion Basketball Association) has exploded, with more than 200 participants joining teams featuring zany names like “Goon Squad 2.0” and “Chili au Boeuf.” Justin Lewin ’20 wasn’t participating on any LCC team when he joined, and is enthusiastic about the LBA: “It’s meant for friends to be able to have fun in a not overly competitive setting. We looked forward to our games and had a group chat to make sure everyone knew our schedule. It really gives a sense of belonging.”

Crosscountry

Junior School athletes who don’t make the top ‘A’ teams also keep busy. There are lunchtime sessions of hockey, basketball and soccer throughout the year—mostly coed— open to students in grades 5 and 6 and, in recent years, grade 4 as well. Occasional jamborees with other schools give students a chance to feel the pride of wearing the LCC jersey without the attendant pressures of highly competitive events.

Also popular are the crosscountry running and badminton programs. Only a limited number of athletes can compete against other schools in the elite divisions, but that doesn’t stop dozens of students from joining in and taking advantage of the training, comradeship and chance to keep their bodies in motion. Meanwhile, the afterschool archery club hypes itself as a chance to prepare for the “zombie apocalypse.” In fact, it’s a lowpressure and relaxed way to pick up a skill that focuses on strength and coordination.

Tsatas Fitness Centre

Local off-campus facilities are also a much-appreciated milieu for athletic endeavours. Every fall, a host of aspiring Federers spread out on the courts of the next-door Monkland Tennis Club to receive some instruction and practice on its beautifully maintained courts. Meanwhile, the pool at the nearby Hampton YMCA fills with LCC swimmers of all ages splashing around and honing their strokes. The goal is self-improvement, fitness and a good time.

Director of Athletics Chris Viau feels strongly about getting every student to adopt an active lifestyle. “Sure, big productions like our hockey and soccer teams get tons of attention, but our main goal is to keep every student physically active. At the beginning of the school year, I meet with all the students and strongly encourage them to participate in some way, a message that is reinforced throughout the year. And it’s working: the large majority are engaged in athletics to some degree.”