What's a Canada Games Days?

• Catch the Spirit - Enjoy the Canada games experience!
• What’s in the kit?
• How does it work?
• Yes, I want to receive the kit!

Catch the Spirit - Enjoy the Canada Games experience!

Canada Games Day is an event that offers young people, 4 to 14 years of age, a sport and educational experience that mirrors the excitement and spirit of the Canada Games. Participants are encouraged to set goals, take pride in their achievements — and above all — to participate! Between sporting activities, participants take part in entertaining trivia challenges and learn more about their country and the Canada Games.


Hosted by a school or youth organization, a Canada Games Day also offers young people a unique opportunity to develop leadership skills, and to help plan and organize a community event.


If you’d like to host a Canada Games Day, all you need is the Catch the Spirit - Canada Games Day Kit. This easy-to-use package, developed especially for teachers and group leaders, will help you plan and promote an exciting Canada Games Day in your own community.

Back to top

What’s in the kit?

The Canada Games Day Kit offers practical information to help you organize and run your activity day. The kit includes:

• An organizer’s handbook featuring an “action-plan” poster.
• A sport activities section with sixteen sport-activity cards; instructions for volunteers; activity diagrams; equipment lists; and score sheets.
• A committees section which outlines the roles of five organizing committees responsible for: management, sports, promotions, ceremonies and awards, and provincial and territorial Chefs de Mission.
• Pre-event trivia cards geared to three different participant age groups.
• Tips for organizing and selecting teams, keeping score, scheduling activities, and ensuring safety during your Canada Games Day.
• Information about a unique opportunity to invite Canada Games athletes to your opening ceremonies.
  
  
Back to top

How does it work?
12 Elements to Hosting a Successful Canada Games Day

1. Sport Activities

The Canada Games Day format suggests twelve sport activities over the course of the day: six in the morning and six in the afternoon. Choose activities from the sport-activity list that best match the skills and interests of your participants.

2. Competition Format

Thirteen teams will compete in a minimum of twelve sport activities each. Over the course of the day, each team will compete against every other team at least once.

3. Participation and Skill Levels

If teams are large, organizers may choose to divide them into smaller groups. Still part of a larger team, these mini-teams compete concurrently against mini-teams of similar skill level. This reduction in team size offers two advantages: an increased opportunity for participation and the ability to group players according to skill level.


Note: Organizers should weigh the advantage of creating smaller teams against the disadvantage of managing a more complex event.

4. Site Organization

Your Canada Games Day site should include:

·Six sport activity zones;

· A rest area and refreshment station;

· A control/scoring centre; and

· A first-aid station.

The figure below offers a suggested site plan for your Canada Games Day.

Back to top

5. Team Selection

These principles will guide you in your selection of team members for your thirteen Canada Games Day provincial and territorial teams:

• Each team should include participants from every age group, with an equal number of girls and boys.
• Team skill levels should be balanced to promote competition that is fair, exciting and usually results in a close final score.
• Each team will have a Chef de Mission who will act as the team leader. The Chef de Mission may be an adult, a youth leader or a teacher.
• Participants are encouraged to wear their provincial or territorial team colours on Canada Games Day.

Canada Games Day Team Colours

Yukon Northwest Territories British Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario Québec New Brunswick Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia Newfoundland & Labrador Nunavut

Black and White Navy Blue and White Blue and Red with White Trim White and Royal Blue Green and White Gold and White Red and White Blue and White Forest Green and Maroon Green and Rust Royal Blue and White Maroon and White Yellow and Red

6. Scorekeeping forSport Activities

Scorekeeping instructions for each sporting activity are provided on sport-activity cards. Remember to provide sport-activity coordinators with plenty of score sheets. Results should be tallied up continuously throughout the day to ensure there is no delay in determining team results and rankings at the end of your Canada Games Day.

Note: Score sheets should be returned to the control center by a volunteer immediately after each game is completed.

7. Compiling Results

Canada Games Day results are based on team scores. Individual results are not recorded. Teams will receive ten points for a first-place finish and eight points for a second-place finish in each sport activity. Teams may also score points by correctly answering trivia questions during the interval between activities. At the end of the day, the thirteen provincial and territorial teams will be ranked according to their total accumulation of points. Use the score sheet provided in the kit to compile team scores.


Note: If total point ties occur, the winning team will be determined by a coin toss.

8. Time Management

Your Canada Games Day will run more smoothly if timing for all sport activities is managed from one control center. The recommended time for each sport activity is twenty minutes. These sessions should be followed by a five-minute break. This will allow teams to move to the next sport activity zone, and to listen to a brief explanation of the activity.

It’s a good idea to sound a warning bell thirty seconds before this five-minute break to prompt activity coordinators to finish their briefing and to make sure that participants are ready to play.


Note: Familiarizing participants with sport activities before your Canada Games Day will keep instruction time to a minimum.

Back to top

9. Sample Canada Games Day Schedule

8:30	Team pep rallies and marshalling for Opening Ceremony. All thirteen teams are dressed in provincial and territorial colors. The provincial or territorial flag (or drawing of the flag) is carried by each Chef de Mission.
8:45	Opening Ceremony begins with a parade of athletes (just like the Canada Games). Short welcoming speeches from VIPs and organizers.
Games Start:	(twenty-minute games at each sport activity station, followed by a five-minute interval for travel to next activity and pre-activity instruction)
9:15	Sport Activity 1
9:40	Sport Activity 2
10:05	Sport Activity 3
10:30	Sport Activity 4
10:55	Sport Activity 5
11:20	Sport Activity 6
11:45	Lunch: local grocery store may donate a Canadian flag cake.
12:30	Sport Activity 7
12:55	Sport Activity 8
13:20	Sport Activity 9
13:45	Sport Activity 10
14:10	Sport Activity 11
14:35	Sport Activity 12
14:55	Competition ends: teams assemble and cheer.
15:00	Rankings announced; awards distributed.

Back to top

10. Event Safety

To promote safety during the event, participants should practice each of the twelve sport activities prior to your Canada Games Day. Encourage participants to identify basic safety rules when introduced to each sport activity.

Ensure that all Canada Games Day participants:

• Wear appropriate clothing;
• Wear suitable footwear;
• Remove all jewellery or watches;
• Tie back long hair;
• Use sunscreen; and
• Drink plenty of water

Direct your organizers to ensure:

• There is sufficient space between sport activities;
• Equipment is in working order;
• Participants in throwing and shooting sport activities are facing away from their sport activity zone -toward the outer edge of the zone — and not toward any other sport activity; and
• First-aid and water stations are set up around your Canada Games Day site.

11. Curriculum Connections – Trivia Cards

The Canada Games Day is about young people celebrating Canada and learning more about their country and the Canada Games. The Canada Games Day Kit contains three different trivia cards, each one geared to a particular age group. These cards challenge young participants to explore our country’s tremendous diversity.





Curriculum Connections Grade Levels Primary and intermediate grades (secondary 1 and 2 in Quebec) Subject: Physical and Health Education Develop a wide variety of motor skills while maintaining physical fitness. Establish a collaborative environment and acquire cooperative and independent social skills. Learn social skills in a setting that promotesphysical activity. Learnhow to organize an event. Social Studies Locate and label the main regions of Canada. Identify national, provincial and territorial symbols.

12.Planning Chart

Included in the kit isPlanning Chartwhich helps all involved to understand and follow the overall program organising steps.

Back to top

Yes I want to receive the kit!