After a short break over the holidays, the group resumed their weekly walks on January 24th. The group is growing and almost every week, there is at least one inquiry from someone who wants to become a member. Average attendance has been twenty-seven people. This winter, inclement weather has interrupted the schedule twice. The January 17th walk was initially meant to be the first day back, but it had to be cancelled due to snowfall. The March 27th walk was cancelled due to high winds. The group has explored a variety of trails this season, including Enos Lake in Nanoose, Heritage Forest in Qualicum, and a beautiful seaside trail in Craig Bay.
One of our seven incredible walk leaders is on medical leave right now. Many of the members of the group have been sending her supportive texts and emails while she convalesces. It is a testament to the idea that Sole Sisters is so much more than a weekly walking group; it’s a group of caring friends.
AGES 11-15
Ten basketball sessions were held between January 9th and March 19th. There is always an element of surprise when offering drop-in programs, and this season attendance fluctuated broadly from as low as six to as high as eighteen. Volunteer facilitator Isabella Loberiza organized scrimmages and ran some instructional drills. The February 27th session had to be cancelled due to instructor availability, but a make-up session was offered on March 19th. Over the course of the season, a total of twenty-five unique players visited the program, and many of them are looking forward to participating in the 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament together in the first week of May.
AGES 16+
This program uses weekly registration to limit the class size to twenty players each week. Over the past couple of years, this program has often been full and carried a waitlist. This winter, numbers were slightly lower, often averaging around sixteen preregistered players.
The 12th annual Coombs Family Day Celebration occurred on February 19th and celebrated the cow as its theme animal. The weather was sunny and approximately 2,700 people attended over the course of three hours. Silver Spur Riding Club organized an impressive equestrian display in the barn. In the Arrowsmith Hall, Coombs History, Brant Wildlife Festival, Oceanside Hive Beekeeping, North Island Wildlife Association, and many others hosted educational exhibits. The gymnasium was packed with kid’s activities, and children of all ages were invited to do cow-themed activities such as cookie decorating, Holstein headbands, an educational scavenger hunt, and milking a wooden display cow. Organizations such as 4-H, Coombs Fair, Arrowsmith Naturalists, VIRL, and Parksville & District Rock & Gem also joined in the fun! Many, many, many hot dogs and cups of hot chocolate were served out of the concession, and the numerous volunteers who worked together to make the event happen were very pleased to see such a large group of people engaging in this local community event.
Through the winter, Marimba Musikana continued to rehearse at the Bradley Centre on select Thursdays. One weekend per month, they also had a workshop with local instructor Caitlin Shoring. Their winter classes culminated in a performance for residents of The Gardens Assisted Living facility in Qualicum Beach.
The recreation team was approached by Raylene McCully who recently moved to Qualicum. Raylene teaches Essentrics Fitness. It is a gentle, flowing exercise that combines elements of tai chi, flow yoga, and ballet. It’s known to work the entire body, including the feet.
As it is a new program and not many people were familiar with it, Raylene offered to do a free workshop for people to try it. The drop-in workshop that we offered was remarkably popular with twenty people attending. The paid class began the following week, and had nineteen people in it. Participants have been really enjoying the program. It’s designed to stretch and tone the body and has been popular with a wide range of ages.
After being cancelled due to low registration last fall, ACRA’s Preschool Play class, for ages 3-5, has returned with a new facilitator at the helm. Sandra Poelzer comes to us with many years of experience teaching gymnastics to children of all ages. This group focused on navigating their way through obstacle courses, forward rolls, log rolls and parachute games.
Previously, Preschool Play has always been offered at the Coombs Fairgrounds. This Winter was the first time it was also offered at Meadowood Community Centre. Chris Burger from Meadowood Store made the incredibly generous offer to sponsor thirteen local children to the gym play programs in Meadowood. The raffle he organized at the Meadowood Store was very popular, and families were so grateful to have the opportunity to attend for free.
Because of the Meadowood sponsorship, the classes in Meadowood were full. Numbers in Coombs were lower.
Child’s Play is intended for ages 6-10. With the older age group, Sandra focused on cooperative games, sampling different sports, and circuits that include balance beams, straddles, and assisted hand stands.
In Meadowood, there was a registration malfunction which enabled two extra people to sign up for this class. The recreation coordinators were very impressed by Sandra’s flexibility. She not only did her best to accommodate the extra participants, she was also continually adjusting her material to best match the interests of the children. The program was very successful because of this. As the Meadowood classes were so large, student leader Skye Gross was brought in as a program assistant.
Beginner
Ten participants signed up for Beginner African Hand Drumming this winter. Many of the people in this class have a limited amount of drumming experience already, and only a few are true beginners. This class focuses on simple rhythms and the development of proper technique.
Intermediate
The intermediate-level drummers continue to be tremendously enthusiastic. Seventeen drummers signed up for the Intermediate African Hand Drumming class. Eight people signed up for Intermediate Dun Drumming. Eight is the maximum number for this class. Unfortunately, the first class had to be cancelled due to instructor illness. Most of the drummers in this class have been playing together for close to a decade, and it is quite fascinating to listen to their group rehearse. The rhythms are complex, and as a group, they can create melodies with impressive intricacy.
It has been some time since Drums Alive Fitness has been offered by ACRA. Drums Alive is a truly unique fitness class that combines aerobics and drumming for a full-body workout. Participants drum on top of exercise balls and move about in a manner similar to line dancing. Monica Hofer instructs this program.
In order to generate interest in the program, a try-it free workshop was offered the week before class started. Twenty people signed up for the free workshop, and twenty people also signed up for the paid class. In future, ACRA would like to try more free workshops. They provide a good opportunity for individuals on a limited budget to engage in physical activity as well as encouraging people to try something new without having to commit to registering for an entire series.
In partnership with the Arrowsmith Agricultural Association, ACRA is offering a series of workshops for kids ages 8-12. The goal of the program is to offer families the opportunity to sample a variety of different activities without having to sign up for a longer program or purchase much equipment. Six topics are being offered. The first workshop was about cake decorating and it was offered on March 1st. The dates chosen fall on Pro-D days. One of the goals of the program is to offer childcare on Pro-D days.
Instructor Shanan came to us last fall with a plethora of ideas and enthusiasm for running seniors’ fitness programs at Bradley Centre. After some careful planning, Cardio + Strength and Dance Fit were born. These classes are offered on Tuesday and Thursday mornings respectively. Since September, classes have been growing steadily, and this winter, both classes had very good numbers.
Ten classes were scheduled to run this winter. Four were offered successfully, but on the morning of the fifth class, Shanan had a seizure upon entering the Bradley Centre and an ambulance was called. Shanan has recovered well, but decided it would be best to take a medical leave to focus on her own health throughout the winter and spring. The remaining classes in her Dance Fit program were cancelled. Shanan plans to return in the fall and is really looking forward to the opportunity to reconnect with her students.
While six of the DanceFit classes had to be cancelled, only two of the Cardio + Strength classes were cancelled. The recreation team was able to find a substitute teacher. Gym Play instructor Sandra Poelzer also has a background in adult fitness, and she very graciously stepped up to lead. Sandra’s substitution was well received by the participants, and the team was grateful to have found this solution.
Erin Adams approached us about partnering up to offer an adult floor hockey program in Coombs. Erin has been involved with a local group of floor hockey enthusiasts for a few years. Their group paused over the pandemic and was looking for a way to begin again.
A set of six classes was offered on Sunday evenings from January 28 to March 10. The program was full with sixteen players, but interestingly attendance was quite low the last two weeks that the program ran. A feedback survey was sent out following the conclusion of the program, but no information was shared as to why registration numbers were low.
Every year, Errington Hall organizes its annual fundraiser Night at the Palace, a spirited vaudeville show put on by many talented community volunteers. This event always takes place on two weekends in February. While ACRA is always keen to support Errington Hall, Night at the Palace is a challenge because it falls so close to Family Day when the recreation team is fully engrossed in event preparation. This year, ACRA was able to bake and donate a cake for the concession. It’s a small gesture to contribute towards Errington Hall’s fundraising efforts.
Recreation Coordinator Tracy Cargo-White has made the difficult decision to reduce her hours. As much as she loves her work with ACRA, the local childcare shortage means that she is needed more at home for the time being.
The hiring committee was pleased to find that even though the position was not for a large quantity of hours, there was quite a bit of interest. After spending many hours reading resumes, interviewing, checking references, and discussing, Sandra Poelzer was hired for the position. Sandra lives in Hilliers and has worked as a gymnastics coach, personal trainer, and administrator for Gymnastics BC. We are excited to see what she brings to the team and are looking forward to having her join us on April 15.
The recreation coordinators attended many community meetings including:
The recreation team also met with Chris Burger of the Meadowood General Store to discuss the sponsorship of thirteen children to gym play. Chris also represents the Meadowood Corcan Residents Association, and they were keen to support activities in the new facility by purchasing some equipment. The recreation team was happy to provide suggestions based on which pieces of equipment have been highly utilized by ACRA and its community partners.
The Dad’s Night Out program for children ages 0-5 has been on hiatus since 2020. This free program was a partnership between OBLT, ACRA, RDN, SOS and VIRL. Each organization took turns hosting an activity night for dads, grandpas, uncles, or family friends to bring a child. Recreation Coordinator Kristine Stephenson has been in discussion with Scott Beam from OBLT, and it is looking optimistic that the program will be returning soon with a new title that is more welcoming to all types of families: Kids Night Out.
The recreation coordinators are responsible for maintaining the ACRA website and events calendar, Facebook page, and Instagram account as well as promotion for programs. The recreation coordinators receive and reply to phone calls and emails regularly and manage all of the registration for programs independently.
ACRA manages a community lending cupboard where other non-profit organizations and hobbyist groups can borrow equipment on a by-donation basis.
Allison Shaw continues to use the ukuleles and a band-in-a-box for the children’s music programs at Errington War Memorial Hall. The programs started in October and will continue into the spring.
Coombs Farmers Institute borrowed ACRA’s traffic directing equipment for their 4thAnnual Seedy Sunday event which happened on March 24th and was of much interest to local gardeners eager to grow their own food.
No grant funding was applied for in this period.