Op-Ed Piece

NOTE: The following is an op-ed piece by Rodney MacDonald, Minister of Health Promotion. It's been a few weeks now since Team Nova Scotia returned from the 2005 Canada Summer Games in Regina. With 46 medals, many personal bests and fond memories, all Nova Scotians should be proud. While the training and competition have ended, the experience lasts forever.

These athletes, coaches and managers prepared for years to face the best multi-sport youth competition that Canada has to offer. The dedication and perseverance they learned is a valuable investment in any young Nova Scotian and are qualities that will benefit them in all aspects of life.

Athletes learn more than the techniques and rules of sport. They learn leadership, teamwork, decision-making, goal-setting, communications, personal accountability, and administrative skills -- and with their focus on being the best they can be, the athletes will be contributing to a more prosperous Nova Scotia.

The confidence, healthy habits and skill gained in this experience will help them maintain a lifetime of physical activity. These young Nova Scotians will become involved in furthering our sport and recreation opportunities. Our base of community volunteer coaches and managers has expanded and their home communities are now even richer for having that leadership back at home. It is this group of people who will continue our quality community sport programs for future generations.

And let's remember where it all starts -- community sport programs. That's where children learn to master fundamental motor and sport skills. Those skills have the potential to be the key that can unlock a future of healthy, active living. By enabling children to learn these skills early in life, their own personal choices are multiplied infinitely.

Armed with these basic skills they have the choice to pursue any form of physical activity they want, at any level of dedication they choose. At Nova Scotia Health Promotion, we will continue to work to make those options available to every Nova Scotian.

Competitive sport is one of many important settings for enjoying physical activity. Nova Scotia is proud to support the Canada Games and we are very proud of Team Nova Scotia for representing our province so well. Our team is an inspiration for all Nova Scotians and is proof once again that Nova Scotians can develop, benefit and succeed from the local playground to the national podium.

While not everyone will reach the Canada Games or national podiums, thousands can look to these athletes as an example of what it means to be your best and reach your goals -- and that's always a good thing.