Flash Mobbers Make their way to ground zero.

Who is having more fun, the kid playing or the kid sitting?

Success! On June 28^th we pulled off our very first Sask in motion flash mob!

It was a total experiment with a new tactic for us. Flash mob have been literally popping up out of nowhere all over the world and we wanted to try.

So.. try we did, and guess, we pulled it off! We had around 50 people with a 50/50 split between adults and kids(5-12 years old). We were all decked out in our matching “Only 15%” t-shirts. We had a Vuvuzela, a couple soccer balls and some good music.

Our goal was to surprise down town Regina during their lunch break with the message that only 15% of kids are active enough.

Here’s how we did it:

Our plan was to show the public what 15% actually looks like. So we set a goal of recruiting 50 people to participate in our flash mob. With volunteers including friends, family, business associates and a great group of kids from one of the YMCA’s summer day camps we found enough people.

We sent all of our volunteers a note to meet in Victoria Park close to the Scarth Street mall in Regina where we would be putting on the flash mob. No one knew what they would be doing; although I’m sure they guessed it would be something active (we are SK in motion after all). The lead councilor from the YMCA day camp did know what was going to be happening so she could prep her team and the kids.

Once everyone was at the park and they received their instructions it was now or never! In 3 groups of about 15, about 20 seconds apart we made our way over to flash mob ground zero.

I led group one over with our music ready to go and our t-shirts on. My group was mainly adults; it was our mission to set up the perimeter of the flash mob area. (As illustrated by this beautiful diagram my office buddie Graham created.)

Nicole led group 2 over with a mix of adults and the awesome day camper kids! [Flash mob experiment lesson #1 happened right about now]: Always make sure the correct people have to correct props. Group 2 arrived without the soccer ball that according to the master plan, would start a friendly game of soccer between the kids (hence the adult perimeter) The adults were getting their grove on to the music, so yes, they were being active too. So we encountered our first hiccup, which leads me to.. [Flash mob experiment lesson # 2]: Improvise! With no soccer ball and a bunch of kids who were supposed to be active according to my master plan, I did the only thing there was to do… jumped in the middle of it all and tried to get those kids to dance to the music!

Finally ( after a very long 20 seconds) groups 3 made it with the soccer balls, and we were back on course! The adults danced and the kids scurried around running, jumping, kicking, throwing any active verb you can think of these kids embodied it. It was awesome.

So we had 50 people being active in the middle of a busy down town lunch spot, now it was time to send a message. Graham blew the Vuvuzela (in case you’re not sure what that is, it’s one of those crazy horns you hear if you’ve been watching the world cup). The horn was everyone’s signal to stop being active and sit down right where they were, accept for 7 of the kids.. which is about 15% of the 50 people, if we did our math right.

Those 7 kids kept running and playing around all of us sedentary people. It was a pretty striking image of how few 15% actually is. [Flash mob planning tip]: The active 15% kids were given bracelets to help them remember that they were going to keep on playing when everyone else took a seat.

Not only did the active 15% keep on playing but the other kids were given toy cells phones to pull out and play on (representing screen time.. get it?). The effect was better than we could have hoped for the kids playing were having fun and enjoying themselves while the screen time, sedentary kids looked bored and sad. We couldn’t have asked for a better endorsement for being active.

After a giving the crowd few minutes to soak up the image of Only 15% of Saskatchewan’s kids being active, Graham blew the Vuvuzela one more time as our signal to disperse. [Flash mob lesson # 3]: Big finish. It ended but it didn’t feel over so I screamed out www.saskatchewaninmotion.ca. It was effective in a rush but next time we want to make sure people know what we are there to say, so we’ll have to work on that element.

Overall we accomplished everything we set out to with our first try!

• The public was surprised
• The public noticed us, watched and were intrigued
• We had volunteers participate in raising awareness around the physical inactivity crisis
• We got great photos and video (coming soon to YouTube)
• We even got local media coverage. Thanks CTV
• We successfully completed our flash mob experiment
• Most importantly we had FUN!!!

We’re not done yet.. do you want to be involved in an in motion  commotion? You can plan an event with our help, volunteer to participate, even do one on your own and send it to us. A toolkit to help you is on the way.

Tell us if you’re interested and what you think in the comments below.

Kenji

To us sport and being active is a part of life, things would be dull without it. This past weekend my lil cousin played for his elite hockey team. They are like a bunch of mini NHL’s flying around out there, it’s incredible to watch! Even my gramps, that has played coached and watched hockey his entire life is amazed at how well they play at 9 years old.

It was definitely exciting hockey and when someone we’re related to plays we all get pretty amped up! (Who am I kidding; we don’t have to be related to them at all lol) Once we’re amped up, we all start griping over whose sport is better or tougher. Or if being great at one sport is better than being good at a lot.

It’s never good enough to talk about it, we always have to say “prove it”, followed by an inevitable “let’s race” or “best 2 out of 3”. This time somehow the deciding game came down to tennis..I’m not sure how, being that none of us play tennis normally..(maybe that’s why).

The first day the boys battled it out for a couple hours at the public outdoor courts. Then on day 2 (yes, there is a day 2, it’s ok you can call us ridiculous if you want) we all packed up and went to the courts for a final show down.

We brought a football and a soccer ball and spent the whole afternoon at the park all together. It sounds sappy, but it was awesome. At the end of the day I’m not even sure who was crowned the champ..Each person would probably tell you it was them. Haha

The moral of my little story is that it’s good to get out and run around, play, and be active no matter how old you are. It doesn’t really matter what you’re motivation is. For us it was the competitive spirit, which can be a really amazing force.

Look at the World Cup, people from all over the world are coming together.  A few of them come to actually compete as world class athletes. Most come to cheer and be entertained by the competition both in person and all around the globe.

Check out some of the world cup soccer, maybe it will be your latest inspiration!

Find what motivates you to be active, and remember your way more likely to be active when you’re having fun!

Let me know what gets and keeps you active in the comments below!

Kenji

Don’t ask me to explain the names of the tricks or the scoring system. All I know is when they fly over that lip and force their bodies to do those crazy rotations it’s amazing!

What’s not that amazing, because it was a bit of a given, is that Shaun White of the US won his second straight gold medal. The amplitude and ease of his runs..those were amazing! The dude didn’t even have to do his final run to win, but threw it down anyway and topped his score!

As you can imagine I don’t know the guy; but I get the feeling that part of the reason his runs are so sick is because he has so much fun!

I’m positive to be on his level you’d have to put in some serious work, but boarding for anyone is such a total body workout. The good thing is you may not even notice it cuz you’re having too much fun..until the next day anyway. Then you might encounter some sore muscles, maybe even some bruises depending how often and how bad you whipped haha.  What’s a bruise compared to gliding down a mountain or flying along the lip of a pipe?!

Probably the coolest thing about White’s win, is how stoked he was to win. The Olympic organizers pretty much could have mailed him the gold medal before the games even started. Still when he won he couldn’t believe it. There was fist pumping like nobody’s business at the end of his second/celebratory run. It’s just inspiring to see a guy who has won gold before, and is consistently number one get that amped about a victory. It’s obviously because he loves what he does.

The way I see it he loves getting outside and moving. He just gets a little (by a little I mean a lot) more height and rotation than most when he does.

Have you ever hit the half pipe to see if you’re the next Shaun White?

Kenji

I was stuck on blog inspiration for this week – I had a couple of thoughts but nothing I was feeling desperate to share with the world.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Moment!

Then I checked my twitter (have I mentioned how much I love twitter.. I love it! [follow me @Kenji22] haha). There was a message from our communications guru Kim (follow her @Herperki) with a link to a great blog written about exactly what I was struggling with, so helpful! Check it out if you’re stuck -13 Ideas To Inspire Your Blog Content

This One’s For You

A second glance at my direct messages revealed a tweet for my “awesome friend Tim” with another idea about how he stays active playing league rec hockey. So this one’s for you Timma!

My boy Tim is right; the best inspiration for being active is fun! He doesn’t play on his team because they are elite or win every game..(sorry man, you guys are awesome tho!) It’s because a bunch of buds get to play the game they love. They get their competitive spirit going, and take pride in their team. Let’s be honest, the chill time after the game doesn’t hurt either. But if it wasn’t for the hockey, that bunch of guys wouldn’t hang out nearly as often. (Smart sounding summary of my point—activity is a social catalyst)

The Science—or Not

My original plan was to get into the scientific stuff about the chemicals your body produces when your active but; all the articles are really long and would require research into the meaning of strange multi-syllable words. Perhaps a subject for another time, I’m going to stick with the fun!

Life Experience

In grade 9 one of my favorite teachers ever got me and my friends into rowing. We were never at any kind of competition level, but it was cool. I have a competitive spirit for sure. So I may have gotten intense and tried to make us into world champs. Much to my dismay it never happened. Lol. We did spend a lot of time at the marina and gained enough skill to move from an 8 boat to a 4 (the more people the less balanced you have to be on your own). For a while, we took it pretty serious and did dry land training too. We all knew we would never be Canada’s Olympic team or anything, but it motivated us to be active, even off the water.  Plus, learning to row on Wascana lake in Regina pre “big dig” gave my friends and I some now hilarious oars covered in seaweed stories for our crew.

No Rules

You don’t need a league to regularly have a mostly friendly competitive game, family drive way b-ball games can get nasty depending on who’s playing.  Hit the school yard for b-ball, or the ball diamond, or the park for football, soccer or cricket, or fly a kite. Whatever! They’re all a good time and good for ya too!

One With the Fun

Sometimes being around a bunch of people isn’t my idea of fun either. So I hit the bike path. Either on my bike or my long board, on which I am a hot mess! Ok… just a mess, but it’s a blast anyway. Plus, I get an ab workout from laughing at myself.

Any good stories out there..share em’ in the comments below!

Keniji

Today is the gold medal game dudes!

Now I’ve never been a hockey player myself but I’m definitely a fan. I’d go so far as saying I’ve tried to play, but actually classifying my actions as “playing” might be a different story. Haha.

I consider myself decent at lots of stuff but skating is not one of them! Let alone stick handling and shooting..eshk, me attempting any of that would not pretty.

Thankfully there are many people who are amazingly talented at hockey! So even though I can’t be impressive, I can be impressed by the athletes who do it right. It’s always cool watching the pro’s live and on TV. It’s a good laugh watching my buddies play rec hockey for something to do. It gets intense watching my cousin play in the highway hockey league all winter too. 

Luckily for Saskatchewan this year’s World Jr. Hockey championship was held here. Two cities, my home town, Regina and S’toon welcomed some of the best young players from around the world to play for gold.

First Hand

I wasn’t able to catch team Canada play live, I did get hooked up with some tickets though (thanks Dad)! I made it to three games and got to see Sweden, Russia, Czech Republic and Finland hit the ice.

It was good clean hockey with some future greats working to be noticed by the big leagues. It was inspiring to watch and reminded me why I used to play competitive sports. Now I’m content to go out and giver’ a go! It’s not about winning or losing anymore. It’s just about giving something a try, or getting a rush, more often than not a laugh. Usually at my own expense, but that’s cool. Being involved with sport and competition at different levels all my life gave me the confidence to try something new. It might seem completely out of my element, like snowboarding initially did. All the skills I’ve developed throughout my life helped me do alight though. I’m no star, but I did ok!

I think that’s what is so deadly about watching any competitive sport. It can be inspiring, and usually fires me up to do something myself.

What makes you want to get out there and play? For me, the competitive spirit is more than enough motivation.

 Kenji

Most people have family traditions around the holidays. My family is ginormous and has traditions that are a marathon of events and food. We (all 40+ of us) get together for a massive gift exchange. Between Secret Santa’s and gifts for our immediate family the tree disappears. The festivities last well into the night and after a goodnight sleep and a bit of time apart we reconvene for Christmas Day supper; where we all eat very well and laugh way too much into the night again.

So after indulging our stomachs for a couple days we get together again for our traditional Boxing Day merriment. Like I mentioned my family is pretty large. My dad has 7 brothers and sister who all have kids and in some cases grandkids. With someone of pretty much every age we have to have something for everyone to do. So we rent out this club house that has a decent sized hill for tobogganing, a field for some intense games of snow football, and even an ice oval out back! Some people even hit the club houses weight room for kicks.

Our outdoor adventures!

So typically when one hears tobogganing they think kids, and that’s partly true but with my family the adults go wild with it. The brother slide, the sister slide, how many can squash on the sled, how many people high can we go. Oh ya, it gets crazy!

Once we get our competitive juices going we take it up a notch from sledding to mostly.. touch snow football! Sports are a wee bit of a family legacy and football is a big one. So we play a few downs, mostly for fun..haha.. some take it more seriously than others lol.

For those not so thrilled about football or maybe feeling a little more refined there is the ice oval. The little ones tend to play football for a few downs and then want to skate.

Competitive togetherness!

All in all the day is about all of us being together! Running around and being active just enhances the fun we have together.

Do you have any active traditions around the holidays? We could always expand the competition so pass on your great ideas in the comments below.

Take it easy everyone..but not too easy!

Kenji

Physical activity has basic requirements. Ultimately you need a reason to do it, a nourished and hydrated body, and finally a space to get er’ done.

When I ponder sports and being active, being outside comes to mind. Of course there are rock walls, stadiums, gyms, treadmills and indoor pools, but do they compare to the real thing? Imagine actually climbing a massive gritty mountain. Or an outdoor stadium where the elements tend to make the game interesting. The “gym” may have every gadget, but kettle balls & resistance in the park or on the beach is prettier and smells better!

I’m a fan of being outside, and think that protecting the environment is pretty much the bomb! So here’s where I make some linkages.

This week world leaders are meeting in Copenhagen to (hopefully) come to a global agreement to save the environment.

You’ve no doubt heard something about the trouble earth’s atmosphere, oceans, fresh water, jungles, farmland, animals, and we in turn, face. People try to separate territory, food, resources, responsibility, and even the global ecosystem – the key word being system.

Is climate change/global warming real?

Ya! It is.

How do I know?

There’s so much info out there. How do you know what to take seriously? I trust science and things that make sense to me.

Warning – warning, a bit of a personal rant here, but stay with me…

 Science tells me the ice caps, major glaciers, eternal Himalayan snow fall, and even permafrost is melting. Those same glaciers are historic records of our atmosphere; they tell us human life has never seen the carbon dioxide levels in the air we currently have. Average temps are up, centuries old weather patterns are altered, and the oceans are acidifying. The number of species at risk of extinction is accelerating. Access to drinking water dwindles, fisheries are at dangerously low levels worldwide. Coral reefs that supply the earth with a huge amount of oxygen are dying. Deforestation for paper pulp, lumber and to make way for industrial farming threatens species, soil erosion and traditional settlements.  And let’s not forget about our reliance on fossil fuels.

Why are we responsible?

Before, life on earth the planet was toxic and unlivable because the atmosphere was full of CO2. Eventually the successive generations of plants purified the atmosphere sucking the carbon, allowing life to exist. The carbon was stored underground as coal, gas and oil. Since the industrial revolution humanity has been burning/releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere at an alarming rate. 

The best way I’ve ever had the situations explained to me was in the documentary HOME.

“It’s all about carbon. In a few decades the carbon that made our atmosphere a furnace and that nature captured over millions of years, allowing life to develop, will have largely been pumped back out. The atmosphere is heating up.”

How much sense does that make! It was a total light bulb moment for me.

Why do I/should you care?

• This is the one and only (that we know of) planet that can support life!
• In one generation we (humanity) have upset the balance that’s been a constant for all of humanity’s existence!
• Everything on earth is connected, nothing is futile, every plant, animal, bacteria, person impacts something else.
• The earth is not ours to upset; we depend on it, not the other way around.

My climate change poem (it’s ok to giggle.. I know there is a cheese factor)

Because it’s too late to Deny
It’s not a Lie
We all truly know Why
It’s the elements we released into the Sky.

We need to be careful what we Buy
So that species don’t Die
So forests that are left don’t have to Cry.

It’s time to really Try
Or it’s evident we’ll have to say Goodbye.

A depressing thought?.. maybe. The truth?..yup. Is there Hope?.. Definitely!

There are so many things left and so much we can do. Things like active transportation are good for the environment and your body.

Mostly I want to help the environment because I want my chance to explore! Exploration is best done outside in nature. There are seemingly endless expanses to trek.  Snow or sand, there are so many different things to do that by the nature of nature encourage you to be active! Many sports and activities require the natural world – think of mountain, lake, ocean, trail and sky sports!

What is your favorite thing to do outside? What’s the connection between physical activity and the environment for you? Let me know in the comments below or share what you think about protecting the environment so we can be active in it!

Kenji

They pulled it off! The Riders are headed to the Grey Cup and Rider Nation is going with them in one way or another! At this point it doesn’t matter if it was luck or talent we’re all in it to win it!

I gotta say even if we get some lucky calls [every team gets some favors and some rip offs during the season] the dudes that play on that team are real athletes! They train their bodies and their minds  for success.

Little Ones with Big Dreams

Most of these guys have probably been working to get where they are for the better part of their lives. Everyone knows you don’t just decide you want to be a pro athlete and get it. I’d be willing to bet they all have stories of learning to throw the perfect spiral or making the game winning defensive play back in pee wee. It really does take a lifetime to get to that level. Being elite means sacrifice, hard work, perseverance and dedication.

Some things are naturally out of every athlete’s control; you can’t decide if your body will be the “ideal” for your sport. As an athlete you have no say which players the coaches choose. The amazing thing about being an athlete is how much you can do, depending on how hard you are willing to work for it. You can study routes, defenses, individual opponents and where you need to improve. You can train your body to be stronger, faster, last longer and push harder [I’m gunna stress working for it, naturally!]. You can make good choices Socially. You can choose to work hard academically to earn scholarships, that will give you the opportunity to be coached by the best in the business. You have the ability to structure your attitude to carry you through to success. Finally, you can build a support system that consistently and positively motivates you.

More Than a Game

To me sport is about competition, physical development, striving for success, and applying what you learn to your sport and to life. Sport gives us a taste of things we may encounter through life, like being gracious in defeat. No doubt there can be rough and discouraging times when you are involved heavily in a sport. I do think that the ultimate goal of being involved is enriching your life though.

The Power of Rider Nation

The dudes that play for the Riders are definitely in the category of athletes who work for it, and whose lives are enriched through sport. All of that doesn’t account for the amount of support they get from all of their loyal fans. Win or lose the people who support the Rider franchise are back next season. The support around this team is a movement of its own.

My hope is that the Riders inspire the people of Saskatchewan to harness the benefits of being active for themselves. I’m not saying everyone should go out and try to become a pro athlete [that’s just not realistic]. That said, there is a reason athletes are able to dedicate their lives to an activity. The adrenaline rush, the physical improvements and health benefits [even when guys are busted up, they are only concerned with the date they can get back in there] the mental escape from stress, the friendships they  build, and basically the pursuit of happiness.

What It All Means To You

If you watch the games and are inspired to push themselves to be the best at something, great. If you get up and toss a ball around with your kids or a buddy, that’s awesome. If you decide, “even though it’s been a few years I’m joining a touch team”, wicked! The important thing is recognizing that whatever activity you choose is an opportunity. You have the opportunity to better your body and mind, build friendships and enhance relationships. You also have the chance to feel a sense of accomplishment and pure joy – just like  the dudes playing for a living without the pressure;).

Sask on the Move

Saskatchewan already has a crazy strong “movement” in the form of Rider Nation and it  isn’t much of a stretch to make the link to physical activity. It’s almost a given:

You support football [Deadly!]→ so.. you support Sport [Sweet!]→ so.. you support Physical Activity [Love it!]→ so.. you might as well jump on in and be a part of the Saskatchewan in motion movement [That worked out so nicely…didn’t it ]!

And…

Just because I can I’m gunna go ahead a releate all of this awesomeness to the power of young people! You ready for this..[it’ll be quick, keep reading]

The Power of Youth

Our Rider QB Darian Durant is only 27. He doesn’t have years of experience leading a team like a lot of QBs. He had moments where he struggled and was questioned by the public. But he had a goal; he put his head down, stayed dedicated and focused. He learned from past experience in games and from mentors like his dad. He took the support where it was given and proved to everyone it can be done! Basically his legitimacy was questioned and he was underestimated. That happens a lot with young [or inexperienced] leaders. I look at Durant and see a guy with a goal. He’s a guy who had something to prove, who wasn’t afraid to try and make it happen. That is the best part of being new on the block, there is nothing to lose, so go for it!

Are you part of Rider Nation? What does that mean to you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Later

Kenji