Opening Up Athletics to All

Our goal at Leduc Track Club is to open up the sport of Athletics (x-country and track and field) to all by advertising the opportunities our club offers to young athletes from elementary to secondary school to train in a supportive club environment.  Athletics is a sport with the team spirit of other sports, but with no barrier to entry from an ability perspective, and a wide range of individual events that suit many abilities.

As parents at school Athletics events, we see the enthusiasm of so many students who want to continue in this sport, but don't know where to turn for coaching, or how to get involved.   We see these elementary, junior and senior high school students, who have true passion, potential (or both!) miss out on the opportunity to be the best that they can be, and gain all the benefits that sports for life can bring. We want to change that by ensuring the kids and their parents know what is available and facilitating the transition from competing in occasional school events to adopting a sport for life in a supportive club environment.

We will accomplish this by an advertising campaign designed to reach primary and secondary school students and their families in Edmonton to inform them of the opportunities available to them to train year-round with a club. We have identified an opportunity to procure and locate seasonal signage (covering X-country, Indoor and Outdoor Seasons) to maximise visibility to students and their families keen to make this transition from school sports to club competition.  This grant will give us one full year of signage procurement and 3 full seasons (1 calendar year) of exposure.    Our current club roster is approximately 65 athletes, and we have the resources to double that if we can get the message out effectively. 

This will benefit elementary and secondary school students of ages 7+ who have interest in track and field or cross country, perhaps by competing at school, and want, but don’t know how, to continue to develop and grow in the sport.  Our club is known throughout the region as offering the lowest cost of entry for our athletes, and we continue to look for ways to minimize barriers to entry. Our club’s philosophy has always been to develop athletes to their highest potential by providing certified coaching and financial support.  Our club also has a strong track record of nurturing the development of our athletes. Each year, our club produces athletes who compete and medal in national championships and secure sports scholarships in North American universities. Qualified athletes participate in the Simplot Games in Idaho annually and qualified high school athletes attend the Arcadia Invitational Meet every April in California.

There is a lot of unrealized potential among young Edmonton area athletes. A recent school cross country event in Edmonton (24 September Edmonton high school zone meet at Gold Bar) had 650 entries – including para athletes.  The vast majority of these competitors are not in a club and may not know how to continue in the sport.  The enthusiasm at these meets is intoxicating and needs to be tapped into, to allow that enthusiasm to transition into a sport-for-life mindset.  We aim to raise awareness of our club to as many of these athletes as possible by advertising on roadside signs in high-traffic areas, as well as by using our banner and postcards to advertise the opportunities our club offers - such as when we host the annual Klondike relays for elementary schools in the greater Edmonton area.