By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban
The Kaizen Carnival held at A Ma Baie Park in Pierrefonds drew thousands of participants. Kaizen, the official mascot for Champions for Life foundation, bounced around welcoming everyone to enjoy the fun in the sun while posing for photos with his fans.
In partnership with Youth Stars foundation and hosted by DJ Akeem “DJ AK”, Champions for Life ambassadors encouraged all participants to get moving and grooving via several dozen sports-related activities. Mini golf, introduction to mountain biking, baseball, soccer, wall climbing, parcour and balance-challenge activities, dancing, basketball, ping-pong and martial arts were some of the stations set up throughout the park.
More than 75 volunteers helped to set up, manage and supervise activities throughout the day. A free lunch was offered along with ice cream and drinks.
“This gives kids an opportunity to try something new and for those who are already in that sport to learn the physical literacy associated with the body movements required by that sport,” David Arsenault, Founder of Champions for Life foundation, told The Suburban. “Safety, fun and learning to move is at the heart of the Kaizen Carnival. This is a free event offered to the community, it is a way to give back and to let our light shine.”
“We are here to bring the energy, to bring the vibe and bring the community together,” Youth Stars foundation Director Malik Shaheed told The Suburban.
Both Shaheed and Arsenault showed incredible enthusiasm moving from station to station and encouraging everyone to participate. The duo even joined dance instructor Juliette Arsenault who amassed a large crowd in her dance-along activity when the famous toddler-favourite Baby Shark song came on.
Participants who gained interest in some of the activities offered could also leave the event with more information on where they could continue to develop their skills. “It is a great way to have my son try out many sports without the fees associated in registering for each one. Usually it’s a shot in the dark. He sees something he thinks he will like. We register and we pay, then it turns out, he wants to try something else. When they are little, it’s hit and miss, so this is a great opportunity for parents with kids just starting out in sports to let them try out all of their options before fall registrations,” Cynthia Sherwood told The Suburban.
One of the volunteers with Interclub Taekwondo, Eric Li explained to The Suburban that many kids who were trying the sport for the first time reacted instinctively when given the opportunity. “You just flash them a pad and they start going, then start showing them some punches. Once they get comfortable, you can throw in a few kicks for them to try out and then teach them how to dodge the pad.” n