Sports are not always about winning, and that is the message the Barrhead FunTeam Hockey is sending.
FunTeam Alberta is an association that was created by Dr. Randy Gregg in 1990 to teach kids the importance of being on a team.
According to Shawn Stephani, President of the Barrhead FunTeam Hockey, Gregg used to play for the Edmonton Oilers, and decided to start a fun league for any sport.
“That could be soccer, football, whatever sport,” Stephani said. “The idea is to have an organization that can play for fun, with low cost, and with not much competition.”
The FunTeam mission is to “foster through active leadership, the participation in sport for children, youth, and adults, in an atmosphere where enjoyment is maximized for all and the cost associated with equipment, facility use, and participation is minimized”.
Along with the mission there is a vision that includes seeing children, youth and adults in every community in Alberta participating in sport activities in an atmosphere of fun, co-operation, and fair play.
The FunTeam League has a set of principles they like to follow, with some of those items including family involvement, safety, manageable time commitment, skill development, low cost, and less competition.
The skills that the players learn can be used both on and off the ice, Stephani said.
“Stick handling, skating skills, and also sportsmanship, and fair play because at times we may not keep score, or if the score gets ahead more than five we won’t post them on the board,” Stephani said.
“We will play games against communities.”
Some of the communities the teams play against include Westlock, Neerlandia, and Fort Assiniboine.
For Stephani an important skill learned is sportsmanship.
“The sportsmanship part, for example, if the team we were playing against didn’t have enough players, we would actually ask for some of the kids to play on that team,” Stephani said. “I think in life it is important to learn things like helping others out, or being fair.”
When it comes to penalties the players don’t spend their time sitting in a box.
“Instead of having somebody in the penalty box it is actually a penalty shot for the other team,” Stephani said.
Tournaments generally don’t involve keeping score, and are often just for fun.
“It doesn’t matter win or lose where you place,” Stephani said. “There are some tournaments where there are finals.”
According to Stephani it depends on the community that is hosting the tournament on whether or not scores are kept.
By using inexpensive equipment and local facilities the cost of playing in the league can remain $150, per player for the full year.
By staying in communities close by, and only playing once a week, the team cuts back on cost.
The league remains less competitive by offering the opportunity for individuals to play sports and do their best, while maintaining rules such as no keeping score.
FunTeam encourages parents and other family members to be actively involved.
Skill development is important for the FunTeam League, as it can help develop important social and physical skills in a positive learning environment, By participating in a sport kids can develop self confidence and a positive self-image.
“Getting off of their computer screens, and being involved… It’s good to see them busy on a Saturday,” Stephani said. “They also build friendships with people they would not normally meet, but by going and joining this FunTeam they meet other kids.”
“They join friendships there, that could impact their life,” Stephani said.
There are three age categories for the Barrhead FunTeam Hockey League, and those groupings include 5-9 years old, 6-13 years old, and 14-18 years old.
Their current season involves over 100 players, and there is stillroom for more.
Anyone interested is encouraged to call Stephani at 780-674-6340.
