Become Legendary with Mini Legends Games and Relays

The Cause

Athletics Alberta has developed a grassroots program called Mini Legends. The objective of this program is to provide children and youth in the community, opportunities to be active and participate in fun, safe, inclusive and developmentally appropriate physical literacy-based activities.

Over the last 18 months, increased inactivity and lack of after-school and sporting/extracurricular opportunities have taken a considerable toll on children and youth’s mental and physical health. This funding would help us reconnect with our grassroots age group (4-12) and assist us with promoting health and wellness, social connections, emotional well-being, and physical development. Our goal is to move from a virtual connection to providing our quality physical activity-based program face-to-face, which will be very needed in the coming months and beyond.

Building on the successes and engagement of the virtual Mini Legends Lightning Bolts and the in-person Mini Legends Games, we would like to continue providing the in-person Mini Legends Games in Northern Alberta communities and expand by developing, promoting, and implementing the Mini Legends Relays through a Mini Legends Games event. The ML Games is a station-centered, physical-literacy events day. The ML Relays will coincide with the Mini Legends Games, and support Northern Alberta elementary and junior high school-aged children and youth, encouraging them to assemble a relay team of four participants to have a friendly competition with other school teams. The Legendary Relay Teams will be organised into these categories and distances:
Grades 1-3 - 4 x 50 metre relay
Grades 4-6 - 4 x 100 metre relay
Grades 7-9 - 4 x 100 metre relay
As well, our mascot, Zeus, will be a part of a celebrity relay team that will attend this event that focuses on promoting a fun, safe and inclusive environment that aims to support the development of physical literacy.

Physical activity is a right that everyone should be able to access and enjoy. The Mini Legends Relays will provide access and an opportunity for children and youth to try a new activity, be a part of a team and feel supported by the Athletics Alberta community. There are no prerequisite skills needed to run/wheel in this event. It is simply a participatory event to get kids active again. The funding requested will cover the cost of the venue rental and additional logistics costs allowing us to keep the registration amount low, thus promoting increased participation.

Who Will it Benefit?

In short, youth aged 4-12 in Northern Alberta, including the Edmonton area as a start. Ideally we'll hold the Mini Legends Games and Relays across the province in the coming months.

Mini Legends is the grassroots program for all children and youth ages 4-12 and was developed by Athletics Alberta in consultation with a Physical Literacy Specialist. This program nurtures a love of physical activity and provides opportunities for children & youth to also gain and practice important life skills; cooperation, self-confidence, participation, and empathy. Through this carefully designed program that includes fun, inclusive and engaging running, jumping & throwing-type activities, we help our participants move more, and play more, so they can become confident and competent. Recent studies have demonstrated a clear association between resilience and physical literacy in children. Specifically, individual's resilience is associated with their competence and confidence to move, which are the key components of physical literacy. The Mini Legends Program promotes the development of physical literacy through fun, safe & inclusive activities for children & youth aged 4-12.

Funds would assist with promoting and assembling the Mini Legends Games and Relays for children and youth. As an added bonus, another group benefiting from the Games and Relays are the “Legendary Crew” of facilitators/coaches hired to engage kids and ready to get them moving and enjoying the benefits of physical activity.