By Tia Wayling, Recreation Services Co-ordinator with the Regional District of Central Kootenay
Life is hectic these days. It’s not always easy to commit to a series of scheduled classes, let alone arrive on time. Unstructured and spontaneous recreation opportunities are becoming more popular these days, when people are busy and finding time to be active becomes a barrier.
Unstructured recreation activities are done outside of formal competition or overarching controlled entities, like an association, league, or registered class. Spontaneous recreation is when you participate in an activity that is convenient for you but wasn’t the intended purpose of your visit. For example, you might go to the Creston and District Community Complex (CDCC) to do a workout, but then a couple of your friends show up so you shoot some hoops with them instead. Sometimes, taking a bit of structure away from being active can make it more enjoyable.
Pandemic aside, indoor spaces like fitness centres and pools have been a stock standard to providing opportunities for the public to drop-in during most of the day. However, admission costs are seen as a barrier for some. Outdoor spaces are usually free, and lately, have become the favourite choice for many. Some of these outdoor spaces include trails, playgrounds, and parks. This researched trend towards unstructured and spontaneous use was what drove the development of the Creston Community Park in 2020. If you’ve used the park in some way since opening, you can appreciate the value it has brought to all ages in the community. Although tough to measure, it seems as though participation in recreational activities is higher than it was before the development of the park. However, sometimes even small equipment purchases can be a barrier and not everyone has the equipment they need to participate, especially in a spontaneous fashion.
Keeping consistent with the CDCC’s Skatepark Host program and the ability to sign out a skateboard, the CDCC has just launched an Equipment Sign-out Program for the rest of the park.
READ MORE: Rec Perspectives: Growing the Sport of Skateboarding
We carry basketballs, pickleball paddles and balls, volleyballs, and even horseshoes. Provide a piece of ID or a credit card to hold as collateral and you can sign out any of the available equipment to use in the park.
You can finally decide to try pickleball without investing in new equipment, or you could download instructions on how to play horseshoes (I can’t be the only one that doesn’t know how to play) and learn to play with a friend. You could even be spontaneous and decide to shoot some hoops while you wait for your pickleball partner to arrive. Just make sure you bring the equipment back before the front desk closes for the evening or you’ll be waiting until the next day to get your ID.
At the end of the day, our job is to help you find ways to fit recreational and physical activities into your day. Not only is it good for your personal well-being, but it helps bring the community together and grow as a whole.