Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

STAYING ACTIVE

Embrace the season for the PLAYKamloops How to Play Winter Challenge

Feb 3, 2022 | 4:21 PM

KAMLOOPS — While February is the shortest month of any year, when the winter doldrums set in it can feel like the longest.

Here in Kamloops, there’s a group trying to encourage residents to get outside, get moving and embrace winter. PLAYKamloops is once again holding its How to Play Winter Challenge.

A playground after a fresh, fluffy snowfall just hits different. Just ask the kids at the newest City of Kamloops playground at McArthur Island Park.

It’s that kind of enthusiasm that PLAYKamloops is hoping to spread around town with the 2022 edition of the How to Play Winter Challenge.

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“The challenge is all about getting people outdoors, getting that winter mindset shifted a little bit, and getting people moving,” Jodi LeBourdais, Play Coordinator with PLAYKamloops, explains.

For some people, being active during the wintertime just comes naturally.

“There are lots of different, wonderful things to do in the winter. I love it all,” BGC Executive Director Traci Anderson explains. “I am like a true winter person!”

BGC Kamloops — formerly the Boys and Girls Club — is one of several community organizations that supports PLAYKamloops in its quest to promote physical literacy. For Anderson, the pandemic has magnified the connection between outdoor activity and mental wellness.

“I think it’s more important now for families to be connected to nature and be outside and participating in all of the things that help them be well and healthy,” Anderson says.

As part of the challenge, PLAYKamloops has a calendar loaded with ideas for different winter activities. Plus, there’s a chance to win a prize.

“You can find that calendar at www.PLAYKamloops.com or on our Facebook page,” LeBourdais explains. “Try and mark off as many activities as you can. You don’t have to do the activities on the days they are listed on the calendar. We want you to try anything, anytime, anywhere, as much as you possibly can, and you’ll have a chance to win a $500 grand prize package.”

And even if you don’t win the grand prize, the real prize is getting outside and connecting with friends and family on a beautiful winter day.