Article contentShe said Tuesday and Thursday programming is for school-aged participants and involves ice time at the Acadia Athletics Complex. They can learn how to skate, further develop their skating skills, play hockey, or Para hockey.Article content“Once you’re in S.M.I.L.E., you’re in it until you choose not to be in it,” Silverman said.Article content From left, KenWo Golf Club associate professional Laura Reid, Golf Canada First Tee Atlantic senior program manager Colin Gillis, and KenWo assistant professional Ryan Trimper facilitated an RBC Community Junior Golf and First Tee clinic at KenWo Golf Club in New Minas for Acadia S.M.I.L.E. program participants on July 31. Photo by KIRK STARRATT /PostmediaArticle contentLearning golf and life skillsArticle contentAs part of the July 31 activities, the coaches held a 72-foot putting challenge inspired by Canadian PGA pro Nick Taylor’s iconic tournament-winning putt at the 2023 RBC Canadian Open.Article contentGolf Canada First Tee Atlantic senior program manager Colin Gillis said they’ve been replicating the 72-foot putting challenge to give participants the experience of following in Taylor’s steps. At the end of the clinic, each participant received a gift bag and a Nick Taylor bobblehead figure to take home.Article contentGillis was joined by KenWo associate professional Laura Reid and assistant professional Ryan Trimper to facilitate the special clinic. Reid and Trimper are First Tee level two-trained coaches.Article contentArticle content As Acadia S.M.I.L.E. program community impact co-ordinator Courtney London looks on, program participant Garland Stretch takes part in an RBC Community Junior Golf and First Tee clinic at KenWo Golf Club in New Minas on July 31. Photo by KIRK STARRATT /PostmediaArticle contentGillis said their mission at First Tee is to introduce as many kids as possible to the sport of golf, and to help diversify it. They’re inclusive and accessible in their approach to ensure that any child, young person, or participant that wants the opportunity to play golf has a chance to attend a clinic, school program, or community program to learn the fundamentals.Article contentHe said that when introducing the sport of golf, it’s somewhat unique in the sense that participants track their own scores and usually aren’t being officiated by someone else, so they must be honest.Article content“Through a First Tee clinic like this, we’re not only teaching them the fundamentals; we’re teaching them the key commitments and the life skills that are associated with the sport of golf,” Gillis said.Article content KenWo Golf Club associate professional Laura Reid, left, and assistant professional Ryan Trimper provides instruction to Acadia S.M.I.L.E. program participants July 31. Photo by KIRK STARRATT /PostmediaArticle contentHe said the hope is that when the participant walks away, they feel good about learning the sport, have learned a little more about themselves, “and what it means to be a better person through the game of golf.”Article contentArticle contentGillis said a lot of the clinics they host are meant for participants who have never tried the sport. Their coaches are trained to work with people of varying abilities and can modify or adapt the program to make it inclusive and accessible for everyone.Article content“For us, it’s about getting to meet the parents, getting to meet the participants, and being on site working together with our coaches, and just providing entryways and pathways for youth to try the game,” Gillis said.Article content Acadia S.M.I.L.E. program co-ordinator Rayona Silverman says participants benefit from a wide range of physical activity opportunities, and from the social aspects and community that Sensory Motor Instructional Leadership Experience provides. Photo by KIRK STARRATT /PostmediaArticle contentHe said that when they’re working with facilities like KenWo and other First Tee sites that open their doors to provide inclusive youth development programming, it makes them feel good that what they’re trying to do is being acknowledged and appreciated by the golf community. It also makes them feel good that they have supportive partners and sites to bring golf to young people.Article contentFor more information on the Acadia S.M.I.L.E. program, visit https://smile.acadiau.ca. For more information on the RBC Community Junior Golf and First Tee, visit www.golfcanada.ca/rbcjrgolf.
Acadia S.M.I.L.E. program participants introduced to golf at KenWo clinic
