Sunday Sports

Some of you will undoubtedly remember back in the Spring when I penned an op-ed piece in the Estevan Mercury on the topic of Sunday Sports in the city. For those of you who don't remember or don't read the Mercury here's what I wrote on behalf of the Estevan Ministerial Association.

“Stop the insanity!” was the rally cry of one Susan Powter – a 1990’s fitness guru and infomercial celebrity who made it her mission to dispel the myths of fad diets, fat burning pharmaceuticals and easy weight-loss. It’s an iconic statement that is probably burned into the minds of anyone who watched television in the early 90s but amidst the unceasing busyness and sheer level of activity facing the families of our city today, it’s a phrase that perhaps we should recapture.

 Estevan is a city full of life and activity – whether it’s the round-the-clock activity of a drilling rig, the drag line, or the power plants; whether the rush of seeding and harvest season or the long hours invested by teachers, small business owners or people working in the service industry, we are a city full of people that work hard. We are also a city full of people who play hard. For our young people minor baseball, football, soccer, broomball, and hockey all hold prominent places of importance and prestige in our local culture. The Estevan Music Festival is a huge annual undertaking for those involved in the arts in our city and often much of the year is spent in preparation for this event. Recreational leagues, groups and service clubs take up much of our out of work time and of course there are large charitable ventures that are staples of our community like the United Way and Relay for Life that need our attention and commitment.

 It’s easy to look at all of this and celebrate the work ethic and opportunities available in our city. Estevan is truly a happening place and we have lots going for us but all of this busyness and activity comes at a cost. We are a city on the verge of burn-out. Teachers tell of kids coming to school on Mondays dead tired and worn out from weekends of endless activity and travel; parents are working longer and longer hours and families are spending less and less time together at home; young people are entering the workforce at increasingly earlier ages and working long hours that makes meaningful engagement in high school and enjoyment of their teenage years all but impossible – where do we draw the line?

 Recently the City of Estevan approached the Estevan Ministerial Association with just that sort of question. The city has been pondering doing away with the Sunday Sports bylaw because of its lack of consistent enforcement. For those of you who are unaware the bylaw states that:
 

“Organized games, practices, contests or sports involving juveniles 16 years of age or under, shall be prohibited in any City owned, controlled or operated recreational facility on Sundays prior to 1:30 p.m.  Request for exemption for this policy are to be considered on an individual basis and be subject to the approval of the Recreation Director.”

 After explaining the situation the city closed the correspondence with: “We would appreciate the Ministerial Association’s thoughts in this matter as we do appreciate their advice and guidance.” The Estevan Ministerial Association deeply appreciates the willingness of the city officials to seek our advice and guidance on this issue. We have returned to them our official response and advice that inconsistent application of a good bylaw is not reason for abolishment – rather it’s a reason to do a better job enforcing the bylaw. Families in the city of Estevan need an oasis of time in their week when they are not being bombarded by external pressures and commitments; they need a time when mothers and fathers and sons and daughters can spend quality time together. Sunday morning sports forces families into the difficult position of choosing to do something to honour their commitments to teams and organisations or to do something to enrich their lives. Whether families chose to use that Sunday morning time slot to attend a worship service together or spend a lazy morning in their pyjamas enjoying intentional family time is a personal decision to make but it should be a decision that is made free from the pressure that comes from being involved in organised sports which demand unwavering commitment from families if they wish to participate at all.

We appreciate the sentiment behind the question that the City of Estevan is asking – at its core the question is “How can we be fair to everyone in application of this bylaw?” but with all due respect, it’s time for the people of Estevan to respond to their officials by telling them to “Stop the insanity!” Estevan’s families need a break and sports on Sunday morning is not going to help them find one.
 

On Behalf of the Estevan Ministerial Association:
Reverend Chris Smith – Estevan Alliance Church

Nine other members of the Ministerial Association representing 8 other churches and organisations signed their name to this letter and to the official response to City of Estevan regarding the issue. We received lots of positive feedback from people both in our congregation and in the community but heard nothing back from the city regarding the issue - until today.

Today we cleared a week's worth of mail out of our community mailbox (our office coordinator at the church had been on holidays) and in it was a letter addressed to me, but for the Ministerial Association from the City of Estevan. This is what it said:

August 22, 2011

To: Estevan Ministerial Association

RE: SUNDAY SPORTS POLICY
Please be advised that the Estevan Leisure Services Advisory Board and Council of the City of Estevan have reviewed the Sunday Sports Policy as well as the input received from the Community and Ministerial Association.

The parties believe that it is not the responsibility of the Leisure Services Board or the City to dictate that residents or users should go to Church on Sunday mornings rather it is the responsibility of each individual to make their own decision.

The Leisure Services Advisory Board and Council have agreed to respect the wishes of all parties and will not organize or promote City programming on Sunday mornings. Rather, it will be left to the discretion of the groups booking the facilities if they wish to use Sunday Mornings. The Facilities will be available for any party that wishes to book.

We thank you for your input and trust that you understand that while we could not totally agree with your position it was valuable and helped to frame this decision.

Sincerely
James Puffalt, RMA, CMMA
City Manager

This is what has gotten me so hot under the collar today. We recognized that not everyone in the city is a churchgoer and we even precluded that in our response to the city; we made what I feel are compelling and important arguments about the lack of balance and boundaries in the lives of our citizens and particularly the danger that poses for our children; we asked the city not to create a new law, but to honour and enforce an old one that made a lot of sense and that was all disregarded with a cheap and irrelevant remark about the city having no place in telling people to go to church.

And while I appreciate that the city will not organize or promote it's own programming on Sunday mornings, that was never the issue to begin with. It's like saying we're not going to enforce the by-law that says it's wrong for your neighbour to shoot your dogs, but on the bright side the city won't be shooting your cats! This feels to me like the city's unending quest to get as much revenue into the coffers from use of city facilities - and specifically the newly completed Spectra Place - has trumped common sense and the common good. How long before we have routine sporting games for youth happening on Sunday mornings as well as Sunday afternoons and Sunday evenings and all day Saturday? How long before this decision comes home to roost though an increase in tired and burned out families who have no margins in their lives and feel powerless to set boundaries that invariably teeter between full involvement or no involvement at all in minor sports because of the competitive nature of recreational pursuits?

And yes, I am worried about the impact on our churches. Things are already hard enough for well-intentioned families to make time for worship in their lives the way things are. Forcing so many of these families to choose between regular church attendance and their children's involvement in minor sports is patently unfair - but that is the environment that the city has created with their decision. It's a sad day for our community but there is still hope.

If you are involved at any level with minor sports in the Estevan area I'm asking you to talk to your coaches, organisations  boards and associations - asking them to take a stand and refuse to allow games and practices on Sunday mornings. The city may make the facilities available but we can always vote with our feet. Say no to schedules that keep your kids (and your families most often) out of church, and say no to schedules that keep families of any religious persuasion from having a single morning of balance in their overly busy lives. I know of several coaches in town that already run with that policy but wouldn't it be great if we could present a united front to our government and tell them that this time they have gone too far.

It's unfair to make families choose between church and sports - in today's world kids should have the opportunity to do both. I'm doing what I can - what are you going to do?

Chris