Dorval school kicks off sports awareness month

"I think being physically active should start at schools," the athlete told The Chronicle in the school's gym, slightly out of breath but clearly exhilarated after engaging in a joke-fencing match against a couple of the day's colourful mascots with cylindrical "swords" made of sponge.

A staple of the Marguerite Bourgeoys school commission since 1995, the month sees students in grade and high schools in Quebec participate in special tournaments and activities designed by their physical education teachers.

"We want to make Quebecers the healthiest people in the world by 2020," said Nathalie Morneau, director of the Federation of physical education teachers in Quebec (FÉÉPEQ).

Gentilly school's physical education teachers spoke of their students' enthusiastic approach to sports. "Soccer is really omnipresent at our school," said Yannick Quenneville. "We have a soccer team here," he said, before allowing his students to exhibit their skills in one half of the gym.

Decked out in green T-shirts promoting the awareness month, students ran from wall to wall to warm up before playing a quick round.

Meanwhile, their colleagues, trained by Quenneville's colleague Steven Gagné, engaged in mock fencing fights with the same sponge "swords" that St. Pierre and her foes would face off with later in the afternoon.

"Fencing is not very spread out at the grade school level in Quebec," Gagné explained. "We're very proud to have started it off here at Gentilly, in, of course, a safe manner."

Yves Paquette, president of the Quebec student sport federation, highlighted in a brief speech the importance of bringing family members out to play for children. "Invite your family-your mom, your dad, your grandfather, your grandmother-to walk outside, to play with you," he said.

The event ended with a memorable game of dodge ball outside, with the day's mascots and Kim St. Pierre throwing themselves into the game as children energetically screamed and cheered for their team mates.