By Darren
Steinke
Gordie Howe
Sports Complex
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| Logan Hofmann trains in the off-season at Ignite Athletics. |
Ignite
Athletics was formed when Ignite Athletic Conditioning owned by Joel Lipinski
and Jordan Harbidge and JB Performance Training owned by Josh Saulnier merged
and located on the Gordie Howe Sports Complex grounds when the Indoor Training
Centre opened in March of 2019.
Ignite
Athletics aims to be the best training facility in Canada located on the best
sports complex grounds in Canada. The crew at Ignite want to help the athletes
they train to improve every day, so they can meet their athletic goals.
As a result
of the great work the Ignite staff does, they’ve attracted elite athletes from
a wide variety of sports along with people who just want to be in better physical
shape.
The staff
has created a welcoming atmosphere at Ignite helping make the phrase “Ignite
Family” a reality.
As the
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has gripped the world since March of 2020, the
family feeling at Ignite has come more to the forefront. Most of the clients
that visit Ignite have seen their lives change in a sizable way.
Over the
past year, many athletes have trained for seasons that started and ultimately
got cancelled shortly after starting. Athletes have continued to train often
not knowing for sure when their next season will start.
Despite those uncertainties, the day’s highlight will often include stopping in at Ignite for a training session. Lipinski said you can see athletes have an extra jump in their step, when they come to Ignite.
“To be able to provide a safe, fun and positive environment during this pandemic, it is something we are very grateful for,” said Lipinski, who is also a strength and conditioning coach at Ignite. “The feedback we have been given by our athletes has been overwhelmingly positive.
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| Lindsay Berglof is long time regular at Ignite. |
Lipinski
said one of the more pronounced strengths that has shown through from the
Ignite staff over the past year is the ability to care. The Ignite crew has
always aimed to build friendships with the athletes they train.
Those
friendships have given athletes trust that they can let staff know when they
not having the best day.
Lipinski
said the Ignite crew has had to show more heart and understanding over this
past year than they’ve ever had to show before.
“We have
seen and personally felt the toll this pandemic has had on mental health,” said
Lipinski. “The relationships we have formed with our athletes over the years is
a large reason for our success.
“People do
not care what you know, unless they know that you care. We provide a space
where athletes are allowed be vulnerable, and we can meet them where they are
now. We have also teamed with Clint Moroz at The Shift - Counselling Services
and are involved with the Matthew Baraniuk Legacy Foundation, so that when our
athletes do need extra help, we have the resources in place to make sure they
are able get the help they need.”
Besides
creating a great training atmosphere for athletes in the high school, young
adult and adult age groups, Ignite partnered with the Gordie Howe Sports
Complex to create the Spark Park Summer Sport Camps for children.
These camps
ran for the first time last summer with children split into age groups from 5
to 8 and 9 to 12. The week-long camps introduced children to a vast array of
sporting experiences with a highlight of getting to run the “Ninja Warrior”
course set up at the Spark Park located in the Indoor Training Centre.
The Spark Park Summer Sport Camps are returning this summer with weekly sessions running from July 5 to August 20.
“The Spark
Park Summer Camps have been a fun addition,” said Lipinski. “The amenities we
have available to us at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex make it easy to run an
exciting summer camp.
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| Spark Park Summer Sports Camps return this summer. |
Lipinski
believes the camps really helped the kids both physically and mentally as they
seemed to energetically jump into activities.
“Last summer,
kids had not participated in any structured physical education in schools,”
said Lipinski. “Therefore, we think that being able to offer these camps was
massive to get kids active and socializing after being deprived of those two
things for so long.
“I am also
sure the parents did not mind and entire week with the kids out of the house,
knowing they were somewhere safe.”
Lipinski
said the Ignite crew is looking forward to running the Spark Park Summer Sport
Camps again, and he credits the community in Saskatchewan for allowing them to
happen by doing their part to manage the pandemic.
“The fact
we can run these camps again this year means that people across Saskatchewan
are being diligent with the protocols set in place by the government,” said
Lipinski. “It also means we can continue educating people that these camps
exist and how positive they can be for their kids to get involved with.”
While the
past year has provided some unique challenges to the Ignite crew, Lipinski said
it has been special for Ignite Athletics to operation on the Gordie Howe Sports
Complex grounds.
“It sounds
cliché, but it is a dream come true,” said Lipinski. “The facility is
state-of-the-art while also being surrounded by one of the best sport
infrastructures in Canada.
“We have had the privilege of being able to visit some of the top facilities in the world and I remember walking into each one with a sense of awe. I sincerely stop and look around with that same sense of awe everyday now. The merger with JB Performance and Josh has also been amazing.
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| Danielle Jasper has been a long time family member at Ignite. |
For more information about Ignite Athletics or to register for the Spark Park Summer Sport Camps, feel free to check out Ignite’s website at igniteathletics.com. All photos for this post are courtesy of Ignite Athletics.
