COCHRANE— The Cochrane Track and Field Association is looking to upgrade the athletic facilities that lie between Elizabeth Barrett Elementary, Cochrane High School, Manachaban Middle School, building a project they call the Tri-School Site.
“We have a facility right now that is capable of athletic training, and we’re really hoping to enhance the facilities in place. We want to provide a space that we can continue to provide support for athletes in the area, and we also want to provide an opportunity for a little more interaction between the three schools up here,” he said. “We also want to bridge the gap between certain areas in our schools, whether that’s athletics and performing arts, or providing more space for physical literacy to occur, those are our goals for this project,” said association president Tommy Knitter.
Knitter said the project has been in the works for roughly eight months.
“We’ve had countless meetings between the Rocky View county representatives, Town of Cochrane representatives, MLAs, we’ve had multiple meetings with community members from the Cochrane Heights area, we’ve had meetings with Tri-School Site administrators In the last eight months. It’s been a blur,” Knitter said.
Knitter said the project was spurred by an anonymous donor who generously pledged $1 million to the project.
“Our first focus is primarily driven by our alumni donor who has pledged over a million dollars to this project, and that would be an artificial turf, as well as seating, lighting and a score clock. We also have aspirations of enhancing the track and field training facility that we have,” he said. “Depending on how successful we are with fundraising efforts, it’s really going gauge what is possible in terms of track and field training.”
Between the three schools, Knitter said, there are roughly 1,800 children. The challenge the three schools face right now is a lack of available space to teach physical literacy. He added that the proposed facilities will provide an accessible space where the three schools can come together and learn important, healthy habits.
“We have a very athletic community, and we want to continue to provide a facility where we can develop athletes,” he said. “We need spaces that our kids have available to come out to develop skills and to develop movement habits.”
The Tri-School Site can also be used for other programs and events, Knitter said.
“We also want a space that’s capable of holding school celebrations, things like outdoor graduations, the performing arts, a space where we can have Shakespeare in the Park. We want to use this facility to continue the excellence of the culture that exists between the three schools right now,” Knitter said.
Knitter said the project will provide educators a space to build the foundations of physical literacy, which are skills young people can use to build healthy, active lifestyles.
“Young people need the confidence, competence and motivation to be active for life. We really want to continue to engage our students to be successful as athletes and be healthy as individuals. One of the big resistances to getting all of the students involved in physical activity is the facilities. It’s very difficult to operate a physical education class when you have one gymnasium and snow on the fields for eight months a year,” he said. “We’re really hoping that this project gives us more availability to develop those skills and interests in our youth.”
Esther Sieben association vice president and physical literacy specialist said that physical literacy should be a priority for educators as it is an important piece in building a healthy, vibrant community.
“I think sometimes physical literacy and the importance of movement get pushed to the back. Just like a child becomes a competent and motivated reader, so does a child have to become a competent mover,” Sieben said. “I think that this space and this facility will allow for physical literacy to blossom and once we start focusing on the youth of our community and making sure they have a healthy heart and mind, we’re going to see that become two-fold and three-fold as it expands in the community. A healthy community always starts with the youth.”
The project is still in the planning stages, but the Cochrane Track and Field Association said they are hoping to break ground on the Tri-School Site in Spring 2022.
