The camp was started by the Royal Canadian Legion when Canada’s track and field fortunes began to wane in the late 1950’s. The Legion began holding clinics in the province, but many felt they needed a permanent place to do so, and one away from the cities. George Phillips and Fred Taylor, Winnipeg high school coaches who had been involved in the earlier clinics, checked out the International Peace Garden where the International Music Camp was already located.
The camp was born in 1962, using the music camp dormitories when the young musicians left in July. Over the first few years, numbers of young athletes grew, so Phillips and Taylor felt they needed their own facilities. They discovered an overgrown and unused track from the Highland Games, and over time, Legionnaires built several buildings for weight training, storage and a dormitory. The multi-sport complex was also built, which allowed the camp to add sports like basketball and volleyball. From the start, it was a co-ed camp, which was unusual for the time. At one time, 1,300 hundred school age athletes would attend the different programs each summer.
This, however, has fallen off. According to Kitchen, they had 362 athletes last year. There is a fair bit of competition from city camps now, and the attendance has been a problem for several years.
Tom Crew, a former coach and board member, said 470 is the break-even point for the camp. Any less means money has to be diverted from capital to run the facility. There were other issues as well. There was a shortage of volunteer staff for behind the scenes work and doing repairs to the buildings. Costs were increasing and there was less support from Legions and Legion Auxiliaries as their numbers declined. Attempts to forge new partnerships did not pan out.
The camp attracted athletes from all over Manitoba, as north as Churchill, eastern Saskatchewan, the other western provinces, northwestern Ontario and some US states, as well as occasionally farther abroad. The camp was best known for its track and field, volleyball and basketball programs, but over the years equestrian sports, judo, wrestling, sailing and others were hosted there. Many fell by the wayside in recent years due to problems of attendance. For example, in 2019, they planned to hold camps for volleyball, track, advanced track, basketball, gymnastics, soccer, multisport and wrestling. The last three had to be cancelled due to attendance.
Another concern was the aging facilities. Over 50 years they were showing wear and tear and there were not enough people stepping forward to help care for them. Their future will be a point of discussion with the International Peace Garden.
Crew, who said he could only speak for himself, not the camp, had been involved as a coach for 36 years and board member and registrar for five. Since the closure was announced, he has been in contact with former athletes, staff and parents, who have shown their appreciation for what the camp did for them. Crew said the greatest compliment they received was the retention rate. Many athletes would return for several years, and once finished, often came back as volunteers or to coach. Over time, they would bring a sibling or a friend, and later, their children.
“I know personally my children remember most the friendships they developed and still maintain ten years later,” Crew stated. “I also know they grew in confidence and inclusiveness as they shared their experience with people from the city, from the country, from up north, from other provinces, from the indigenous people, from immigrants.”
“Many athletes would start the first year as scared, shy 10-12 year old average athletes and I would see them two or three years later as captains of their teams, quite a dramatic change. I believe our camp had a bit to do with encouraging that transformation.”
One local athlete who is disappointed in the news is Jenna Patterson. The native of Boissevain attended the Legion Athletic Camp at 12 years old in 2010. She was involved in the volleyball program. She said the camp gave her the opportunity to try a new sport without the pressure and commitment of a busy game schedule.
“Going to camp, I gained friends from all over Manitoba, parts of Saskatchewan and parts of Ontario,” Patterson said. “Legion Athletic Camp helped me make friends and teammates while developing my skills and gave me the experience of a new sport outside of my comfort zone. They pushed me to a new level of competitiveness, which helped me in my other sporting endeavours in the future.”
She feels the closure will be a great loss not only for Boissevain, but the entire province and further afield. It developed skills and friendships and will be missed.
“Its legacy will be remembered by athletes, coaches and sports fans, as the place they were able to find their love of the game.”
It will be missed by Kitchen as well. He has attended as an athlete, coach and director. He said it had an almost mystical quality, due to it being so unique and in such a beautiful setting. He said he would always remember the friendships developed there and all of the laughter. He met wonderful people he still calls his friends, and he remember seeing kids who started camp shy and timid not wanting to leave at the end of their term.
“The camp, I believe, made kids fall in love with their sport, while still having them work hard and learn about perseverance,” Kitchen stated. “In today’s age, it is easy to get wrapped up in the addiction of technology and social media. The Legion Athletic Camp removed that and allowed kids to just be themselves and create friendships. The kids forged these friendships at camp and I think that will be missed the most about camp.”
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff