Fredericton production acts as research project around winter sports and aging

Stephanie Dotto said the workshops have so far been well-attended and she's noticing that participants are more willing to step out of their comfort zone the longer they attend. (Submitted by Stephanie Dotto)A Fredericton-based production is hoping to raise awareness around winter sports and aging, create a sense of community between generations, and build opportunities for seniors to better engage in winter sports.

A Winter's Play will see a group of volunteers aged 16 to 25 and those 65 and older collaborate to create a play based on real barriers and stereotypes around sports and aging, specifically in hockey and curling, said Stephanie Dotto, a postdoctoral researcher at St. Thomas University.

"We wanted to bring these two age groups together because they're often encouraged to see each other as problems, and younger people don't typically think much about aging or the fullness of aging," said Dotto.

The project stems from sociologist Kristi Allain's research at STU around aging and winter sports.

The Winter's Play project is currently in Phase 1, where participants collaborate in a series of workshops to create scenes based on their own experiences and to demonstrate Kristi Allain's research. Pictured (from left to right) is Rylie German, Valerie DeLong, Bruce Valley, and Pat Tozer. (Submitted by Stephanie Dotto)

Dotto, who's leading the project alongside Allain, received a masters in theatre studies from the University of Guelph and specializes in using theatre as a tool for education and social justice.

"I'm using theatre to dramatize some of [Allain's] research on aging and winter sports," said Dotto.

The project is currently in Phase 1, where participants take part in a series of workshops to create scenes based on their experiences in order to reflect Allain's research.

Dotto said an example of a scene might be to display how older people use a stick for support while they curl, whereas younger people poke fun at them for using a stick.

"[Curlers] have a lot of strong feelings about using sticks for curling. They're an accessibility device that prevents you from having to bend down when you deliver the rock," said Dotto.

"So, it might be a scene where someone doesn't want to show their age by using a stick."

Stephanie Dotto, a postdoctoral researcher at St. Thomas University, said the goal with the Winter's Play project is to highlight the barriers and intergenerational divide that many older people encounter with winter sports. (Submitted by Stephanie Dotto)

She said a big part of this project is to raise awareness of older people's involvement and desire to be involved in winter sports.

Dotto said Allain's research revealed that older people are encouraged to exercise for their health and to reduce the risk that they burden the health-care system.

"But, when she's gone and actually talked to older people, their reasons for exercising are a lot more complex and rich and have to do with the enjoyment of moving bodies, joy, socializing and even a competitive drive to win and beat their peers," said Dotto.

She said when we talk about winter sports in Canada, we often don't talk about seniors, "but older people are often the backbones of recreational leagues and community sports, both playing and behind the scenes."

The hope is to showcase the production at STU's Black Box Theatre as well as other theatres in the Fredericton area this spring.

Sports stakeholders and politicians will be invited to attend the production in hopes it can drive some positive change for seniors and increase accessibility to winter sports, said Dotto.

St. Thomas University sociology student Madison Bird is the research assistant for this project and said she's loved assisting Allain in her research over the past few years.

"It's really important work … there's a large aging population [in New Brunswick] and they're so often overlooked," said Bird.

"We have a wonderful group and it's been really nice to see everyone engaged in all of the theatre activities," said Bird.

She said participants were nervous at the first workshop, but have since started coming out of their comfort zone and working with their co-participants of both age categories.