Terre des Jeunes flag football program operates thanks to community volunteers
Representatives of the Cornwall Wildcats Football Club teach kids facets of the game
Another year of flag football clinics for Grades 4 to 8 students from École élémentaire publique Terre des Jeunes recently wrapped up at the Alexandria Dome.
The program has been led by the county’s own Costa Zarifi who is a member of the coaching staff at the Cornwall Wildcats Football Club. Helping out with instruction this year were Alex Labonte (who led the camp for the first few weeks while Zarifi was away on holiday) and Eric Barron.
Terre des Jeunes teacher Richard Leblanc tells me that he approached Coach Zarifi several years back to enquire about setting up flag football clinics for his students, and the program has run annually ever since. The school rents the dome turf field from the township for five weekly sessions, while the Wildcats provide the volunteer coaches.
The flag football is just one of a number of sports initiatives Leblanc has undertaken for his students to take them beyond the walls of the school and expose them to as many sports as possible. He’s also run a tennis program (taking advantage of the courts at the park), golf sessions (in partnership with the Glengarry Golf and Country Club), and curling (thanks to volunteers from the Alexandria Curling Club).
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