STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELISE MORTON
Talk about pouring your heart out. Despite the torrential rain Healthy Heart Day kept pumping at Sheridan’s Trafalgar Campus Tuesday, Sept. 22.
The event, held by the Sheridan Student Union (SSU), celebrated World Heart Day, raised awareness for cardiovascular health and promoted healthy living at the college.
“It’s a new year and we want to encourage new and returning students to have a good year, eat healthy and sleep well,” said Eric Bourdages, awareness coordinator at the SSU.
“We wanted them to come out, have a fun time, participate, meet new people and get the message of healthy living out.”
Although the weather prevented activities like human-sized drink pong from taking place outside, they had board games in the athletics centre and held a few matches of king’s court dodge ball in the gym.
“It would have been great, but it’s hard because the weather changes so quickly,” said Nadene Boothe, campus recreation, programming and fitness co-ordinator at Trafalgar Campus.
“It’s one of those things where we want to do this, this and this, but there is so much that students are trying to get used to, especially first-year students. So we don’t want to bombard them within the first three weeks of school.”
While inside the Marquee, students locked hand in hand and went three rounds during an arm-wrestling competition on the stage in front of cheering crowds to win $5 off their meal.
“I honestly just walked in here to sign up for the open mic night and my buddy was like you have to go on stage and it was like a call to duty so I had to do it,” said Devin Rintoul, the winner of the first match.
“Well, I was nervous. The tensions were rising when I was awaiting my call to the stage, but it was a clean victory.”
Watching competitors battle for victory from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. was quite an entertaining spectacle for those in the audience and a unique experience for the people up on the stage.
Students chose their own theme songs, had their names announced as they walked onto the stage and while suspenseful music played in the background commentators gave a play by play of the action.
Healthy Heart Day also introduced some services offered at Sheridan College.
According to Bourdages, it would benefit everyone if the SSU, peer mentors, the Athletics Centre and other services created a connection.
“We wanted to start a relationship so that throughout the year we can continue to do joint events and really at the end of the day, everyone benefits,” said Bourdages.
“It’s just very important to try to encourage the students to try to exercise, take care of themselves and their bodies.”