Bubble soccer kicks off

The first week of the Winter Carnival is in full swing, and Wednesday night welcomed all ages to participate in a curious game of bubble soccer.

The game follows the same rules as traditional soccer but with a unique twist: each player is encased from the torso up in a giant inflatable bubble.

“We’re super excited to bring this back, and the kids are super excited because they love soccer. They play soccer almost every day, either after school or during school hours,” said Jadyn Lauder, the child and youth program coordinator at the Kanesatake Health Center (KHC), which organizes Winter Carnival. “So now they get to hit each other with the bubbles, it’s much more fun than soccer.”

Lauder explained the last time the community had the chance to play bubble soccer was March break a few years ago. The activity is facilitated by Beyond Fun, a company that provides a selection of activities and experiences for schools and corporate events.

Brandon Ionescu, a 10-year-old who participated in the event, said that he especially enjoyed bumping into friends and scoring goals. However, he offered some advice for future players - the bubbles don’t completely protect you from falling, so it’s important to stay on one’s feet when knocking friends over.

“I was actually really surprised to see this many people. I thought more of them would be a little more scared with it, but there was a big turnout,” said Daphne White, a program animator for the KHC.

“Now that the holidays are over, this is another fun way that we can bring everyone together,” White added.

For some participants, the idea of climbing into an inflatable bubble was initially intimidating. Ami-Lee Hannaburg, Ionescu’s mother and the administrative team lead for the KHC, explained that she was a bit apprehensive about playing, citing claustrophobia and worrying about getting injured. But once the game started, those worries quickly disappeared.

“It was a blast. I definitely was laughing every time I went down. I was dying of laughter in there,” said Hannaburg. “I’m knocking some of our co-workers down. This is a great team-building activity.”

“I knew it was going to get wild,” said Lauder at the end of the event. “I thought it would be crazy for the younger ones, but nothing compared to the adults.”

Lauder explained that besides some minor injuries, Bubble Soccer was a success with a great turnout.

“The kids had a blast. They’re not really playing soccer, they’re just hitting each other. But overall, I’m super happy with how it turned out,” said Lauder.

Lauder said that besides a weather-related hiccup on Tuesday night that delayed the glow-in-the-dark volleyball, the first week of the Winter Festival has gone smoothly overall.

And even with the milder weather on the forecast for next week, the popular event of ice fishing has been given the green light, with over 70 registered participants. Ice fishing is on February 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Centre de Pêche Chez Robert. Registration is closed.

According to Lauder the team has been working hard to ensure that the warm weather doesn’t affect the outdoor events such as the Family Outdoor Day on February 14 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and broomball on February 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., both located at KHC’s Tsonkwatentionhátie Farm.

Selena Beauvais, a program animator at the KHC, said events like bubble soccer and other Winter Carnival activities are meaningful for the community.

“It’s familiar faces, people we don’t get to see often, and then some new faces, old faces. It’s just nice to get everyone together,” said Beauvais.

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Fern Marmont, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter