Natalie Spooner reflects on the Planet Fitness Pickup, an outdoor ball hockey event in downtown Toronto, and what moments like this one mean for the sport's growth and the community around it.
When Planet Fitness and Hockey Canada announced their three-year partnership last year, the vision was straightforward: bring fitness and hockey closer together in communities across Canada.
On March 4th at College Park in downtown Toronto, Spooner and Maltais were on hand for the Planet Fitness Pickup, an outdoor ball hockey event that put that vision into practice.
"People were so excited to be there and to just get to have fun," Spooner said. "For me and Emma, I think it was amazing to get back with the community in Toronto, obviously to share our stories of how the last month had gone, and how the season was going."
The day included on-rink drills and pickup games led by Spooner and Maltais, as well as live game commentary from sports host Donnovan Bennett.
For Spooner, the event reminded her of what she's always appreciated about women's hockey and of the same values she sees at Planet Fitness. "One of the special things for me is, even the women's hockey community that I've got to know, it's an amazing group of people," she said. "And to see a lot of those people out, it really shows the support around Planet Fitness, and that's what you want from a gym. You want to feel welcome, you want to feel like you're a part of a community who is going to push you to be your best self."
Hosting the event in a downtown Toronto park also made it accessible to more people, and, as Spooner shared, that's similar to Planet Fitness's philosophy. "People walking by were like, wow, I just saw it and I wanted to come over and check it out," she said. "And I think that's the same with Planet Fitness. We want it to be accessible, we want people to feel confident and comfortable going there, feeling like they belong there."
The event brought together people of all ages and skill levels, including young girls, which took Spooner back to her own childhood and to a moment that set her on the path in the sport. "For me, I went to a hockey school, and I was lucky enough to meet Jennifer Botterill when I was 11 and see her gold medal," she said. "And that was really the moment for me that I was like 'Wow. I want to be like her. I want to do what she's doing."
The experience also reminded Spooner of how much her community has meant to her throughout her career. 'I have to be grateful for the support that I've received over the years from the community and from Toronto,' she said. 'I really wouldn't be where I am today without my community and the people who have supported me.' It is also, she says, a reminder of why she keeps coming back to moments like this one. 'I think I'm constantly reminding myself to remember that little girl that just had so much fun playing street hockey, or skating on the ice as fast as I could,' she said. 'There's so much more to the game."
That vision, bringing hockey and fitness into communities across Canada, doesn't always look like an arena or a gym. Sometimes it looks like a park in downtown Toronto, where people of all ages and skill levels show up, and anyone passing by is welcome to join.