Yes, it has been 20 years of the Sport & Social Club. While some of you are old enough to remember the very early days, many of you were just starting your first year of T-ball. Here are a few fun facts about the club as we reflect on the first 20 years.
1996 was a big year all around!
The Sport & Social Club is not alone in its celebration of 20 years. Look who else is also hitting their platinum milestone!
-Toys: Nintendo 64, Pokemon
-Television: 3rd Rock from the Sun, Sabrina the Teenage Witch
-Politics: Bill Clinton re-elected
-Conspiracies: Death of Tupac
-Movies: Happy Gilmore, Fargo, Trainspotting, Scream, Jerry Maguire.
-Music: Macarena, Spice Girls, Champagne Supernova
-Couples: Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
-Qatar based broadcasters: Al Jazeera
If you grew up in the 1990’s, you’ll remember some of these great sports moments too.
Billions and Billions Served…almost!
Okay, one billion is a stretch, but we’re not talking about mass produced, low grade hamburgers. To date, there have been 77,190 Sport & Social Club teams. These teams have played a total of 433,420 games. Naturally this has led to a few other unverified figures:
- Gallons of sweat left behind on gymnasium floors: 1027
- SSC induced weddings: 574 (along with 978 babies)
- Pints of beer consumed post-game: 5,533,427
All Great Companies Start in a Garage.
Like all great businesses, the Sport & Social Club started in a modest way; the basement of 145 Cottingham Street.
Here’s the evolution of the SSC Office:
– Basement of 145 Cottingham Street
– Bedroom of 162 Huron Street
– Basement/Bedroom at 252 Bedford Park Ave.
– Above a cigar shop at 1724 Avenue Rd
– 12 years at 185 Bridgeland Avenue
– New office at 245 Eglinton Ave E. Come visit us!
Not Everything Sticks.
Here are a few programs that used to be a thing with the Sport & Social Club. These programs are dead for now, but don’t count them out; some of them are making a comeback!
- Seepak Takraw
- Tae Bo
- ‘Sports for Singles’
- Cricket
- Euchre
- Grass Volleyball
- Shinny Hockey
- Handball
- Badminton Club
- Ballroom dancing
And, while old programs fade away, they are often replaced by new ones. Check out some innovative programs that have sprung up in the last 3 years:
- Indoor Softball
- All Sorts of Fitness
- Paddle boarding
- Sailing
- Dragon Boating
- Kickball
- Golf Lessons
- Squash
Let us know if there is a program that we SHOULD be offering, like one of these unique sports.
Giving Back
To date, you have helped Sport & Social Club raise $213,018 for our main charitable partner, Right to Play. This organisation uses ‘play’ and sport to educate and empower children and youth to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict and disease in disadvantaged communities. Did you know that it only takes $50 to put a child through one year of Right to Play programming? Nice work SSC members!
We have also given out 11,325 pieces of equipment via our Replay program. If you know a school or organization that could benefit from ‘gently used equipment’, let us know at info@torontossc.com.
Celebrity Sightings!
Local personalities love their recreational sports too! Here are just a handful of people that have played in SSC leagues over the years.
- Gord Stellick
- Elliot Friedman
- Brian Stemmle
- George Stroumboulopoulos
- Adam van Koeverden
- Kate Beirness
- Jessie Cruickshank
- Patrick Chan
Turf Explosion
While development has been slow, there has been an increase in the number of turf facilities in the city. We love progress!
- # of Sport & Social Club teams playing in turf leagues in 2000? 0
- # of Sport & Social Club teams playing in turf leagues in 2003? 24
- # of Sport & Social Club teams playing in turf leagues in 2016? 1585
Best. Member. Ever
A lot of people have played with Sport & Social for a long time and we thank each and every one of you. But there is only one member who sets the gold standard when it comes to program participation. Meet Jimmy Kwan.
Jimmy has played in 196 Sport & Social programs since 2006. That’s an average of about 5 nights of sports a week for 9 years!
How do you compare? Check out your “Previous Registrations” tab in your online profile to see how many programs you have completed. Be like Jimmy!
Remember the Skydome? Yeah, we played there!
That’s right, the 2003 Sport & Social Club Flag Football finals were played in the Skydome. On the eve of the Vanier Cup final, SSC was given time for some recreational pigskin of our own. Surprisingly, spectator attendance for both finals was less than capacity.
We thank each and every member for their participation in Sport & Social programs over the years. We look forward to growing older, wiser and better with you over the next 20 years. Don’t ever lose your love for sports. Registration is now open for winter programs. We’ll see you out there!
~Compiled by Rob Davies