Sport4Life Cochrane (S4LC) has teamed up with community partners to launch a series of free virtual after-school programs for youth ages 10 and up that begin this Tuesday, Mar. 2.

This Tuesday and Thursday, they'll be able to join coaches from Cochrane Minor Soccer for two virtual soccer practices.

Free soccer balls will be delivered to the homes of those participating upon request. Send an email to tlpcoordinator@cochraneminorsoccer.ca.

They are also offering a link to complimentary virtual community dance classes of Snap Dance Studio. They are pre-recorded and can be enjoyed at your own convenience. It takes a few days to get the login information.

On Mar. 16 and 18, Fireweed Yoga is offering live virtual yoga classes.

All of these sessions will be recorded and shared afterward.

They're all family-friendly, and absolutely no experience is necessary.

Geneviève Boivin, project coordinator for the S4LC youth sports hub, says the pandemic initiative was launched in place of their original plan for in-person programs at schools, after-school, and in the community.

Going virtual is something new to them and they've established relationships with community organizations to help make them available for the entire community.

"We wanted to offer all youth in Cochrane a chance to try different sports. Since we couldn't be in the schools this year, we thought we might as well take advantage of the pandemic and do what is available to us, which is virtual. We had instructors and coaches step forward to do what they love, which is teaching kids."

The underlining mission of Sport4Life is to offer youth the opportunity to try different sports in a non-competitive and fun environment with the guidance of qualified instructors.

"We know that for kids playing different sports is really valuable for life, so having something for free that you can do from home gives you a taste of what it is to play, in this case, soccer. Maybe you're really interested and want to do more of that. Or maybe it will just give you the confidence that you can go to the park and play it with your friends and parents."

After soccer, dance and yoga, they hope to provide further free offerings as more sports providers step forward.

For information on how to join any of these sessions and to stay posted on future sessions, click here.