Sports Team Building Activities in Calgary
We all know how important the sense of togetherness and unity is in team sports. Surprisingly, it’s often underestimated. Why is that?
Some coaches and team captains believe that the time the athletes spend together on the field or ice is more than enough. After all, it can be hours and hours every day. However, that’s definitely not the case.
It’s well-known that negative and unhealthy relationships between team members will most likely interfere with their performance. Sports team building activities, in contrast, are known to improve communication, morale, and motivation of team members.
The only issue here is that team building activities can, in fact, be boring, ineffective, or both. Moreover, with so many options to choose from, especially in a big city like Calgary, it can become more challenging than you’d expect.
That’s why we’ve come up with this list of team building activities for sports in Calgary - so let’s check them out!
1) Host a Picnic At a Park
Having a nice get together in a local park is always a way to go. However, just a regular picnic isn’t always as fun as it seems, with the meal often being the only highlight. If you don’t put enough effort into planning into the activity, you’ll have a hard time getting people “out of their shells.” That’s usually the hardest thing to do and the biggest fear of every organizer.
The only advantage of hosting a picnic is saving some money, which is a big one. However, there are also a couple of drawbacks.
First of all, the organizer has to trade time for money. For instance, planning, setting and wrapping everything up, brainstorming for fun things to do, and other related things can take up hours of your precious time. Second, finding parking or an empty at a park can be a daunting task. How come everyone decides to go to the park the same day and time you and your teammates do? That’s just unfair. Lastly, there are much better places that actually focus on team building and problem-solving.
Overall, going to a park is a “lazy” option that takes an enormous amount of brainstorming and preparation if you want it to “stand out.”
2) Visit a Nice Restaurant
Similar to the previous activity, having food and a couple of drinks at a restaurant or a bar is one of the most popular activities for sports. Is it aimed towards team building? Not really. However, it can still improve the communication and morale of the sport team members (especially after a drink or two).
In general, it’s not a bad idea, with almost everybody willing to attend. After all, who is going to say “no” to a steak or a plate of nachos?
The only problem with a nice dinner at a restaurant is that there are hardly any team building activities involved. If not everyone in the team is getting along well with others, the group of athletes tends to divide into smaller sub-groups. After all, the quiet environment of a restaurant only encourages that.
To sum up, having something to eat and a couple of drinks at a restaurant isn’t a bad idea for a sports team get together. However, there are better places for sports team building out there.
3) Have a Few Drinks At a Bar
Whenever there is a big game going on, all the sports bars in the city are filled with people. Why not take your hockey (or perhaps soccer) team to watch the match all together? Cheering for a team when having a drink bonds people more than you think!
For many people, however, happy hours after happy hour isn’t the best way to spend their free time.
While doing this once in a blue moon is definitely a must, there are better sports team building alternatives out there.
4) Organize a Field Trip
Remember the good old days in school and college? Taking a bus to another city or mountains and visiting all kinds of places in a good old-fashioned way is actually a lot of fun. While it may seem like a rather boring activity, you’d be surprised how many cool places you and your teammates haven’t been to. And don’t you forget about stopping at a gift shop!
Overall, going for a field trip is a fantastic idea with only a couple of drawbacks. The first one is the time needed for such an activity. While going for dinner can take a couple of hours, a field trip may take up your entire weekend, especially if you are planning on visiting more than just one place. Second, it’s not cheap. If you are going for more than a day with your sports team, you’ll need a place to stay. Even the most affordable motels aren’t, in fact, cheap. Add gas, food, tickets, and tours, and you may be looking into $1000s.
5) Visit Escape60 - Calgary Escape Room
If you’ve never visited an escape room, you’ll be surprised how much fun it can be. The best part about them is that they also do wonders when it comes to sports team building. But let’s not rush and find out what escape rooms essentially are.
The event is almost like a video game with you and your team as main characters. You get a set amount of time (usually an hour) to solve a set of mysteries and puzzles. After solving a 5-step puzzle in one room thinking you won, another door opens with more riddles for you and your teammates to solve.
Filled with fun and adrenaline, the game will keep everyone involved. And that’s exactly what you should be looking for if the goal is to improve communication and companionship between the athletes.
“Why Escape60 as opposed to other escape rooms around Calgary?” - You may ask. The answer is quite simple - Escape60 offers you the best locked room experience. Besides 7 top-notch escape rooms of all difficulties, you can also enjoy drinks at the wet bar after the game (this feels especially good if you didn’t win).
By the way, it’s the only locked room that serves alcohol in Calgary! No other locked room in the area has a licensed lounge with all sorts of beers, wines, and spirits.
Another factor that a lot of people take into consideration is the location of the establishment. Escape60 is conveniently located in the heart of Calgary, downtown, by Sunalta C-Train station. Moreover, it’s equipped with over 20 parking sports and free street parking all around the building.
No matter whether you live in NW or SE of Calgary, you’ll have no problem getting to the escape room! And the prices are the most competitive on the market, and you’ll be surprised by the quality of service you’ll be getting!