Education shouldn't stop at the edge of a soccer pitch or when a player skates onto freshly-cleaned ice.

So, pencil True Sport, a national movement that believes sport is a powerful and positive backer in the development of people and communities, into the agenda at the next P.E.I. Scholastic Athletic Association meeting in December.

For PEISAA executive secretary Garth Turtle, True Sport returns amateur sport to its simplest level.

"True Sport is really celebrating what sport was supposed to be about in the first place, fun," said Turtle. "It's about participating, it's about being a member of a team. It's not about the almighty dollar, it's not about winning in any way you possibly can.

"It's about sportsmanship, fair play and picking your opponent up off the ground when you knock him down. That kind of stuff."

Turtle expects the motion to be passed by the PEISAA executive in December and woven into its sports programs A.S.A.P. The association registered with the website at truesport.ca to get the ball rolling.

True Sport grew out of the Mills Report published in 1998, which looked into ways sport could enhance society.

It's a heady mix, tackling issues like ethical behaviour, anti- doping, access to sports by disabled athletes and aboriginals, anti- harassment and abuse, and ensuring high-performance athletes become well-rounded people.

It's also anathema to the hockey dad screaming at his son on the ice or the softball coach who teaches through insults.

True Sport's steering committee's vision is to have ethics-heavy policies for all Canada's sports organizations in place by 2012.

On board are heavy hitters such as the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Coaches Association, Sport Canada and Hockey Canada.

And to counter any cynics, ethical behaviour while battling an opponent isn't impossible.

In the 2003-04 Stanley Cup playoffs, Murray Harbour native Brad Richards of the Tampa Bay Lightning won both the Conn Smythe trophy as most valuable player and the Lady Byng memorial award for sportsmanship en route to the Lightning's first championship. 

So how does all this mesh with scholastic sports?

 

"The True Sport philosophy is so close to what we're trying to do in school sport that it's just a natural (step) for us to join," said Turtle. "For us, it's going to be more of a vehicle to let people know what we're trying to do."

Still too sugary? A candy difficult to swallow for the jaded sports fanatic, stuffed from demonizing sports figures who are at worst ordinary people with a singular talent? Well, consider the PEISAA's position as an entity intertwined with the Island's overall educational system and True Sport seems logical.

"What we're really doing is using sport to make better people," said Turtle.

Speaking of competition, the PEISAA provincial senior volleyball championships highlight this weekend, as Evangeline school hosts the A division, while Colonel Gray hosts the AA division.