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Sports and Recreation
Alberta has a long and memorable history in sport. From the elite level to
the amateur scene to the backyard skating rink, competition and sport have
been common themes for provincial athletes of all ages. Add to this the
diversity and the inherent challenges of the provincial landscape and
extreme climate, it is no wonder that sports and recreation are an
intrinsic components of life in Alberta, and have fuelled many innovative
efforts.
Numerous sport inventions in Albertas history were never patented and
remain tools, games and equipment developed to please and entertain the
inventor, his family and his local community. Some inventors took the
process further, however, and while patented sport and recreation
inventions in Alberta over the last century may not be great in number,
they are as diverse as the host of activities that have and continue to
take place in our province. For example, a 1956 bowling pin resetter is joined by Emmett A de Froods 1968 ski
release harness and Elias B. Olson's 1963
curling ice shaver.
While Albertas entries in the Canadian Patent Record for recreation
inventions may pale in number to those from other sectors of industry,
innovation in sport technology is growing in the province through a number
of ingenious efforts. In 1988, Calgary hosted the Winter
Olympics; the facilities used to host the event remain and Canada Olympic
Park has became the jewel in the crown for our nation's winter athletics
community. The Olympic Oval, located on the campus of the University of
Calgary, boasts the fastest ice in the world, and is now a training centre
to some of the best speed skaters in the world. Located in Edmonton,
Dynastream Innovations, a spin-off company from the
University of Alberta, has used their expertise to develop a
motion analysis system
that uses advanced technology to calculate the speed and distance
travelled by a
walker, hiker or runner. The lightweight wireless system has 3-D imaging
properties and applications for prostheses wearers.
Albertas sport and recreation innovations have and
continue to reinforce
the spirit of adventure, competition and drive that fuels the inventive
spirit.
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Heritage Community Foundation All Rights Reserved
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