In an age where success is often measured by fame and fortune alone, it bugs me that the purpose of sport is lost in the economic drive to commercialize all aspects of life. NHL lockouts and celebrity scandal (Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong) can start to make sports lose its luster.

It helps to remember that athletes are human beings like politicians and businessmen and lawyers. The difference is that we seem to expect more from our athletes in terms of excellence both in performance and in ethics. And I think that is a good thing. Sports is an area of life where we can dream of being better and perhaps that hope will carry over into other realms of our society.

I produced this documentary series to draw out the possibilities of what sport can teach people through the eyes of local Calgary amateur athletes. I encourage you to use it in your classrooms or sports organizations. Use it with youth or with adults, young and old. Help spread the message and let me know about how it goes.

For the entire series, visit thespiritofsport.ca.

This project was developed as part of an Artist-in-Residency with Sport Calgary and Calgary 2012.