Sport and recreation play a vital role in community life in Prince Edward Island. Whether the community is large or small, community councils across the Island have recreation departments and, often, full-time recreation directors on staff. Many communities enjoy recreational sports leagues and clubs, most frequently in the following activities: minor softball; soccer; figure skating; and minor, recreational, and old-timers hockey.

After the Church, the local rink and recreation centre is the favourite public building in Island communities. Indeed, Islanders have been heard to boast that we have the largest number per capita of hockey rinks in the world. And everyone knows that the rinks’ canteens supply the best hot chocolate to be found in the province.

In Kensington, residents take great pride in their Community Gardens, site of the most important annual events. The arena is a non-profit organization operated by the Kensington Area Recreation Association (KARA), promoter of sport in Kensington. The Community Gardens arena employs seven staff members during the peak winter periods. In the midst of this hectic winter season, from early October until April, the arena averages more than 65 prime-time hours of ice-rental.

The Kensington Area Minor Hockey Council and Kensington Area Figure Skating Club are the most active users of the arena. Together, these two organizations keep Kensington residents on their skates for six months of the year. In addition to their regular schedule of games, practices and lessons, these two clubs play host to figure skating competitions, ice shows, and hockey tournaments that become focal activities enjoyed by the whole community. In February of each year, the Kensington, Prince Edward Island-Bedford, Quebec, Peewee Friendship Hockey Exchange is one of the most anticipated events in the community. The Kensington Granites senior hockey team and the North Shore Recreational Hockey League also attract hockey fans from across Prince Edward Island to the Community Gardens. The remainder of ice time at the arena is devoted to old-timers hockey, pre-school skates, adult skates, shinny hockey, and school skates.

The arena also plays host to diverse events in spring and summer: auctions, ice-cream socials, dog shows, and concerts. Of these activities, the most important is the annual Community Harvest Festival; a week-long celebration held every August. Surrounding softball fields are also a community focal point, site of league games and practices as well as casual gatherings of a few friends for an impromptu run around the bases.

Many active sports in Prince Edward Island are supported by provincial associations that promote their activities. For the most part, these organizations exist largely thanks to volunteer efforts. Island sports associations represent sports that include alpine skiing, badminton, baseball, basketball, biathlon, billiards, bowling, boxing, curling, cycling, fencing, field hockey, figure skating, football, golf, gymnastics, hockey, horse riding, judo, karate, lawn bowling, racquetball, ringette, rugby, shooting, snooker, soccer, softball, special Olympics, speed skating, squash, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, tae kwon do, tennis, track and field, volleyball, windsurfing, and wrestling.

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