FROSTY SPORTS

Winter sports hold a special place in Canadians’ hearts, but they are not the most accessible when they require specific equipment and unique skills, like balancing on blades while skating. At the Regina Frost Festival, there is a skating rink for the public to use, which provides the space and equipment, but does not remove the barrier that skating for beginners can be intimidating and difficult. Frosty Sports is an augmented reality (AR) exhibit created to overcome this hurdle by allowing users to perform tricks and techniques without stepping foot on the ice.

After scanning a QR code, users are guided towards the rink and have the option of multiple figure skating tricks. When selected, the rink is animated with a magical gust of snowflakes that performs what is chosen.

Frosty Sports was created to explore how art and technology can be used to include people in sports, and how AR in specific can be used to invite people into athletic spaces. This exhibit encourages users to insert themselves in spaces they don’t feel confident or comfortable exploring, and then hopefully will inspire them to give skating a try!