October 2008 £2.75Sport and fitness for today’s youth

Olympian Roger Black will be attending this year’sSports Development Week to discuss how the 2012Games can change young people’s attitude towardssport. He will be making the event’s keynote speech,encouraging all those involved in the industry to playtheir part in inspiring the next Olympic generation.His presentation is part of a programme of speakers atthe UK’s first ‘Meeting the Challenge’ National SportsConference, held alongside Leisure Industry Week atBirmingham’s NEC.

By Louise Cordell

AN INDUSTRY expert has called forsports funding to be overhauledamid claims quality PE provision is alottery depending on school budgets.

Graham Morgan, director of EvolveSport, said although teachers areexpected to deliver PE, too much oftheir time is taken up by red tape andpaperwork.

Some schools, he said, have enoughmoney to pay companies like his todeliver PE provision on their behalf -but others are run on a shoestringand have no spare cash left over.

He said: “It is not particularly fair. Inaffluent areas, parents can afford topay for after school clubs and privateschools have the funds available topay for external help. But the smaller,inner city or countryside schoolsdon’t always have that option, andalthough there are various schemesavailable to help they often don’tcover all the costs involved.

“I believe properly trained, correctlymonitored, external support staffhave a definite role to play as there isa grey area of need.

“After all, extra help has alwaysbeen brought in for music and lan-guage lessons, so why should sportbe any different? If there is a weak-ness in provision then it needs to beaddressed, not hidden or ignored.”

Evolve Sport works with schools,clubs, colleges and LEAs to offer PEand sport classes and after school fit-ness clubs to children. The companyalso offers courses to help improvethe skills, confidence and expertise ofstaff.

Graham, a former secondary schoolhead of PE, said: “Schools are underintense pressure to deliver.

“We exist because there is a clearskills gap between teachers wholeave college with limited sports edu-cation training, and coaches, who aretrained to deal with smaller groups ofinterested kids rather than largerclasses of mixed abilities.

“Schools are facing big challengeswith league tables and increased test-ing, and teachers are being pushedand squeezed to their limits.

“This means they have less and lesstime to do non core activities, soexternal help is needed.”

Expert callsfor fundingoverhaul

AcademyexpandsONE of the world’smost effective pro-grammes for weightloss, the WellspringAcademy, is to openone of its boardingschools in the UK.

Designed for thosebetween 11-24, the res-idential treatmentschool, in the LakeDistrict, will employ ascientifically basedclinically provenapproach to weightloss, promoting ahealthy lifestyle thro-ugh a low-fat diet pro-gramme, activity man-agement, and compre-hensive cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Pupils will learn diet-ing tips and food andscience weight man-agement.

The school is set toopen in three years’time. It will take inchildren who are atleast 20lb too heavyand have had dietproblems for morethan a year and theywill be encouraged totake part in intensivephysical activity andconsume just 1,500calories and 12g of fatper day.

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Young sports leaderin trip of a lifetimeBy Lyndsey Smith

A YOUNG sports leader fromDerbyshire had the sporting trip of alifetime after being selected to travel to Beijing during theParalympics.

Caelan Chambers, from Fairfield inBuxton, was just one of a hundred 18to 25-year-olds from the UK to beselected as part of the BritishCouncil’s Young AdvocateProgramme.

The 18-year-old former BuxtonCommunity School student had anine-day trip touring China, seeingOlympic and Paralympic venues,attending Paralympic events, andlearning more about disability sportand Chinese culture.

Caelan is now working with primaryand secondary school pupils in theHigh Peak, sharing his experiences,and delivering sessions to promoteBeijing and the cultural differencesbetween China and the UK, as well asdisability sport.

He said: “I was very excited to go to

Beijing. It was amazing and I am nowlooking forward to working withthe kids and sharing what I havelearnt.”

Caelan also attended a number ofeducational workshops and workedwith young people from China andHong Kong, sharing views on sportand disability sport.

Community sports developmentofficer Richard Gartside said: “Caelanis a perfect role model for youngleaders and has shown a professionalattitude in all the voluntary work heundertakes.

“We are keen to support him inevery way we can and are very proud.This shows people what opportuni-ties are out there for young leaders. “

Caelan was selected for the BritishCouncil’s Young AdvocateProgramme after clocking up morethan 250 voluntary hours through theDerbyshire Sports LeadershipAcademy in the past 12 months, andthis year passed his Sports LeadersUK Level 3 Award. Caelan Chambers

By Lyndsey Smith

FORMER heavyweight boxing cham-pions Frank Bruno and JuliusFrancis have thrown their weightbehind an organisation aiming to getthe sport back on the school curricu-lum.

Boxing 4 Schools is pushing forschools to offer non contact boxing,and the professional boxers aredrawing up structured lesson plansto provide a complete aerobic andanaerobic workout and encouragehealthy eating.

Wayne Llewellyn, founder ofBoxing 4 Schools, said: “I came upwith the idea whilst working in

America where I was involved with alot of underpriviledged kids in fosterand care homes.

“I brought them into the gym andwas inspired by the positive effect ithad on their lives and this is thedriving force behind my ambition tore-introduce boxing into schools and non-contact back on the cur-riculum.

“The benefits are absolutelyimmense.

“Sport teaches kids about disci-pline, focus and concentration andall these skills transfer into the class-room making a better learning envi-ronment.”Julius Francis, Frank Bruno and Wayne Llewellyn

Former champs back bid toget boxing on curriculum

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Dance instructorDarren Panton andstudents

By Louise Cordell

SCHOOL children from some of themost deprived areas in south London are being given dance classesto keep them away from gang cul-ture.

The Greenhouse Schools Projectorganises dance and drama activitiesfor children with classes includingballet, jazz, street and contemporarydance, salsa, African and swing. Over100 sessions are run each weekincluding with 1,735 children cur-

rently taking part. The classes aim to raise fitness lev-

els and teach kids about their bodiesas well as the various styles of dance.

Bailey Ramsey-Jones, performingarts manager, said: “We find thatstreet dance is very popular with kids from urban areas as popu-lar culture means they are familiarwith it.

“However, we also actively seek toexpose them to a wide range of dif-ferent influences – I feel this isextremely important as a lot of them

simply don’t get the opportunities tosee, let alone participate in otherdance forms. I believe that our kidsshould have a choice, and onlyexposing them to what they knowand not challenging their preconcep-tions is limiting them.”

Many coaches and instructors makea social contract with the young peo-ple on the programmes and workclosely with school staff.

CEO Michael de Giorgio added:“This offers the consistency and con-tinuity that is desperately needed at

this stage of a young person’s life.“This means that on a daily basis

we see not only a striking improve-ment in self esteem and confidence,but also marked improvement intheir attitude and academic perform-ance.”

Plans are now in place to expandthe dance programme over the next18 months, starting with a newinstructor joining up for the autumnterm, as well as combining danceand drama with classes like perform-ance poetry and Capoeira.

Teens step away from gang culture

Sports stars boostyoungsters in £1mmentoring schemeBy Lyndsey Smith

SPORTS stars are to help young peo-ple reach their potential through a£1m youth mentoring scheme.

The programme will receive fundingover the next three years and aims tohelp young people in challenging cir-cumstances by offering them helpand advice from elite athletes.

The project – which is being run inconjunction with Sport England andYouth Sport Trust – offers one-to-oneand group mentoring, professionaladvice from the athletes, and encour-agement.

Culture secretary Andy Burnhamsaid: “Each and every young personshould have the opportunity to fulfiltheir potential.

“Sadly, too many youngsters go offthe rails for want of someone theycan respect to steer them in the rightdirection.

"The Youth Mentoring Programmehelps young people find a new passion to stimulate their inter-est and increase their self-confi-dence.

“With just a little encouragementand advice these people may well goon to be sports stars of the future.”

There are another two strands tothe programme (music and media)and the sports strand is called the

Respect Athlete MentoringProgramme (RAMP.)

Projects are currently being run inLondon, Liverpool, Bristol,Birmingham, Hull, Leeds,Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester,Bradford and Sunderland.

Andy Burnham

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Students from Burton College have visiteda local school to take the messages ofhealthy eating and exercise to pupils.The HND Sports Performance and Coachingstudents put the tour together as part oftheir course, which contains a modulelooking at promoting a healthy lifestyle.During the visits to William Hutson JuniorSchool, the students tackled a variety ofissues from nutritional information andhow to adopt a healthier diet to theimportance of taking regular exercise aspart of an overall healthier lifestyle. Theyalso ran a practical fitness session.

Lecturer Richard Smith said: “As part oftheir course the students have to organisean event covering everything from the ini-tial creative idea to finance, promotionand working with business organisations.“They felt that it would be a great idea tovisit local schools and offer informationand advice on all of the aspects of adopt-ing a healthier lifestyle from nutritionalinformation through to easy recipe ideas.”Pictured, clockwise from left: SehrishMumtaz, Richard Smith, Aimee Nicholls andAshley Matkin.

Girls learnbenefitsof exerciseBy Christina Eccles

THE owner of a ladies only gym inLondon has revealed how she is help-ing teenage girls to learn the benefitsof exercise and healthy eating.

Geraldine Waring – who has runSequinpark in Highbury and Islingtonfor the past 20 years – allows this agegroup into the gym so they can workout in the privacy of a ladies onlyatmosphere, eliminating the self con-sciousness they may feel exercising inschools.

She said: “We have introducedmembership for 13 to 16 year old girlsto encourage young people to beactive.

“This allows them to establish goodpatterns and take control of theirbodies.”

The gym’s weight managementwork with its members has also led toSequinpark taking part in the FIA’s Go

programme for the last couple ofyears, working with schools for ses-sions lasting six weeks to advise girlson how to be active and educatethem on nutrition.

As a result of these sessions, manyof the girls who come in to the gymlike it so much they decide to becomemembers.

Geraldine added: “The programmeinvolves learning about the impor-tance of well being and taking care ofyourself. It has been very successfuland allows us to introduce youngpeople to different types of exercisefrom games at school.”

Sequinpark has about 600 membersof all ages and has just celebrated its20th birthday.

Facilities include the gym plus a variety of classes ranging frompilates to body combat and relaxation such as massage and asteam room.

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By Lyndsey Smith

YOUNG footballers are to be given asecond sporting chance following aninnovative scheme designed to getthem competing again.

UK Sport and the English Instituteof Sport (EIS), together with themajor football authorities, haveoffered over 1,000 released academyfootballers the chance to take up thechallenge and switch their talents totargeted Olympic sports.

The aim of the programme, calledPitch2Podium, is to provide young-sters, aged 18-22, who have not yetsecured a professional football con-tract, an opportunity to succeed in analternative Olympic sport.

Chelsea Warr, UK Sport’s talentidentification lead said: “Football isthe largest hot-bed of athletic talentin England and many players leavingthe game would have already devel-oped skills and abilities we’d be look-ing for.

“These, coupled with the rightcoaching and support system, wouldgive them the potential to be fast-tracked toward the medal rostrum in2012.

“We invited 1,100 boys and 30

attended which was around the num-ber we expected. We knew the uptakewould be slow this first year until theboys realise what a big opportunitythis is, and we hope that those thathave been successful will act as rolemodels in the future.”

Fifteen players participated at eachevent in London and Manchester,with 23 short listed and invited toattend a phase two sport specificassessment, with eleven offered theopportunity in more than one sport.

Sports likely to benefit are cycling,hockey, athletics, canoeing, bobskeleton and modern pentathlon,with those sports involved undertak-ing a phase two sports specific test-ing event post the Beijing Olympicperiod.

Chelsea added: “We were veryimpressed with the sheer quality ofathleticism, core skills and abilities ofthe players that attended.

“It was interesting to see how manyboys were able to produce perform-ances on the various tests that metthe phase one criteria of severalOlympic sports.”

Chelsea Warr looks on as one of the foot-ball hopefuls is put through his paces.Picture: English Institute of Sport(EIS)

Released academy playersnet second sportingchance through scheme

Child safetywork isrewardedA SPORTS partnership in theNorth East has been rewardedfor its work in child safety.

Tyne and Wear Sport, one of 49County Sports Partnerships, hasbeen awarded the intermediatelevel of the NSPCC NationalStandards for Safeguarding andProtecting Children in Sport.

The award demonstrates itscommitment to creating a saferenvironment for children, wherethey can enjoy and get the bestfrom their involvement in sport.

David Marrin, assistant direc-tor for widening access at Tyneand Wear Sport said: “The con-tinued work towards meetingthese standards enables sportsprofessionals to have the skillsand knowledge to meet theneeds of children.

“These skills are vital if we areto achieve our aim of providingopportunities for all of ouryoung people to make Tyne andWear an active and successfulsporting area.”

The NSPCC standards coverareas including policy, educa-tion and training, communica-tion, implementation and moni-toring, prevention and codes ofpractice and behaviour.

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AFTER thirty years helping Hull’steenagers improve their fitness andtheir lives, Johnny’s gym in the citywas forced to close in May – butreopened in a secondary schoolnearby.

Johnny has managed rugbyleague teams for Great Britain andYorkshire, and is a celebrity in hishome city of Hull and throughoutthe sporting world.

Now 77, he bought the Eurekaworking men’s club in Hull whenhe retired, and ran his gym from an attached garage for 30years.

Free for everyone, it was used by youngsters and their par-ents, who trained alongside rugbyleague players, Hull City foot-ballers, boxers and marathon run-ners.

Local teachers would bring theirpupils, and Johnny covered thecosts himself.

When the council ordered theclubs closure as part of the regen-eration of the area, Johnny said hejust accepted the decision.

“I’ve always had a good relation-ship with the council and I didn’twant to fight it. I could see the areaneeded a lot of work doing to it.

“We tried to find other premisesfor the gym but couldn’t, so decided to give the equipment toone of the youth rugby teams inHull.

“However that afternoon, I got acall from a private school nearbywho had read about our plight inthe paper and offered us a space attheir school. We went to see it andwere delighted.”

The gym was moved to TheCollegiate College and although itnow belongs to them, Johnny hasaccess to it two nights a week.

“I’ve fallen in love with the gym atthe school. We have fallen intoutopia really because it is so mod-ern.”

Even though he has handed overthe reins, Johnny is still dedicatedto helping Hull’s youngstersthrough sport.

He added: “When the gym closedI thought it would be a goodopportunity to retire, but I stillspend lots of my time travellingaround schools taking exerciseclasses with the kids.

“I became an icon in West Hullamongst the children and I know Iinfluenced a lot of them to becomeprofessional sports people.”

Rugby superstar Johnny Whiteley has spent his life helping young peoplethrough exercise, letting them work out for free in his gym and turning manyinto professional athletes. Mary Ferguson reports.

Johnny Whiteley

How Johnny keptgiving to sport

By Lyndsey Smith

A CATHOLIC sports college inLancashire has become the new hostof the Preston School SportPartnership.

Corpus Christi college hosted alaunch day to celebrate the new ven-ture where young people from acrossthe county took part in a medley of

sport including cycling, athletics, ten-nis and golf.

Alan Whittaker, chair of the countycouncil joined in the celebrations. Hesaid: “The School Sport Partnership isa fantastic scheme and it’s great tosee so many young people enjoyingthemselves and keeping fit.

“It’s so important for children tokeep fit and healthy, not just to help

them to get the best out of their livesnow but also to reduce the risk of ill-ness in the future.”

The Preston partnership started in2003 and has helped to increase par-ticipation in school sports by over 40per cent with 80 per cent of pupilsaged five to 16 now taking part in atleast two hours of high quality schoolsports activities every week.

Sportscollege hostspartnershiplaunch dayto markventure

Alan Whittaker with pupils from the college

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By Lyndsey Smith

CHILDREN at a school in SouthYorkshire could soon be taught circusskills as part of a new project toincrease activity levels.

St John the Baptist School inBarnsley has drawn up an action planfor the next academic year and isconsidering circus skills as an alter-native to more traditional PE classes.

It comes after teachers had a staffmeeting with a difference when theyhosted a taster session with Lets GoKids - a company that aims toimprove children’s health and fitnessand promote the fun elements.Teachers worked out on a bouncycastle and did a cheerleading session.

Katie Mountain, PE co-ordinator,said: “We already have an active par-ticipation in physical activity and areat the silver level of the HealthySchools award.

“However we are always looking totry new things and this session wasboth varied and fun. Our planningdocument for next year is going tomore skills based and although it is awork in progress there are certainlycourses we hope will fit in quite well.

“For example, we are going to bedoing some work around a circus

theme and Lets Go Kids offer jugglingand tightrope walking so it all fitstogether quite nicely.”

Katie is confident the kids will enjoythe sessions just as much as the staffdid. She added: “It was a great teambuilding exercise for us and also itshows the kids we are willing to leadby example.

“I definitely think they will take tothis.

“They are always enthused withanything the teachers have done.”

Lets Go Kids has been up and run-ning for 18 months and is the brain-child of Lisa Kitchen and JamesMarvin.

Director Lisa said: “We started upbecause as parents we had a passionto get kids active and we believe thekey points to successfully leading ahealthy lifestyle are variety andunderstanding.

“That is why we provide manyactivities that are relevant and topi-cal, tailoring a six week programmefor each school, as they are verymuch at the core of what we do.

“Not everyone is sport orientated sowe try to motivate and stimulateimagination by constantly develop-ing new games.” Dodworth school and Let’s Go Kids staff

Clowning around could helpincrease activity levels at school

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By Lyndsey Smith

MORE children and families will beencouraged to play squash as part ofa fitness drive through gym chainTotal Fitness.

All of the gyms in the chain are nowofficially affiliated with governingbody England Squash, following asuccessful demonstration day at TotalFitness in Warrington.

John Gibson, north west area man-ager for England Squash, said: “Thiswill help promote mini squash andracketball as great sports for childrenand families. When we had the demoday it was amazing how enthusiasticeveryone was and trainers who hadhardly been on a squash court beforewere saying it was great fun.

“It’s about the fundamentals, redis-covering the joys and benefits ofsport particularly with all this talk ofobesity in youngsters these days.”

The affiliation means the twoorganisations can co-operate on spe-cial squash promotions and trainersat the clubs can consider a number ofcoaching options.

John added: “It has a great feelabout it and seems inclusive, not justabout catering for people who arealready good at a sport or who havelots of money to throw around.

“At Total Fitness it’s not just middleclass people being exclusive, butabout encouraging families and chil-dren to get active together in a greatatmosphere.”

Vicky Newton, group family devel-

opment manager at Total Fitness,said: “It’s a way of encouraging fami-lies to exercise and have a good time.

“England Squash have given us lotsof special mini squash kit for chil-dren, and racketball rackets, whichwe are distributing around all theclubs.”

Mini squash, aimed at childrenaged five to 11, is played with a larger,softer ball and on special promotion-al England Squash road shows toschools it can be played in a gameshall using a mini squash wall or in aninflatable court.

Racketball, which is becoming pop-ular with the over-40s, features ten-nis-like racquets and a larger, softerball, and is played on a standardsquash court.

Squash to be promotedas part of fitness drive

MORE than 250 South Derbyshireschool pupils were given a flavour ofBeijing when a Mini Olympics washeld at The Pingle School inSwadlincote.

Children aged five to seven frommore than ten different infant andprimary schools took part in theOlympics-themed athletics activities.

The festival was led by 40 youngleaders, who took pupils through aseries of throwing, running andjumping events.

South Derbyshire competition man-ager Phil Basterfield said: “This is thefirst time that a Mini Olympics hasbeen staged at The Pingle School.

“There was a great deal of enthusi-asm for the event, with so many

schools taking part, and it capturedsome of the Olympics magic ahead ofthe big event in Beijing.”

The event was organised by SouthDerbyshire School Sport Partnershipand Derbyshire Sport.

Taking part in the Mini Olympicswere children from the followingschools: Elmsleigh Infant School, St.Edward’s Catholic Primary School,Linton Primary School, Walton onTrent CE Primary School,Fairmeadows Primary School,Newhall Infant and Nursery School,Woodville Infant School, BelmontPrimary School, Hartshorne C of EPrimary School, Netherseal St Peter’sCE Primary School, and ChurchGresley Infant and Nursery School.

Students were given a flavour of Beijing with the mini olympics event.

Pupils get a taste of Beijing

Trip of alifetime ...UK STUDENTS had the trip of a life-time when they flew to the Olympicsto witness the opening ceremony andtake part in the final stages of an edu-cational project.

More than 160 students from nineschools flew to Beijing for the finalstage of the the Specialist Schools andAcademies Trust’s (SSAT) ‘Towards theOlympics’ project which has involvedEnglish students sharing cultures,language and sporting activities withtheir Chinese counterparts.

The trip featured a 12-day touraround schools in China, andinvolved meeting partner schools inBeijing and Hong Kong as well as akite-flying event celebrating theOlympics, featuring English andChinese students.

Ken Walsh, associate director at theSSAT, said: “This was a once in a life-time opportunity for these students,and the culmination of a lot of hardwork, during which time students inEngland and China have built impor-tant relationships and shared cul-tures, languages and sports.

“The trip was all about the Beijinggames but the project also lookstowards the 2012 games in Londonand will hopefully inspire schools inother countries to form links withEnglish schools, using the Olympicsas a catalyst for students to interactand find out more about each other'scultures.”

Hockey hopefuls support sports camps YOUNG hockey players took partin sporting camps over the sum-mer thanks to the Active Surreyschools sport partnership andGryphon hockey.

The two paired up to provideexclusive hockey clinics thatcatered for 240 players of variousabilities and were supported by

current Great Britain hockey hopefuls Ben Marsden, JamesTindall and Rob Moore, whocoached some of the sessionsbefore they flew off to the BeijingGames.

Also joining some of the sessionswas Australian Olympic gold medalwinner Michael McCann, interna-

tional Australian hockey playerTristram Woodhouse and Englandsquad member RichardSpringham.

The clinics focused on developingcore skills and match play, and alsogave the young hockey players aninsight into how to train like aninternational player.

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By Louise Cordell

A SPECIAL school in Grantham hasused its outdoor activities pro-gramme to help it become the firstin the county to achieve mainstreamspecialist sports status.

Ambergate School has had to fulfillexactly the same criteria as main-stream schools and is one of only 25nationally to do so.

The designation is the result of afour-year process in raising the aca-demic, social and sporting standardswithin the school.

Headteacher Peter Bell said: “Thenew status we have received is based

on excellent academic standards andproviding a broad and balance cur-riculum.

“We had had to demonstrate thatthe sport we provide is a vehicle thatallows us to engage pupils and thattheir academic and behavioural stan-dards have risen because of it.

“For us it is about how far we takeour kids, not how high, and we findthat the confidence that they getfrom our sporting activities impactspositively on every other area ofschool life.”

The school focuses heavily onadventure and outdoor learning

including canoeing, rock climbing,mountain biking, hill walking andDuke of Edinburgh activities, on topof the standard PE curriculum.

It also works in four other localschools and several communitygroups, supporting them with activitylearning.

Peter added: “As a school we havefound that when the children cometo us they tend to see education as anegative experience because of theiradditional needs.

“The great thing about things likeadventure learning is that these areactivities that no one has done

before, so everyone is starting with aclean slate and are not held back byany negative baggage.”

Being awarded specialist status alsomeans the school will receive a num-ber of financial benefits including a£120,000 grant which will be spent onnew equipment and £60,000 forstaffing and community work.

Peter added: “Our pupils are nowvery proud to be able to say that theygo to a sports college rather than aspecial school, it is a great confidenceboost for them and they are veryproud to have contributed to theschool’s achievement.”

AmbergateSchoolfocusesheavily onadventureand outdoorlearning.

Special school in sports status first

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Parents to be sentobesity warning lettersBy Nicola Hyde

PARENTS are to be sent letterswarning them their children areoverweight as part of a campaign tocrack down on obesity.

From this term, Primary CareTrusts will be sending out the datagained from the National ChildMeasurement Programme, wherethose between four and five and tenand 11 were weighed.

Health Minister Ivan Lewis hasannounced new guidance whichincludes diplomatic example lettersfor parents.

He said: “It’s clear from researchwe’ve done that parents want toknow their child’s results andwhether there is a concern about

their health. But they want clearinformation which is helpful andnon-stigmatising.

“Research shows that most par-ents of overweight or obese chil-dren think that their child is ahealthy weight. This importantmove isn’t about pointing the fingerand telling parents that their chil-dren are overweight, instead it’sabout equipping parents with theinformation they need to help theirchildren live healthier lives.”

Figures published earlier this yearshowed that, last year, 22.9 per centof children in reception year wereoverweight or obese. In year six,that figure rose to 31.6 per cent.

Children's minister KevinBrennan said a lot of pressure will

fall onto schools to deliver in tack-ling obesity due to heavy invest-ments.

He added: "Schools are wellplaced to make a real difference intackling obesity – with recordinvestment in sport and exercise,encouraging active travel to andfrom home, making cooking com-pulsory in secondary schools,scrapping junk food and transform-ing the quality of school lunches.

"But at the end of the day, parentsbring up children, not theGovernment, schools or healthservices. Every parent wants theirchild to be fit and healthy so it'sonly right to help them makeinformed decisions about theirlives."

By Louise Cordell

SPORT stars Linford Christie andDarren Campbell visited Leeds aspart of national youth programmeStreet Athletics.

They joined over 100 kids at LeedsThomas Danby Sports Centre racingover 60 metres in ages groups ofunder 13s, under 15s, under 17s andunder 20s.

Linford said: “I think events like thisare great because it is so important togive children a chance to experiencesomething new.

“We are aiming to attract the kidswho are not in the sports clubs, whoprefer to stay at home with theirgames consoles and who don't exer-cise.

“And its working because now wehave seen thousands of young peopletaking part in races across the coun-try.

"It lets them see that sport is funand hopefully they will keep it up andrealise that they could make it acareer.

Street Athletics is targeted at youngsters who are not engaged inmainstream sports and uses community sports events to increase their confidence and moti-vation.

The three girls and boys who woneach age group will now be joining winners from 23 other events around the country for anational final in Manchester inSeptember.

Linford added: “When I wasyounger we just joined the schoolteam because we were proud to bewearing the colours, we neverthought about making a career out ofit. But really kids today have noexcuse – when I was growing up therewere no role models like there arenow and they can even do degrees insport, there are just so many newopportunities.

“Now I think people need to look atwhy kids aren’t able to make the mostof these opportunities, deal with thatand encourage them to do

the best they can – let them know that they can do itand that there are real possibilitiesout there.”

Sports stars visit Leeds to backnational youth programme

Linford Christie and participating kids

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Girls from Kingsbury High School inLondon will be performing at LeisureIndustry Week to showcase the dance-based ‘Go’ programme.The scheme – run through the FitnessIndustry Association – targets obesity andinactivity in teenage girls. The demonstra-tions will be instructor-led dance and aero-bic-based sessions that illustrate how theprogramme breaks down choreography.Andrée Deane, CEO, said: “Importantly, theprogramme is based on sustainability: FIA

member clubs that are involved have toprovide exit routes at their facilities forthe girls to feed into following the pro-gramme. We are aiming to impact theirattitude towards and physical take up ofactivity on a long-term basis and helpthem lay the foundations for a healthylife.”Developed in 2006, the programme targetsgirls in their final year of secondary school– a key age when girls’ activity levels dropoff.

Teachers ‘letdown’ by lackof PE trainingBy Lyndsey SmithPRIMARY school teachers are beinglet down because they aren’t givenenough training in how to deliver PEclasses, according to experts.

Margaret Talbot, chief executive ofthe Association of PhysicalEducation, said while secondaryschools have specialised PE teachers,primary schools suffer due to the lackof help and training available.

She said: “This is our organisation’sbiggest beef.

“There should be more initial andsustainable training for primaryschool teachers with some receivingsix hours or less at present.

“Young teachers are being let down.They are going into schools with noconfidence and they need more helpand provision.

“Lots of teachers do try very hardbut have to deal with very patchytraining. It is a systematic problemthat can be fixed but people justaren’t interested.”

Margaret said that AfPE have writ-ten several times to ask for help fromthe Training and DevelopmentAgency – which is responsible forsupplying teachers and training – butthey have had no response.

Margaret added: “PE and school

sports has had more attention overthe last decade but there is definitelymore investment needed in terms ofcurriculum PE.

“There is a lot of funding going intoafter hours sports but not everyone isable to attend out of hours classes oraccess out of school sport.

“There is some fantastic practicegoing on but this is thanks to fundingfrom head teachers and such likewhen it should be coming from othersources.”

Margaret also feels the Departmentof Health should be doing more to help obese and overweightchildren.

She said: “There is not one quick fix.It has got to be a multi agencyapproach and the Department ofHealth can’t seem to join the bits up,they can’t deal with it.

“In terms of PE they have two sec-tions, one working on young kids andone on older. They are providingfunding but can’t link the two togeth-er.

“They should be doing more and itseems as though the non governmentagencies are putting more time andeffort in when this shouldn’t be thecase.”

Youth fitness training for staffSTAFF at the Hollins Hall Hotel andCountry Club in Shipley are toreceive special training in how todeliver fitness classes for children.

It is hoped the new initiative willhelp expand the club’s health and fit-ness provision and attract new visi-tors.

Shokk will be training employees inthe REPS accredited foundationmodule ‘Instructing Young People ina Gymnasium Environment’, ShokkKombat and Shokk JNR training.

Chris Newsham, director of leisure,said: “We already have extensive

health facilities, including a spa, fit-ness centre, two gyms and a golfcourse. But by taking the Shokktraining we add another string to ourbow by being able to provide adviceand lead young people in group andindividual exercise activities.

“Youth activity has become a hugenational issue and yet remains anarea largely unserviced by the UKhotel industry.

“By working with Shokk we hope todifferentiate ourselves significantlyand show that we understand thechanging needs of our customers.”

Pupils get summerlessons on staying fitBy Lyndsey SmithMORE than 60 young pupilsfrom Hull primary schoolslearned how to stay fit andhealthy over the summer as partof the children’s university pro-gramme.

Muscles and motivation werejust two of the topics coveredduring the four sessions deliv-ered by trainers from TotalFitness and Hull KingstonRovers rugby league club.

Claire Blacklock, an instructorat Total Fitness, headed up thesessions.

She said: “The idea was to pro-vide a gradual introduction toexercise and encourage the chil-dren to continue with it after thecourse.

“We start off by finding outwhat they do at the moment,whether that’s walking to schoolor taking the dog out, then wetry to get across the messagethat 30 minutes of aerobic exer-cise each day is a great way to

stay fit and healthy.”

It was the second course thetwo clubs have run this year andit involved three local primaryschools – Thanet, Griffin andVictoria Dock – and a total of 66children aged nine and ten.

The first sessions explainedabout major muscle groups andexplained the importance ofwarming up, followed by boxercise and a lesson in moti-vation.

Claire added: “It’s all rightdoing exercise when they comehere, but we want them to carryon, so I hope that my motiva-tional tips will help them do justthat.”

Total Fitness has played itspart in encouraging kids to getfit by installing a family zone inits Hull Club which includes avariety of specialist equipment,including exercise bikes androwing machines, for accompa-nied children from the age offour.

A team of staff members from the PutneyLeisure Centre have won gold in the MazdaLondon Triathlon sprint relay race.Health and fitness manager John Coolahan tookup the challenge with his DC Leisure centre col-leagues Simon Clasby and Toby Pearson.The three completed a 750m swim, 20km cycleand 5km run, finishing almost six minutes aheadof their nearest rivals and improving on theirfinishing time for last year.John said: “It was a good race, although it didn’t

all go quite as smoothly as planned.“The rain that came down made the conditionssomewhat treacherous making the bike leg anightmare.“As a result I came off and ended up havingstitches in my elbow.”The team were sponsored by fitness equipmentsuppliers Precor and also used the opportunityto raise money for children’s charity Barnardo’s.Pictured, from left, Simon Clasby, John Coolahanand Toby Pearson

news 13

Rowing bidgets off to agood startBy Lyndsey Smith

A ROWING project in Plymouth ishelping to engage more youngsters inphysical activity while developingcompetitive out of school hourslearning.

The Plymstock School SportsPartnership rowing project is now inits fourth year and water based cours-es are now being run alongside theinitial dry land programmes.

Rob Wright, partnership develop-ment manager, said: “The projectmade a good start with students reg-ularly attending dry land clubs onschool sites and some joining waterbased gig rowing and traditional fineboat clubs.

“We wanted to create competitiveopportunities for dry land and waterbased rowing while keeping young-sters fit and healthy.”

The number of schools taking parthas risen to over twenty with initialsuccess prompting the partnership topurchase a further 30 rowingmachines. These were placed at five

secondary and special schools andalso at pupil referral units, specifical-ly for use by pupils disengaged frommainstream education.

Now over 200 students regularlyattend indoor rowing clubs on schoolsites with a number going on to joinlocal rowing clubs. Key stage four andfive students are being trained asleaders and instructors.

Rob added: “It worked because it isfun, popular, low risk and easy to pro-vide and students receive instantfeedback and can set personal tar-gets. Indoor rowing is open to allpupils and now the water-based ses-sions are very successful, as theemphasis on skill, team building andfun has taken the pupils to a differentelement of physical and mental activ-ity leading to more self confidence.”

Investment has come from theAmatuer Rowing Association’s ProjectOarsome Extra scheme for equip-ment for pupils to take part in water-based learn to row courses at localclubs.

Rock-It-Ball honoured its achievers over the summer following the successful con-clusion of the first Rock-It-Ball League. Members of the Rock-It-Ball communitygathered to celebrate and award the first honours with highlights including thepresentation of the first Hall of Fame Awards to Craig Buttery, right, and TomHildreth, left. The Hall of Fame is designed to honour and thank those people whohave made an outstanding contribution to the development of the sport.

news14

Children from a sports summer camp helped raise the Olympic flag for Great Britain at aleisure centre in Sheffield. Ponds Forge International Sports Centre was home to the city’sflag for six weeks to commemorate the beginning of London’s Olympiad period. And children from the centre’s summer holiday Kids Club helped to raise the flag, symbolisingSheffield’s role in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

news 15

By Louise Cordell

A PROJECT aimed at getting kidsinvolved in sport at an earlier age isbeing launched at the British HeartFoundation’s National Centre forPhysical Activity and Health.

The focus will be on early years pro-vision, looking at what can be doneto improve activity levels in youngerchildren how to build up basic devel-opmental skills before they move onto more difficult activities.

It is hoped that the earlier an activelifestyle becomes the norm, the lesschance there will be of them drop-ping out of sport and developingweight problems.

Anna Chalkley, project manager,said: “The problem is that the issuesof under activity and obesity in kidsare often underestimated.

“For example, weighing and meas-uring schemes in schools can beopted out of and it is usually thosethat are overweight and unfit thattake advantage of that.

“This means that we aren’t gettingthe whole picture, and if we did thenthe situation would be even more

serious than is currently believed.”In order to address this, a popular

scheme run by the centre is theParticipation Award, which was intro-duced to try and encourage kids toreach their 60 minutes of exercise aday target.

Children are provided with a packcontaining games and activity ideas,together with a physical activity diaryto fill out over six weeks.

Once it is completed, parents orclub leaders can send off for the par-ticipation award certificate.

Anna added: “The award is aboutrecognising the effort the kids aremaking, encouraging them and get-ting them into healthy lifestyle habits– as it is often forgotten that ordinary,everyday activities contribute to that60-minute target.

“It is also a good way to get parentsinvolved in the activities, as researchhas shown that the family orientedapproach is one of the most success-ful. But really it is about schools,clubs, parents and the kids them-selves all taking responsibility foractive lifestyles and working togetherto achieve the best results.”

Project targetsyoung kids infitness drive

A Staffordshire sports college has securedfunding to further improve its facilities.The Blessed Robert Sutton school, Burton-upon-Trent, has received £1.8m fromorganisations, including the FootballFoundation, Sport England and theConsolidated Charities of Burton.An artificial turf sports pitch has beencompleted, designed primarily for football,and is lined for both full size and five-a-side versions of the game. Level-entryhockey will also be played, as well as net-ball, rounders and other informal recre-ational play and sporting activities.Alastair Moore of AP Thompson Sports

Engineering Ltd, who installed the pitch,said: “The new pitch offers the pupils andlocal community a fantastic facility thatwill reap many rewards and benefits.“With the Building Schools for the Futureprogramme now rolling out, I think localauthorities planning new external sportingfacilities can learn a great deal from theBlessed Robert Sutton scheme.”Pictured from left: Tony Downey, head-teacher (Blessed Robert Sutton SportsCollege), Steve Grainger MBE (chief execu-tive Youth Sports Trust) Julie-Anne Weir(director of Sport Blessed Robert SuttonCollege).

tennis16

Left: Grand Slam champion MariaSharapova visitedstudents at KingsCollege in Londonto talk about theimportance ofstaying hydrated.The event wasorganised bysports drinkGatorade.

Initiative serves uptennis training for totsBy Lyndsey Smith

NURSERY age children are to beoffered tennis training under a pro-gramme in London run throughWimbledon.

The Wimbledon Junior TennisInitiative – run by the All EnglandClub in conjunction with the LawnTennis Association (LTA) – is targetingyounger children as it is rarely offeredto that age group.

Head coach Dan Bloxham said:“You've got to get in there early, nurs-ery, reception or year one, and reallyteach those basic agility, balance andcoordination skills.

“They're essential, the foundationof so many sports, and you need toset habits from an early age.

“Unfortunately in primary schools,children are taught PE by non-spe-cialist teachers, and tennis is a spe-cialised skill, so if teachers don't play

themselves, they won't feel comfort-able teaching it. We can go intoschools and give teachers ideas onhow to teach basic ball and racquetskills and make it fun – we are nowmaking a DVD to help them.”

Dan and his team visit two schoolsin Merton and Wandsworth eachweek to run tennis fitness sessions.

He said: “We try and make it funand enjoyable whilst remaining com-petitive and amongst other things itis certainly good for their self esteemand confidence.”

The programme now has a databaseof around 1,000 kids and there areplans to encourage more schools torun tennis competitions to increaseinterest.

He added: “The club wanted to por-tray a more updated and juniorfriendly image and I think we aredoing that whilst putting somethingback into the local area.”

By Lyndsey Smith

A NATIONAL initiative has beenlaunched which is committed to giv-ing more primary school children theopportunity to play tennis.

The Tennis Foundation’s Tennis InThe Community project aims to have1.5 million children introduced to thesport by 2012 – and wants it tobecome a key part of the curriculumby offering teachers resources andequipment.

Sue Mappin, chief executive, said:“This is a long term strategy aimed atgetting more kids involved through-out the whole of the country.

"The most important area of devel-opment for us right now is findinggood coaches able and willing todeliver in schools and a communityenvironment, but there also has to besomewhere for kids to go and play.”

The Tennis Foundation is also run-ning a pilot scheme for the YouthSport Trust, trialling inter schoolcompetitions, working with qualifiedcoaches in local areas.

Sue added: “We need to find outwhat is happening already in an area,in schools, parks and clubs, and thenenhancing that.

“We can set up competitions thatwork around existing schemes andworkshops and are looking to provideone primary park in every local edu-cation authority.

“We need to expand the base of thegame, scope talent for the future, anddevelop a local base where we utiliseschools.

"Anyone can play tennis. You cantake it up when you're three and playuntil you're 95. It's sociable and willkeep you fit and healthy."

Above: Primarypupils are to beintroduced to tennis. 1.5m children to

get tennis chance

rugby 17

By Lyndsey Smith

A LINK up between a professionalrugby league club and specialist edu-cation company has led to moreyoungsters participating in healthyactivity.

Leeds Rhinos and ESP (Educationand Special Projects Ltd) are workingtogether to offer children a chance to experience multi-skillszones, an innovation showcased at the Headingley Carnegie stadium.

Headteachers, partnership develop-ment managers, coaches and parentsattended the launch which outlinedthe scheme and provided a practicaldemonstration of movement devel-opment which can be implementedinto schools and lead to nationallyaccredited training for primaryschool teachers.

Training is designed to maximisethe impact of the zone on movementand physical activity levels and this issustained through visits by Rhinoscommunity coaching staff who deliv-er sessions as part of their communi-ty programme.

Scott Benton, ESP CPD lead trainersaid: “We do lots of work within

schools, as do the Rhinos, and itseemed a natural progression to linkup.

“At the launch we set out our multiskill zone markings which are specifically designed to challengemovement patterns in terms of stability, object control and locomo-tion.

“It proved to be very successful andthe kids really enjoyed it. It is a non-pressurised, fun environment wherethey can enjoy themselves.

“Rugby league, as a team game, canbe seen as quite intimidating for chil-dren and we take the edge off that,incorporating skills of the game with fundamental motor skills.”

Teacher support sessions areoffered and can be used to sustainthe use of multi skills zones throughsupport of community sports coach-es in curricular and extra curricularactivity.

Scott said: “This isn’t an elitist activity. Everyone can take part and we work with children from early years through to special needs.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for kids

in a child friendly, centred environ-ment that goes hand in hand with therugby league.

“The Rhinos are looking to use the

zones themselves proving the scale ofappeal is as far ranging as key stageone through to professional athletes.”

Rhinos link up to offerchildren new opportunities

Leeds Rhinos – from left – Jamie Peacock, Matt Diskin, Jamie Jones Buchanan, Kevin Sinfield

More girls are givingrugby league a try ...By Lyndsey Smith

PARTICIPATION in girls rugby leagueis on the increase with more young-sters than ever playing within schoolsand the community.

The Rugby Football League (RFL)became involved in 2006 and girlsnow have the opportunity to partici-pate at fortnightly summer festivalsin the North West and Yorkshire, atunder 12, 14 and 16 level.

Further festivals are planned inScotland, Wales, London, North Eastand the Midlands culminating in theChampion of Champions Festival,where regional champions from allover the UK will compete for thisprestigious title.

Donna Sladdin, national femaleadministrator for the RFL said: “Thefirst year proved very successful andregistrations increased from around200 who played, pre-RFL involve-ment, to around 450/ 500, and nowwe have nearly 600 girls registeredand playing regularly.”

A cup competition has now beenintroduced and Donna believes thiscan only be good for the develop-ment of the game.

She said: “The Northern Rail Cupwas introduced last year with thefinal played ahead of the men’sNorthern Rail Cup Final, and this sea-son we included under 14 level too.There was a great atmosphere andthe girls got a taste of playing at a

professional stadium.”The female game is successfully

integrated within all relevant com-munity development programmesand there are now record numbers ofgirls participating in the CarnegieChampion Schools Competition,which has been a very successfuldevelopment tool.

There are more than 165 schoolteams and 1,980 players competingand girls are benefiting nationwidefrom a sustained and well-organiseddevelopment programme highlightedby the emergence of more than 30amateur clubs that have, or are,developing female sections, withnearly 400 girls registered to play.

There are many other projects run-ning in a number of areas which areincreasing the number of girl’s play-ing, coaching and administrating,and this growth will now concentrateon long term female participation,strong club infrastructures and thedevelopment of a performance path-way.

Julia Lee, RFL national communitydevelopment manager, added: “Thefemale game is benefiting fromimproved organization and the girl’sgame is one of the fastest growingareas of the sport.

“England women are participatingin the World Cup in Australia thisautumn and this should provide agreat boost for the female game goingforward.”

fitness equipment18

By Mark Turner, SportsArt Fitness

TO undertake the development of a newschool gym or fitness training room soundquite daunting, but as many schools, col-leges and universities already have dedicatedgyms and sports halls the question is moreoften – how can we improve on the fitnessfacilities we have got and how can we fundand justify the expenditure?

There appears to be a shift in the emphasison students' physical education away fromgeneral activity and games to planned life-long fitness and to schools and colleges cannow look to source funding to develop facili-ties that can be used for the benefit of thestudents. There are many governmenthealth and fitness initiatives which supporteducational establishments to develop qual-ity fitness facilities for the purpose ofencouraging student participation and evenfor ‘dual use’ operation.

The thought of major investments can be ahurdle for some educational establishments,but equipment manufacturers now look tooffer ‘one-stop sourcing’ to provide full plan-ning, supply of equipment, service mainte-nance, marketing facilities and financialpackages. Schools and colleges can purchasefitness equipment outright or can lease orrent fitness equipment and avoid major up-front investment.

Planning a gym can be a daunting task asmost modern facilities look to include a bal-ance of fitness equipment cardio, strengthand accessories. This can include treadmills,cross trainers, steppers, rowing machines

and strength training equipment includingmulti gyms and free weights. This can beinfluenced by space restrictions as there is aneed for efficient subdivision of equipmentspaces to provide for safe internal flows andease of management. No two educationalfacilities have exactly the same requirementsso you need to effectively plan any facility.

By consulting a company that will assist inplanning can ensure financial savings andoptimum facilities for safe use. As demandsfor gym changes occur, the layout shouldprovide for flexibility and ease ofchangeover. It is important to ensure thatstaff are trained by the supplier and equip-ment is serviced on a regular basis to ensurethat it is maintained, safe and fit for pur-pose.

How to provide for futurehealth of our children

Mark Turner

Pupils workingout with latestequipmentSCHOOLCHILDREN fromone of Bristol’s mostdeprived areas are havingPE lessons in a new gym,thanks to a dual sitescheme.

Brunel Fitness Centre –part of the Bristol BrunelAcademy’s campus – wasdesigned to offer privateclub standard facilities.

The gym is used byschool age children as wellas adults and so equip-ment had to be selected tomeet the needs of bothsets of clients. It was kittedout with 20 CV stations,eight resistance machinesand free-weights andCardio Theater fromPrecor.

Children are takenthrough a detailed pro-gramme showing themhow to use the equipmentand are supervised by PEteachers, as well as the fit-ness instructors in thegym.

John Allan – managingdirector of Active LeisureManagement (ALM) which

manage the site – said:“The use of this kind ofequipment in a school isnot something we wouldhave normally gone for,primarily because of budg-et limitations.

“But what we have foundhere is that because ofscope of different pro-grammes available we’vespent more time teachingthe children how to use theequipment, what musclegroups they can exercise,how many repetitions theyneed to do which hasmade the whole experi-ence a lot more education-al.

“We’ve found that they’vereally enjoyed this and arevery enthusiastic aboutusing the equipment.Certainly they’ve used itvery responsibly and if wecould afford it we’d defi-nitely use commercialequipment in a schoolagain.”

Brunel Fitness Centre isone of 48 dual purposesites managed by ALM.

fitness equipment20

SPORT at university and college hasbecome a focal point for some stu-dents, according to industry experts.

More than 1.7m students now regu-larly exercise and sports facilitieshave become so important that someof the biggest developments in thecountry have been at higher educa-tion establishments.

Imperial College, London, invested£17m on a new sports centre toencourage students to get active twoyears ago – despite not offering sportas a subject academically.

But Neil Mosley, head of sport,believes the success of its facilities isdown to the fact that it is the onlycollege in Britain to offer gym andswim for free.

He said: “Central London is anexpensive place to live and the aca-demic courses here are tough. Withthe fee change, students are morediscerning in where they go to studyas they have to take a financial hit.

“For some, sport is very much thefocal point – particularly whereyoungsters have played sport atschool, or in terms of overseas stu-dents who want to continue playingwhile studying in this country.”

Chris Earle, director of sport atLoughborough University, the topranked sports facility in the country,agrees that the value of sport hasmoved up the agenda.

He added: “I think other establish-ments have finally recognised the PRvalue of sport and I certainly believethey have a responsibility to help stu-dents in terms of healthy living.

“We have always attracted peoplewho value sport so we haven’tnoticed the increase as much asother universities have. A lot areinvesting and offering more diverseopportunities.”

Durham University not only pro-motes its own central sports hub, but

it also has 16 feeder colleges in whichit pushes physical activity for stu-dents.

Quentin Sloper, assistant director ofsport, said: “We have around 85 percent to 92 per cent of students whoplay a variety of sports regularly.

“We do have a lot of performanceathletes here and we do cater for theelite, but we also deliver a series offitness related classes that cater foreveryone as well.

“A lot of places are investing in facil-ties. We have a great coaching struc-ture in place and students know ifthey come here they will benefit fromthe sporting facilities and staff wehave in place – but others that aren’tso lucky do need to provide somesort of incentive.

“A university’s sports departmentshould be the hub of the community,the hub for the region’s sports.

“It is an exciting time and certainlyinvestment has had a significantimpact.”

Karen Rothery, chief executive ofBritish Universities and CollegesSport (BUCS) said some universitiesare ahead of the game in terms ofinvestment.

She added: “Sport should be anintergral part of university life. Somesport departments are already aheadof the game, driving the healthy liv-ing agenda with programmed cam-pus walks and developing volunteerand coaching qualifications toenhance students’ employability.

“Many more are investing in facili-ties and equipment to provide cohe-sive and high-quality sporting oppor-tunities to students. We know thatsport can be a contributing factorwhen choosing a place to study andour next survey will go much furtherin finding out how sport, and sport-ing provision, impacts on the overallstudent experience.”

Universities are spending millions improving their sports facilities and installing new kit. Reporter Lyndsey Smithlooks at how they are enticing students to enrol by offering impressive fitness suites.

Chris Earle

� Over 1.7m students take part in regular physical activity� 4,500 sports teams operate on campus� 41 per cent of university sports teams are female� The most popular sports are rugby union, football and hockey� 170 championship finals take place annually� 57 per cent of the GB Team medal take at the Beijing Olympics was by universitystudents or graduates� 67 per cent of visits to university sporting facilities are from students, with 26per cent from community users and 8 per cent from staff� BUCS members operate £20bn worth of sporting facilities, including 145 fitnesssuites, 541 tennis courts and 139 sports halls

Universities try to netstudents with investment

Fact file

ROEHAMPTON University has cre-ated a new fitness facility to helpprovide inclusive access to health equipment for staff and stu-dents.

A campus survey revealed that agym was a top priority for pupils,leading to the installation of the£230,000 ROEActive centre includ-ing 40 IFI accredited Cybex CV andresistance stations.

The new resource was construct-ed from an old IT suite, creating a250 metre square gym as well aschanging rooms and studios.

The development is a central part of the university’s sport andwell-being strategy, which aims tocreate additional sports space on

site. Ian Pickup, director of sport and

well-being, said: “We have a broadcommitment to promoting socialjustice, which means that we mustensure that our students, staff andcommunity partners can accessfully inclusive opportunities to beactive.”

The university also runs a SportsPerformance Assessment andRehabilitation Centre which isstaffed by fully qualified sport andexercise scientists and aims to opti-mise the performance for all stu-dents and staff, whatever their abil-ity.

The centre provides sports sci-ence and sports medicine services

and offers fitness testing, gaitanalysis, physiotherapy, massageand nutrition advice, all under oneroof.

Future plans for the universitynow include creating new playingfields, a jogging track and an urbansports park.

Pictures courtesy of the IFI

University in inclusive bid

news 21

HENRY Cooch and Son Ltdare manufacturers ofmobile and portable flood-lighting units that we havesupplied to many schools,universities, local authori-ties, football and rugbyclubs.

By having mobile orportable floodlightingmany areas of sports fieldscan be used for sports orother activities on winterevenings, mobile units donot usually require plan-ning permission.

Why not visit our website

to view some of our rangeor contact us to discussyour particular require-ments.

By having mobile unitsthat can be placed in areasnot normally used yousave wear and tear on themain areas. Units can besupplied without genera-tors if a suitable electricitysupply is available nearby.

Details from 01732884484, fax 01732 882681,email, henrycooch@btcon-nect.com or visitwww.henrycooch.co.uk

Firm helps light the way for many groups

By Lyndsey Smith

YOUNGSTERS in Manchester willhave a great chance to improve theirfitness after boxer Ricky Hattonreceived planning permission for anew gym.

The IBO light welterweight champi-on plans to turn a former print worksin Hyde, Manchester, into a £2msporting complex which should becompleted early next year.

The three storey fitness centre plansto run children’s classes in variousdisciplines, along with the opportuni-ty to utilise the boxing facilities onthe second floor.

Ricky’s agent Paul Speak said:“Young people will be able to use thefacilities at the gym although an exacttimetable of events is yet to beworked out.

“It will have a full cardiovascularsuite, free and fixed weights, a room for aerobic exercise and therewill, of course, be great boxing facili-ties.

”The amount of money they arespending makes this a big concernand when completed it should be ona par with the likes of Fitness First.”

The mixed gym will also have acreche, cafe, shop, coffee lounge with

internet access, sun beds, physiother-apy, beauticians plus offices forPunch Promotions.

Ricky, who has won six belts at two

different weights, has formerlytrained at Betta Bodies Gym inDenton which is run by body builderand nutritionist Kerry Kayes.

Ricky ready to welcomeyoungsters to new gym

Ricky Hatton

Get Active campaign offersrambling to rugby in keep fit bidBy Lyndsey Smith

A CAMPAIGN aimed at engagingyoungsters and adults into sport wasrun in the Midlands last month.

Get Active week provided thechance for people to experiencesomething new to help them stay fitand maintain a healthier lifestyle.

The week was organised byCoventry, Solihull and WarwickshireSport (CSW Sport), with localauthorities in these areas coupledwith Nuneaton and Borough, Rugby,Stratford and Warwick, each design-ing a week long activity programme.

Tracey Murphy, from CSW Sport,believes the project shows exercisecan be fun and need not seem like achore.

She said: “There is no need to thinkof running marathons, or swimmingthe channel, instead, imagine doingfun physical activities you enjoy andwatch the benefits flow.

“The recommended exercise targetis only 30 minutes of moderateactivity a day and it doesn’t evenhave to be in one go.

“This campaign provided a widevarying programme of activitiessuch as rambling, rugby, ballet, mar-

tial arts, badminton, boxing, aero-bics, line dancing, tennis and canoe-ing.

“We also aim to teach people theimportance of eating a healthy bal-anced diet and lots of fruit and veg-etables which are essential for goodhealth.”

The campaign was based on exam-ples of best practice from across thecountry, including National BikeWeek, Play Tennis and the Get ActiveWeeks in Northamptonshire,Liverpool and Swindon.

Funding for the campaign has beenprovided by Community Investment

news22

By Dean Horridge, Fit for Sport

MY belief is that the Olympics com-ing to London in 2012 creates a oncein a lifetime opportunity for us toengage all, from preparation toimplementation, to making sure thelegacy is sustainable through healthylifestyle habit changes.

We have not yet seen the legacystrategy for 2012 but have heard thediscussions and I strongly believethat unless this event engages andchanges the lives of children andfamilies across the UK, we will havefailed.

Although the Olympics revolvesaround global elite athleticism I dosupport the Government’s recentturnaround which is towards anagenda stressing the importance ofcompetitive sports and the winningmentality.

Whether we want to accept it ornot, competitive spirit to win isinnate in most human beings of allages and we must embrace this.Children have a natural tendency to

compete, for example even during afriendly match warm up. This shouldbe encouraged, at the same timeallowing us to teach our children theability to convert losses into forwardmoving positives.

The new addition to the Fit ForSport team is Olympian Roger Black,a man who knows only too well howsolid support and the drive to wincreate champions.

He will be advocating our school PEprovision and spoke at LeisureIndustry Week in September to dis-cuss the future of the Olympic gener-ation, and how we can work towardsensuring our children carry forwardan ambition to be active whethercompetitively or for personal wellbe-ing.

So what are the next steps?Engaging more children is para-mount, therefore this means invest-ing money at grassroots level includ-ing schools, extended schools andclubs. With such money being spenton Olympic quality facilities, whichwill ultimately form part of the legacy

which remains decades after 2012,we must make sure our children andtheir families benefit and are actuallyable to get to the stadiums, tracksand pools.

This requires funding for transportand other strategies post 2012, whichwill mean future generations are ableto make their own dreams at thegrounds where Olympians were born.

Dean awarding a child for the 2008 Pitshanger Fit For Sport Fun Run, Ealing, London.

The Olympic legacy – inclusive of all?

By Jonathan Williams, SHOKK MD

IN PARALLEL with the various obesi-ty/ physical activity taskforces I nowsit on and following some hugelyinteresting recent meetings I havebeen involved with, the topic of oper-ational success and adult influencecould never be more critical.

This entire debate is at the crux ofeverything we do and say as influ-encers of young people. Are we doingenough? Are we providing adequatefacilities? Adequate staff? Adequatetraining? Adequate opportunities?Adequate advice? If the answer to allof these is yes, fantastic. Although Ihave the sneaking suspicion that asthe levels of obesity and inactivity arerising in every developed territory onthe planet there is certainly room forimprovement.

It has been fascinating for me to seethe youth industry grow but thebiggest issue for me is, whilst peopleare seeing opportunities to cater forwhat is evidently a growing demand,is enough thought being put to thosewho really matter?

I have had numerous conversationswith operators who say they offerthings for kids and their staff areyouth focused but when you actuallyget to the delivery point the realitycan be very different.

How can we aim to make a differ-ence when historically, the operatorshave hinted that ‘kids don’t make youmoney in health clubs’ a very narrowminded short term view.

Although my response always was‘how can you expect to be successfulif you don’t engrain an holisticapproach to dealing with young peo-

ple in your organisation?’ This message has now begun to get

through, and our shift from supplierto operator bears testament to this. Itis no surprise to me that as the quali-ty and credibility of our offering hasimproved and increased the retentionof our members dramatically, and soin turn the financial returns. SHOKKis as much about what a child eatswhen they are at home as it is abouttheir conduct in a health club orleisure centre.

Like every other demographic,young people, when they see andhear that they are receiving goodservice/ value for money, return. Avaried, exciting and content richapproach are fundamental to thissuccess.

Jonathan Williams

Why there is still room forimprovement ... LAST year, as part of our work with

the National Healthy SchoolsProgramme, we began introducingNintendo Wiis and PSX dance matsfor use during break times and lunchhours.

Many of the young people we dealwith are ‘school phobic’ while othershave been excluded from mainstreamschools for behavioural issues. Ouraim was to get every child and youngperson doing at least two hours ofphysical activity a week during schoolhours, but because they attend ourcentre on a part-time basistimetabling issues meant that it wasdifficult for us to organise conven-tional group sports activities.

We conducted research by askingour children and young people whatthey liked to do in their spare time.We found that on average they spent13.5 hours a week on computergames and decided to look at a rangeof active sports related games such asTiger Woods Golf, Winter OlympicGames, Tennis, Football and Boxing –each one has proved a massive hit.

Every break time, the Nintendo Wiiand dance mat games are projectedagainst a whiteboard allowing for a 60inch screen. We allow our children todecide for themselves if and whenthey choose to use these facilities,and on average, three to four peopleare actively playing at any given time.

A ‘winners scoreboard’ is used toencourage good behaviour and createa competitive edge and greater socialinteraction. We try not to enforce dis-cipline through punishment, insteadwe operate a system of withdrawinggame privileges which has been veryeffective in drawing out the best fromour students.

The other great aspect is that thescheme is very cost effective. Oftenwe find that because it is difficult to

engage the young people in sportingactivities, we have to organise moti-vational sports trips such as water-sports or dry slopes. However, thiscan require a great deal of fundrais-ing effort in order to be sustainable.This initiative is sustainable, whilst atthe same time producing visible andencouraging results.

We’ve had a significant amount ofinterest from other schools andsports associations since we begantrialling this. The Stroud SchoolSports Partnership has been lookingat the idea and is now consideringhow it can introduce this conceptinto a much wider range of schools.

Overall, I think a computer basedapproach to increasing participationin physical activity is really effective.

Ultimately the measure of successfor me, is that this is genuinely help-ing these young people to be moreaware of and more motivated abouttheir own health and fitness.

Computer games can make you fit argues Paul Barns,PE specialist at The Whitminster Centre, Stroud (part ofCotswold and Stroud Pupil Referral Service)

How playing the game works

The games proved a massive hit

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Resource DirectoryOur brand new resource directory has been launched to provide you, the reader, with a quick reference guide to some of the leading suppliers working in Sports Education. Look out for more printed resource directories in 2008, and don’t forget to check out our online supplier directory byvisiting www.futurefitness.uk.net/suppliers