KU health and fitness day gives kids chance to see college basketball

By Lindsey Slater

November 18, 2008

For an 11 a.m. game on a Tuesday, the stands were pretty full for the Kansas University women’s basketball game against Iowa.

The attendance of more than 3,500 students, teachers, parents and administrators representing Lawrence public elementary schools helped.

Tuesday was the first time that KU planned a health and fitness day with such a large group. Students in third through sixth grades from all of the city’s 15 elementary schools cheered on the Jayhawks and learned a thing or two about what it means to be a student athlete.

Women’s head coach Bonnie Henrickson was impressed with how well the youngsters seemed to know the game.

“Elementary school kids have great basketball IQ in Lawrence because they really knew when we needed help,” she said after KU won, 76-55. “They got loud when we needed them to be loud.”

The kids were more than happy to help cheer on the women.

“It was pretty cool,” said Anya Dickinson-Cove, a fifth-grader at Schwegler School. “Once they got the lead, it was no doubt they’re going to win.”

There were even a few future coaches in the crowd.

“They played really well today,” said Joshua Thomas, a sixth-grader at New York School. “Next time they play, I think that they should do a little bit more defense.”

Before the game, sixth-graders spent time learning about safety, nutrition, fitness and goal setting from the athletic staff and players.

Afterward, some Jayhawk athletes took to the court to answer questions.

“Being an athlete is tough,” said senior Marcus Herford, a wide receiver for KU’s football team. “It’s a tough deal, but we take it on each day with vigor.”

Junior softball outfielder Ally Stanton said she was surprised how many kids were in the stands.

“We felt like little rock stars. They’re so cute,” she said.

KU Athletics and their sponsors paid for everything for the students, from lunch to T-shirts.

And this first experience was a positive one for the school district and student athletes alike.

“We have kids that may or may not be able to do something like this with their families, so to give them this opportunity is just great,” said Anne Hawks, a curriculum specialist for the Lawrence district.

Students also had the chance to get autographs from the women’s basketball team after the game.

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Childhood fitness emphasized in local programs

Schools, YMCA promote activities to fight youth obesity

By: Glen Reese

Thursday, July 5, 2007 5:17 PM CDT

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Childhood fitness has become a hot topic in the nation with recent studies reporting the widespread dilemma of youth obesity.

The Raytown School District and private entities in the Raytown area are taking the problem seriously.

Elementary schools have a district fitness program for students every third school day. Four areas are emphasized: upper body strength, flexibility, abdominal strength and cardiovascular endurance, which is promoted through a mile run.

“We stress various fitness activities,” Westridge Elementary School physical education teacher Michael Mitchell said. “We try to be creative. We have them playing team sports and low organizational games at the same time.”

A lot of the students are out of school for the summer. Sitting inside watching television or playing video games is OK — to a point, Mitchell said.

“There’s nothing wrong with video games,” Mitchell said. “But stay active with physical activities, too. Ride your bike, play with friends or get into a league. We want well-rounded students. We encourage them to read. We want them to work both their minds and their bodies. Don’t be one-dimensional.”

The Raytown YMCA has myriad programs to help kids stay active during the summer months.

“We have something for beginners and kids every night,” health and wellness director Chris Bessmer said. “That’s a passion for me. We take in everybody and make it as cheap as we possibly can.”

The YMCA offers lessons for the Latin dance Zumba and beginner step aerobics. The Family Fitness Challenge is held on most Monday nights featuring physical educational games, and a handout covering a different topic is distributed each week.

Sports World is new this year. Kids use weight balls and plastic noodles for cardiovascular exercises. The Teen and Tween program teaches youths and teenagers how to use the YMCA exercise equipment correctly.

Dance, Dance Revolutions is held in the arcade area with constantly moving dance steps shown on a screen using a PlayStation. A summer school physical education program is available for ages 5 to 15 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

A Kid-Power program will start in the fall with the goal of warding off childhood obesity. Challenge sheets will be handed out featuring topics such as nutrition, cardiovascular fitness and muscular fitness.

The YMCA has been working with KMBC-TV on a fitness challenge, coming up with creative ways to keep children active.

“We want to introduce kids to a healthy lifestyle and make it fun at the same time,” Bessmer said. “It’s all working out.”

Parental involvement is a big part of the solution.

“Parents need to be a so-called role model,” Bessmer said. “My parents didn’t work out, so I didn’t really get into fitness until I was in college. Parents have the No. 1 impact on their kids. They need the correct knowledge so that they can take it back home with them to pass on to the kids.”

Staff writer Glen Reese can be reached at 358-6397 or greese@npgco.com.

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