Future Fitness March 2010 by Script Media

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Sport and fitness for today’s youth

March 2010 £2.75

Weight scheme hailed as a breakthrough By Louise Cordell THE MEND weight management programme has been hailed as a breakthrough for overweight children in a new independent study. Research carried out by University College London has proved the success of the ‘Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do it!’ scheme, showing that participants lost weight and improved their cardiovascular fitness through taking part. Results also revealed that the children lowered their body mass index and waist circumference as well as improving their self esteem and physical activity levels. The MEND programme is a free ten week, after-school weight management course where overweight and obese children and their families learn how to eat healthily and enjoy physical activity. These findings are important as the study is the first randomised controlled trial in the UK to investigate the benefits of a community based child weight management programme. The research project was led by Professor Atul Singhal of the UCL Institute of Child Health, and involved 116 children aged between eight and

12. They attended a nine-week MEND programme, followed by 12 weeks of free family swimming between January 2005 and January 2007. The children were assessed at the start of the programme and again at six and 12 months - and all measurements improved at six months and were sustained at 12 months. Professor Singhal said: “The results suggest that the MEND programme helps overweight and obese children lose weight, at least in the short term. “They also show that child weight management programmes have a positive effect on a child’s health and so could help to address the rising obesity problem in children.” By the final year of primary school, nearly one in three children aged ten or 11 is overweight, according to the latest data from the Government’s National Child Measurement Programme in schools. Harry MacMillan, MEND chief executive, said: “The MEND Programme isn’t a miracle pill for obesity, but what this independent study does show is that child weight-loss programmes that involve the whole family are a scientifically-proven and sustainable solution to the child obesity crisis.”

Rower James helps launch 2012 scheme for children

Teacher Dan Martin is calling on schools around the UK to support him in his attempt to complete a global triathlon. Dan will be setting out in May with the aim of circumnavigating the world, swimming, running and cycling, over 18 months. He is hoping to get involved with 100 schools from across the country by broadcasting live into assemblies from various points on his trip – ranging from the Atlantic to Alaska and from Siberia to New York. How to get involved, Page 3

TWO-TIME Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell has been inspiring schoolchildren as part of a 2012 scheme to get youngsters to become more active. He has been helping to launch SmallSteps4Life, a Food Standards Agency initiative which uses an interactive website to motivate kids to improve their health and wellbeing inside and outside the classroom. The steps young people are encouraged to take include setting themselves challenges like walking to and from school, eating a healthy breakfast or getting more sleep. James said: “I am proud to help launch this unique project that addresses wellbeing in a way that is fun and meaningful for young people. “I look forward to seeing the kind of creative challenge ideas that young minds come up with when they are shared on the website.”

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Teacher Dan set to tackle the Atlantic A TEACHER from Peterborough is aiming to swim across the Atlantic as part of a global sporting challenge. Dan Martin is in training for an 18month global triathlon, which he will begin in Canada in May. He aims to swim more than 3,600 miles from Nova Scotia to Brest in France and then cycle across Europe. He will then pass through Russia and Siberia, cross the Bering Straits to Alaska and then run across Canada. The biggest challenge of the journey is the Atlantic swim, which Dan is expecting to take around four months. He said: “I’ve actually never done a triathlon in my life! “But when I was at university I heard about a guy swimming the Atlantic in a wetsuit and flippers and was fascinated by the story – so I like the idea of attempting my own, purer version. “Every night we’ll take a GPS reading and return to that place the next day so I can swim the whole ocean

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and I’ll be wearing just trunks, goggles and a swimming hat plus petroleum jelly for protection.” Dan already has a history of adventuring, having cycled from Korea to Cape Town last year and from London to Cape Town the year before – covering over 55,000kms across the two trips. His core values for this trip are education, environment and expedition and he is aiming to use his experience to inspire young people around the world. Dan is looking for 100 UK schools, 100 schools on his route and another 100 from around the world to team up with and plans to broadcast live updates into assemblies throughout his adventure. He said: “I think kids seeing this kind of trip first hand will be a great inspiration for them. “I have never been a particularly sporty person and was always last in running races at school, but I want to get the message out to kids that everyone has this kind of trip inside

www.futurefitness.uk.net Studio manager: Stewart Holt sth@whpl.net Deputy group editor: Judith Halkerston jhalkerston@whpl.net Circulation enquiries to: Kelly Tarff kt@whpl.net Tel: 01226 734695

Dan at the Gyatso-La Pass in Tibet”

Dan training for his swim them. “Hopefully, I can show them that even someone like me, who isn’t the most athletic guy in the world, can do this – and let them know about all

the possibilities out there.” If your school would like to get involved please contact Future Fitness or Dan directly on: dan@danmartinextreme.com, www.danmartinextreme.com.

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4 news

School boy Martin goes from novice to success in four years SCHOOL pupil Martin Drabble has become one of the top junior badminton players in the country after taking up the sport just four years ago. He was 12 when he first picked up a racket at a holiday club at All Saints Catholic High School and, after completing a number of coaching courses he has gone on to win a host of titles. Martin said: “I really enjoy lots of different sports, which is why I signed up for the club at EIS Sheffield. “At the time, I was playing football to a high standard for Middlewood Rovers but was keen to improve my speed on the pitch. “Then I met Peter Elliott, the former Olympic middle distance runner, and he recommended that taking up a racket sport would help so I enrolled onto the beginners’ badminton coaching scheme.” Martin is now also helping to inspire the next generation of young badminton hopefuls. He has taken his level one coaching qualification and now coaches EIS Sheffield's beginner and intermediate groups. Paul Hudson, general manager at EIS Sheffield, said: “Martin is yet another incredible sporting success story for Sheffield.

Concern over obesity views among parents By Louise Cordell

Martin Drabble “To go from a novice player to one of the most promising youngsters in the country in the space of just four years is quite incredible.”

THE majority of parents do not realise that their four and five-yearolds are overweight, according to new research. Half of mothers who took part in a study at the University Medical Centre Groningen thought that their obese four or five year old was normal weight, as did 39 per cent of the fathers. In the case of overweight children, 75 per cent of mothers and 77 per cent of fathers believed that the child was normal weight. More than 800 parents and 439 children took part in the Netherlands study – five per cent of the children were overweight, four were obese and the rest were normal weight. The study revealed that parents of overweight and obese children were significantly heavier than the parents of normal weight children and that while most of the parents did not worry about their child’s weight, the mothers of obese children were the most likely to be concerned.

The results also showed that parents of overweight and obese children did not think their children were less active than others and 94 per cent felt they could influence their child's food choices and eating habits. Professor Pieter Sauer from the Centre’s department of paediatrics, said: “Public perception of what is a normal weight has shifted upwards because more people are overweight or obese. “Overweight children are very likely to become overweight teenagers and adults, so intervening when they are aged between three and five could prevent weight problems later in life. “The fact that the parents in our study perceived their children to be lighter than their BMI indicated is cause for concern. “Our findings point to the need for health education programmes that encourage parents to recognise what is a normal healthy weight for their children and work with health professionals to tackle any weight problems.”

Gary Lineker with some of the pupils

Gary coaches youngsters to help charity net cash FOOTBALL legend Gary Lineker has been coaching pupils from a Surrey school to promote the CLIC Sargent’s Kick for Children with Cancer campaign. Pupils from Carew Manor School, a community special school in Wallington, helped him to launch the annual football fundraiser by practising their penalty skills. The school also took part in the fundraising campaign last year and raised over £750 through sponsored matches and a ‘beat the goalie’ competition. Charity patron Gary said: “With the World Cup kicking off in June, football fever will be sweeping the country.

“Penalties will surely come into play in the tournament at some point and it’s been great talking to pupils about their technique. “Practising how to beat the goalie is a fun way to get fit and active and I think you’re never too young to start trying to score a spot kick.” More than 450,000 children have taken part in Kick for Children with Cancer since the campaign launched five years ago and over £700,000 has been raised to date. Registration is now open for this year’s campaign with schools and youth football clubs encouraged to hold events between May and July 2010.

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Teen boxer Ambreen makes awards shortlist By Louise Cordell

Naz Jalil, Ambreen's coach, said: “It is almost unheard of for an Asian Muslim girl to take up boxing but Ambreen has demonstrated great determination and exceptional potential to achieve in the sport.

ONE of the country’s most promising young female boxers has been shortlisted for a national sports award. Ambreen Sadiq, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, has been nominated in the Junior Sports Personality of the Year Female category at the Change4Life British Asian Sports Awards.

“She has faced an uphill struggle of showing to the Asian community that it is acceptable for girls from her background to take up boxing and, with a lot of hard work, success is possible.

The 15-year-old Eastburn Amateur Boxing Club member was crowned Amateur Boxing Association schoolgirls' national champion in 2009 and currently has a 100 per cent competitive record.

“Although Ambreen has been shortlisted to the final three, she needs as many votes as possible to win and we just hope people will now support her by voting for her.”

She said: “To be nominated for this award is an honour in itself, to win would be fantastic. “It is great recognition from British Asians and shows just how far the sport has come in terms of encouraging female participation from different communities. If I win, it would reward for all the hard work put in by my coaches and would hopefully inspire other girls to consider taking up the sport.”

Ambreen Sadiq and England natioanl coach, Mick Gannon Women's boxing is one of the fastest growing sports at grassroots level and the latest figures from Sport England's Active People Surveys show that a quarter of the 149,000 boxing participants in the country are now women.

All nominees are judged by a panel of experts including English cricketer Mark Ramprakash, Evening Standard Sports Editor, Mihir Bose and Olympic gold medal winner Denise Lewis, OBE, before the public decide who will be crowned winner for each category. Previous winners have included cricketer Samit Patel, kickboxer and boxing champion Sunny Hira and Change4Life British Asian Sports Awards official ambassador, Amir Khan.

New £9m facility is chosen as games’ venue A NEW £9m sports and leisure facility that will be a venue for next year’s International Children’s Games has opened. The centre, which is housed within the Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld, features a gym, fitness studios, sports hall and football pitch. Up to 1,500 competitors are expected to come to Lanarkshire for the world's biggest youth sports event next summer and a £32m regional sports facility being built at Ravenscraig will also be used to host the Games. Chair of North Lanarkshire Leisure, Councillor Jim Logue said: “Combined with the current 8,000 seat stadium complex at Broadwood, this has created a major sport and leisure venue, at an easily accessible prime location. We are hoping that it can be used by countries as a pre-training facility ahead of the Commonwealth games, Olympic games and 2011 Children's Games.” The Broadwood facility also has martial arts and dance studios, a kids soft play area and a café. Blane Dodds, chief executive of North Lanarkshire Leisure Ltd, added: “We’re encouraging people along to see for themselves just what a superb facility this is.”

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Greg leading an Active Kids class

Former PE teacher Greg Dryer has gone back to basics to make sure that kids get the best possible introduction to sport. Future Fitness found out more:

Greg’s toddler inspires him to create Active Kids ... SIX years ago Greg Dryer was working as head of PE in a London secondary school, but after taking his three-year-old to a range of sports activities, he developed an interest in the different ways children are first exposed to fitness. He said: “I started observing how my kids played and wanted to know more about how and when we should introduce sport to kids, and what activities are appropriate at what age.

“Classes start out combining structured play with technical input, but it needs to be presented in a fun way that is suitable for young children – and all the sessions I saw seemed to lean too far one way or the other.” This inspired Greg to create Active Kids, a progressive pathway for kids aged three to 11, that would introduce them to sport in a way that would help them enjoy keeping active, as well as preparing them with the skills needed to develop

later on. The classes are run after school, at weekends and in school holidays and focus on age specific skill development, rather than traditional single sport sessions. He added: “The idea is to try and give kids the very best start into the world of physical activity. “We want to give kids the essential building blocks, so that by the end of key stage two they really feel that they can access sport. “It is about giving them the confidence and competence they need to take on the wide range of different sports they will be introduced to later in life.” Greg hopes that giving young people this confidence will go some way to addressing the increasing PE drop out rate experienced at secondary schools. After seeing many teenagers lose interest in physical activity during his teaching years, his idea is to develop the right attitudes towards sport early in order to prevent the problem. He added: “There are some wonderful sport practictioners out there, but many are doing more harm than good because of innapropriate delivery. “You often see very young children attempting exercises that are

more suited to teenagers and they can’t access it – it makes no sense to them so there is no benefit. “We are then left doing remedial work – parents are bringing us five year olds who have lost all confidence in their abilities thanks to this style of teaching, and we have to try and build them back up. “I believe that every child should be challenged at an apppropriate level, but also be given the opportunity to succeed.” Greg has found the children who attend the classes see an improvement in their general movement skills, their response to stimuli and in their personal and social skills. The results often convert parents who have been unsure about the best type of sports coaching to provide for their kids. He added: “I think there is a lack of quality awareness when it comes to what kids are doing physically. “Parents are passionate about getting the best quality start in lliteracy for example, but they don’t carry that through to physical education. You wouldn’t want your child growing up on a diet of just one author – but many children are not getting a balanced sport diet, and this is what we need to address.”

Club link-ups aim to make sure kids get the best start GREG and Active Kids are now preparing for a link-up with Millwall Football Club and the London Scottish Rugby Club. They will be working together to make sure children in their selection programmes are getting off to the best start and are developing the basic skills they need to ensure a good performance as they develop. Greg said: “These professional clubs know how to coach kids by the time they reach age eight or ten, but before that they don’t have the specialist skills needed. “It is all about adapting teaching

methods to the age of the children – when you are starting with a blank slate you have to be teaching the right content in the right way.” The company now has three franchises as well as the original centre and is now also starting to get into specific sports in an inclusive way. Tennis and football groups have been launched to take place alongside the multisports classes, however, they are only available for the nine year olds and older to make sure that the kids have developed a wide skill base before starting to specialise.

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Cash for street rugby A SCHEME that provides rugby training for disadvantaged children is set to expand following a six-figure investment. Scottish Rugby has announced that its Street Rugby initiative will be continuing for at least the next three years thanks to a sponsorship deal with G4S Events. This means that more young people from neighbourhoods not traditionally associated with sport will be able to take up an easy to play and portable version of the game. The project, now named G4S Street Rugby, is targeted at areas where crime and anti-social behaviour are high, in an attempt to offer a healthy alternative at key times. Glasgow Warriors props Moray Low and Jon Welsh attended the most recent event to join in the game before taking part in a question and answer session from the younger players and signing autographs. Jon said: “The Street Rugby campaign is absolutely brilliant because it means that kids who don’t go to a rugby playing school, or haven’t yet gone along to their local rugby club, can stay active and get involved in the sport. “G4S Street Rugby is a great introduction to the sport as it gets the basic skill elements of the game across, like passing, using things like plastic mannequins or giant inflatable goalposts to help them work on their accuracy while keeping it pretty basic and, importantly, fun.”

Martin Milarky, Scottish Government Justice Department; Jon Welsh, Mark Hamilton, G4S Events MD and Moray Low The initiative aims to provide free while increasing the opportunities for rugby coaching and playing activities young Scots to play rugby – especially for a total of 12,000 youngsters by those in disadvantaged areas. 2011 by using a non-contact form of “We can link this activity to schools the game that introduces the basic and local rugby clubs through out passing and running elements before nationwide network of jointly funded development officers. These develcoaching participants in the basic opment officers will offer rugby to elements of the contact game as the young people in primary and secondsessions progress. ary schools, especially those schools Colin Thomson, Scottish Rugby’s where there’s little chance to play head of community rugby, said: “We rugby just now, creating local rugby believe that Street Rugby can play a centres for disadvantaged and disenmajor role in helping young Scots to gaged youngsters.” become healthier, safer and stronger

Students put on classes at primaries STUDENTS from Bebington High Sports College have been improving their sports leadership skills by putting on a range of extra-curricular clubs at local primary schools. Currently three are teaching football at Brackenwood Primary and Church Drive Primary, and another is coaching tag rugby at Brackenwood and St Andrews. Fifteen more leaders are also due to start teaching clubs in running, basketball, netball, dance and multi-skills this term. After delivering a six week session, leaders will then repeat the course at another school, creating a ‘carousel’ of sports clubs providing local primaries with specialist expertise. Their session plans are checked by PE staff to ensure they contain all the relevant activities needed for younger pupils to improve their performance and gives the leaders experience in structuring classes. Through volunteering, they are given the chance to move up the five steps of the ‘leadership ladder’ before being enrolled on the Community Sports Leadership Award when they reach the sixth form.

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Boccia project gains Inspire badge By Louise Cordell A NEW project to develop the sport of boccia in Derbyshire has been awarded the badge of the London 2012 Inspire Programme. This programme recognises innovative and exceptional projects that are helping to get people involved in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Go Boccia! scheme aims to encourage more disabled young people to play the sport and

organisers hope to see a young person from Derbyshire become part of the England Boccia Squad.

boccia skills, social skills and a personal level of independence.

Five community boccia groups are to be set up for 11 to 24 year olds in the area using funding from the Derbyshire County Council Youth Opportunity fund.

“It really reflects all of the Olympic and Paralympic values, and so it is fantastic to be recognised and granted the Inspire Mark and be part of the legacy that London 2012 will bring.”

Catherine Slater, Derbyshire Sport disability sport development officer, said: “This project will give young people an opportunity to not only become physically active but to develop their confidence,

Funding will also be used to host an Under 15 and Under 25 county tournament, where two teams will be selected to compete at the annual regional boccia tournament, and to provide boccia train-

ing for young leaders and coaches. Seb Coe, chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: “Go Boccia! is encouraging young disabled people in Derbyshire to fulfil their potential. “I am proud that with the help of partners such as Derbyshire Sport we are delivering on our vision to use the power of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to boost participation in disability sport.”

Pictured right: Tom Daley and left: Tom with diving competition entrants

World champ Tom drops in to encourage young divers WORLD champion diver, Tom Daley and two-time Olympic gold medallist, James Cracknell, were among the first visitors at the reopened Everyone Active Leisure Centre in Poole. Tom attended to judge a pupils’ diving competition with entrants from a range of local schools and also completed a diving display for the crowd from the 5m platform. He said: “It’s fantastic that diving facilities like this exist in a local leisure centre. “The kids who took part in the div-

ing competition were really enthusiastic and I hope that this means that more of them will look at taking this up as a serious sport.” James hosted a rowing challenge, competing head to head with the centre manager, and also set off the corporate swim challenge. He said: “It has become really clear to me since leaving professional sport that being active is really important. “For me it is just a natural thing to do but I can’t stress enough how vital it is that everyone makes activity part of their every day lives.”

‘One in five dislike the way they look’ OUR increasingly ‘superficial society’ has made children unhappier about their appearance than anything else in their lives, a study has found. Research by the Children’s Society reveals that almost one in five children aged ten to 15 dislike the way they look and that girls are twice as likely to worry about their bodies than boys. It also showed that children become more worried as they grow older, with 28 per cent of 15-year-old girls saying that they are dissatisfied with their appearance and that young black African/Caribbean and Pakistani/Bangladeshi children were significantly happier with their appearance than white children.

In the two-year study, a team of researchers put around 100 questions to just under 7,000 children aged ten to 15, including just over 4,700 from secondary schools. They were asked to rate how happy they were on a scale from 0 to 10 with many aspects of their lives. Bob Reitemeier, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: “This groundbreaking study is a major step forward in our efforts to understand and enhance the well-being of young people. It shows the vast majority of our children are happy, but it is a major concern that two children in every classroom are unhappy, and that so many are insecure about their appearance and confidence.”

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The best and worst of sport role models By Louise Cordell A NEW survey has revealed the best and worst sporting role models for young people. Looking at their behaviour over 2009, public opinion has been used to put together a list of which athletes are looked up to and which are disapproved of. David Beckham was placed at the top of the league for the best role models and, unsurprisingly, Tiger Woods was named as the worst. The survey was commissioned by SkillsActive, which has recently led the development of a new Diploma in Sports and Active Leisure, which includes a module on teaching young people how to be good sporting role models. The research also looked at the public’s view on how we think our sporting heroes should behave. Fair play was considered the most important factor, mentioned by 58 per cent of all respondent. In second place, with 19 per cent, was ‘winning’ and charitable work

came in third. Just two per cent of people question stated that being involved in a kiss and tell made a sports personality a bad role model. Stephen Studd, SkillsActive chief executive, said: “Whether they like it or not, successful sports people are role models to young people around the world. Sadly there will always be those who abuse their high profile position, but on the whole we believe it is entirely possible to teach young sports people with bright futures how to be a good role model.” In the top ten, following David Beckham were Chris Hoy, Lewis Hamilton, Roger Federer and Jenson Button. The next five places were taken by Ellen MacArthur, Paula Radcliffe, Usain Bolt, Lance Armstrong and Tim Henman. Tiger Woods, Ashley Cole and Cristiano Ronaldo took the top three spots in the ‘worst role models’ category, followed by Joey Barton, Dwain Chambers, Marlon King, David Beckham, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Freddie Flintoff and Serena Williams.

Two members of staff at Ellesmere College have been allocated places in this year’s London Marathon. Helen Coney, arts centre manager, and Jayne Griffiths, academic secretary, have now started a daily fitness routine at lunchtime in the school’s gym to improve their fitness levels in time for the race in April. Ian Williams, director of sport at the College, said: “Jayne and Helen will receive every support from the PE team to keep them motivated as the prepare themselves for the marathon and we all wish them well over the coming months.”

Why ramblers are turning to Twitter BRITAIN’S ramblers are using Twitter and Facebook in a bid to get young people walking. As part of the group’s 75th anniversary celebration, the Ramblers are starting branches for kids and their parents as part of a campaign to get families off the

couch. More than 900 people have joined a new branch for Londoners in their 20s and below, and every new member will get computer links to their nearest group and its events. Plans are being put in place for a round-Britain chain of baton walks.

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National award for young sport leader Matthew By Louise Cordell A YOUNG leader from Birmingham School Sport Partnership has been given a national award. Matthew de Redman, a year ten pupil at Bishop Challoner Catholic College received the Diana Award for his contribution to the local community. He was nominated by the school, his peers and also those who have benefitted from his volunteering and leadership. Matthew coaches primary school children in the evenings as part of the ‘Playing For Success’ initiative and he also helps PE staff with the organisation and leadership of sporting activities including rugby and football. He has also helped to train younger children how to become leaders and is one of the students involved in Bishop Challoner’s Leadership Academy. Derek McDermott, PDM at Bishop Challoner, said: “Matthew has a real passion for sport and PE and has matured into a very talented coach and leader. “What makes Matthew’s achieve-

‘Matthew has a real passion for sport and PE and has matured into a very talented coach and leader’ ments and successes even more inspiring is the fact that he has overcome a serious heart condition and subsequent operation that could quite easily have stopped his interest and involvement in sport. “However, it has acted as a catalyst and since his treatment, Matthew has concentrated his efforts into volunteering and having a positive influence on others as well as still participating as a performer.” In addition to the Diana Award, Matthew has also achieved the ‘Step into Sport Bronze Award’ for community volunteering, and has recently trained as an anti-bullying mentor with the aim of working with the Head of Year 8 and younger pupils in the school community.

New fitness zone opens YOUNG people in Somerset have been provided with a new place to get active, with the launch of the new Z3 Fitness Zone. The activity centre, at Tone Leisure’s Wellington Sports Centre, has been funded by over £200,000 from the Big Lottery’s Young People’s Fund, and was set up after consultation with a specially established young people’s committee. Local kids chose how the Zone would look as well as deciding which pieces of equipment should be installed to appeal to ten to 16 year olds. The centre now has dance mats, interactive sports walls, active computer games and a range of other fitness equipment from supplier ZigZag. Joel Chapman, Tone Leisure’s commercial director, said: “We are passionate about encouraging people of all ages to find ways they enjoy of keeping fit. “With the help of The Big Lottery Fund we’re delighted to be able to provide local young people with a safe, welcoming place to meet their friends.

“Rather than sitting at home on the sofa playing console games they can come to Z3, still play those types of games and some new ones, and get active at the same time.”

Anyone Can Day provides opportunities for young people with disabilities AN event designed to introduce young people with disabilities to a variety of physical activities has been held at Shobnall Sports Hall. Organised by Burton College sports students, the Anyone Can Day provided the opportunity for those attending to try their hand at a range of different sporting activities including basketball, football, orienteering and giant Jenga. Angelo Nel, the college’s further education sports co-ordinator, said: “As part of their course the students have to organise an event covering everything from the initial creative idea to finance, promotion and working with business organisations. “Many of the group are actively involved with coaching young people and so are passionate and enthusiastic about inspiring others to get involved in sport. “Having a disability is no barrier to being able to take part in sport, but some young people with disabilities may feel embarrassed or shy to try. “Being physically active is not only of benefit to physical health, it can also help people to achieve at school through improved concentration,

College students, from left, back row: Stephen Cooke, Paul Steeden and Matthew Ryan; front row: Lewis Garner, Daniel Blood, Jason Baker and Melanie Burns self-confidence and opportunities to build friendships and form strong bonds. “The Anyone Can Day showed how enjoyable participating in sporting activities can be.” Burton College runs a variety of courses for those wishing to pursue a career in the Sports industry. For further information contact the Sixth Form, Sport and Professional Studies Area of Learning on 01283 494400 or visit the website at www.burton-college.ac.uk

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Brett teaching Reece Martin some body positioning drills

Brett goes back to school with Multiskills classes By Louise Cordell AN ESSEX gym owner is taking a new type of fitness class into schools to teach kids basic sports skills. Brett Sizeland is a personal trainer and strength conditioning coach who believes that multiskills lessons can help to teach the ‘building block’ skills of physical activity. The classes are used to teach basic, but essential, athletic skills through non standard games and drills and can be particularly appealing to pupils who are put off PE by traditional games lessons. Brett said: “Multiskills is a great way to improve children’s performance in all areas of physical activity and provides something that they don’t get in the usual PE lesson. “It is about teaching them athletic skills that they can utilise in any sport, rather than the more narrow focus of just playing football or netball for example.”

After discussion with the local School Sport Partnership, Brett is now getting ready to teach an eight week multiskills course at Davenant Foundation school. He hopes that this pilot will lead to the sessions being rolled out in more schools in the area, and also provide data to illustrate the improvements that pupils are able to make through the classes. Brett added: “I want to help them improve their performance in the sports they are already good at by building up their basic skills. “There is a competitive element but it mainly helps the pupils challenge themselves and this motivates them to work harder. “The lessons also work really well as a signposting exercise – allowing them to find talents that they didn’t know they had and taking them into other sports they might not have considered otherwise. “The aim is to open up new doors for as many kids as possible

and improve athletic performance accross the board.” Brett has also been working with staff in the PE department at Cheltenham College to help them develop lessons in multiskills and strength and conditioning. They have found that the same principles apply even to the high level athletes they are working with and are now including the sessions in their classes to provide pupils with the tools they need to improve their performance. Brett added: “I think that PE teachers to a fantasic job and we like to see ourselves as a support network to help them achieve even more. We like to work closely with the teachers at the schools we go to and just provide a more specialised approach. “Hopefully we can be an aid to them providing the best physical education possible, which would really give kids the best chance to succeed.”

‘A Tale of Two ObesCities’ study A NEW report tackling childhood obesity in both London and New York has been praised by London Mayor Boris Johnson.

The report found that nearly 23 per cent of London’s four year olds are obese, rising to 36 per cent by the age of 11.

The study, ‘A Tale of Two ObesCities’ was compiled by the London Metropolitan University and the City University of New York.

In New York 40 per cent of kids of a similar age are obese but in both cities obesity rates are higher in boys than in girls.

It was commissioned as in both cities childhood obesity rates are higher than in their respective countries as a whole – and both face similar challenges including highly mobile populations, child poverty and overcrowding.

Results also revealed that the highest rates of obesity are found in the poorest children and that both cities are characterised by high levels of income inequality. Eileen O’Keefe, professor of public health at London Metropolitan University, said: “London and New

York face common challenges and the report demonstrates that the two cities’ approaches towards tackling these issues are different, and so they could benefit from collaboration and learning from each other’s experiences.” Recommendations made by the report include promoting activities like walking and cycling, encouraging urban agriculture and use of green spaces, building active design principles into housing strategies and implements a universal free nutritional school meal programme.

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12 news In a new series, fitness industry stalwart Andree Deane will be interviewing top-level politicians on behalf of Future Fitness and our sister title, Workout. This month Andy Burnham, secretary of state for health, comes under the spotlight.

Encouraging and promoting exercise What can be done to engage young people in exercise from an early age and what part, if any, should schools play in this? There is a huge amount of programmes to get children and young people into exercise. In particular we encourage and promote play, PE, sports, games and active travel for children in schools. Nine out of ten children are now doing two hours a week of sport at school and our ambition is for them to be able to have five hours a week of PE and sport inside and outside the curriculum. There are great links that have already been forged between schools and fitness facilities through schemes such as Adopt a School. We are also investing £30m in nine “Healthy Towns” across the country, which are leading the way in changing their communities to support people to become more active and promote healthy eating. For example Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire has organised cooking clubs for mums, dads and kids and Sheffield has a free fruit and veg scheme for year seven pupils. A great deal has been made of the 2012 legacy and its impact on the

Andree with Andy and his son Andy Burnham levels on participation in sport and physical activity. How realistic is it that the games will have a positive impact on participation levels and to what extent? One of the reasons we won the Olympic bid was because we had a vision for the long-term benefits that we can get across the country by hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We set a new target to get two million more adults physically active by 2012 by doing three or more sessions of at least 30 minutes exercise per week.

The target encompasses sport and everyday physical activity such as walking, cycling, gardening and dance. Too often in the past, governments have expected major events to bring automatic windfall benefits. However, nothing is guaranteed without careful planning from the outset as well as working closely with partners. The Olympic and Paralympic Games is a fantastic opportunity to inspire people; along with Change4Life and other initiatives, we want to capitalise on the games to engage with everybody to be more active. What are you doing to keep those

who have left school active? Activity levels fall dramatically after the age of 16 so, in partnership with the Fitness Industry Association and local authorities, we are piloting an incentive scheme to offer 5,000 16-22 year olds subsidised gym memberships. By reducing the membership costs of leisure clubs and providing an incentive to go regularly, we expect to see an increase in exercise levels. The pilot is targeted at those who are at risk of inactive lifestyles and living in less well off areas. This work supports our ambition to get two million more people active by 2012.

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news 13

One per cent of lunch boxes meet nutrition standards By Louise Cordell 99 PER CENT of school lunch boxes do not meet the nutritional standards set for school meals. New research from the University of Leeds has found that out of the 5.5bn packed lunches eaten by British children each year, just one per cent are made up of healthy food and drink. The team, commissioned by the Food Standards Agency, found that 82 per cent of lunch boxes contained foods high in saturated fat, salt and sugar including items such as crisps, sweets and biscuits. Only one in five meals contained any vegetables or salad and only half included an item of fruit - meaning that the overwhelming majority fell well below the standards demanded of school dinners. Charlotte Evans, lead researcher at the Leeds Institute

of Genetics, Health and Therapeutics, said: “The lack of equivalent food standards for packed lunches gives cause for concern that they will continue to lag behind the nutritional quality of school meals. “Our research has shown that some small steps in the right direction would make a big difference. Even if schools had a policy to provide water for children eating packed lunches, this would significantly reduce their sugar intake from sweetened drinks.” Charlotte believes it is important that schools support health promotion programmes and that strategies are in place to help parents meet nutritional standards by encouraging them to include healthy foods. She added: “Simply concentrating on restricting the junk content of lunch boxes can be counter-productive – children at schools where crisps are restricted, for example, end up

with lunch boxes containing containing more confectionery.” School meal standards were introduced in 2006 due to growing evidence linking poor health in adults with obesity or poor diet in childhood. They limit the amount of foods high in salt, sugars and fats which can be served and stipulate that school meals must provide a third of the daily requirement of every nutrient for health. Professor Janet Cade, head of the university’s Nutritional Epidemiology Group, said: “While we absolutely understand that many children prefer to take packed lunches to school, it is clear that they are not getting the same benefit from their midday meal as their classmates on school dinners. “The poor quality of these meals could have serious implications for levels of childhood obesity and its long term consequences.”

Triathlete Bella Bayliss is supporting the promotion

Gatorade rewards schools in promotion ISOTONIC sports drink Gatorade has launched a promotion that will benefit schools, universities and sports clubs. ‘Gatorade Gives Back’ will run throughout 2010, giving Gatorade athletes the opportunity to redeem over a £1,000,000 in rewards including top sports equipment, music downloads, money can’t buy experiences and sporting holidays. Adam Draper, Gatorade brand manager said; “We are delighted to have the opportunity to put something back into sport and reward athletes at all levels with the programme. We hope to get as many people involved as possible and I hope that schools, clubs and athletes will take advantage of the fantastic rewards that are available.” To get involved, individuals will need to collect codes from each bottle of Gatorade that corresponds to a nominal points value. Codes can then be banked online and via text and used to cash in on a wide range of sports-related rewards.

Spo for rt all www.aresson.co.uk

info@aresson.co.uk

0845 367 0406

14&15 Powerhouse

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16 news

Doncaster children offered free help to lose weight HUNDREDS of children as young as four are being offered free places at clubs to help them lose weight. NHS Doncaster has invested £500,000 in the scheme, after government figures revealed that almost one in four of the town’s reception children are overweight or obese. The clubs, which are being run by Carnegie Weight Management, will encourage children to eat well and exercise regularly with three and a half hour sessions every Saturday for 12 weeks. The initiative is part of a three-year plan, funded by NHS Doncaster, to tackle obesity by reaching out to 500 adults and 200 young people in the area. The sessions are divided into two age groups, four to ten year olds and 11 to 17 year olds, and the families that attend will be able to take part in sports and games and learn

how to make healthy food choices. After completing the course, they will also receive extra support to take part in sports and activities locally. Professor Paul Gately, director of Carnegie Weight Management, said: “We are delighted to launch the new Carnegie Clubs programme in Doncaster for children aged four to ten to compliment the existing successful programme for 11 to 17 year olds. This new service enables families to make changes earlier on in their child's life in a supportive and fun environment, enabling a fitter, healthier future for the whole family.” Families that have received referrals from health practitioners as well as self referrals are being encouraged and the doctors of the children taking part are being contacted by session organisers so they can confirm their eligibility.

Grant boost for Crawley athletes THE GLL Sport Foundation has announced that training grants are now available for young athletes in the Crawley area. The organisation will be providing financial support and free access to sports facilities to reduce the financial burden of training and competition on talented young sports people. Grants of up to £1,750 per successful application will be available to help the athletes achieve their sport-

ing ambitions. All successful applicants will be given free access to local Freedom Leisure Centres for 12 months and others will also be given cash grants to assist with specific training need including equipment, travel and accommodation. Sally Gunnell, Foundation patron, said: “I know how essential this kind of support can be to the realisation of sporting ambitions.”

Denise advises school’s elite young athletes OLYMPIC gold medallist Denise Lewis has visited a Middlesex school where a house group has been named in her honour. The Youth Sport Trust School Sport Ambassador attended an assembly at Harefield Academy to speak about her career and passion for sport. She told the school’s elite young athletes about the challenges of her own sporting journey and reminded them that perseverance is an important quality when encountering difficulties. The Academy operates an Elite Sports Programme alongside development and grassroots squad and aims to provide young athletes with the flexibility needed for them to achieve in their training and competition programme as well as their education. Denise said: “The sporting journey for many Olympians begins at school and it is a crucial time for any young athlete’s development as they learn to balance

Denise Lewis training and competition with the other pressures associated with teenage life. “I faced many challenges during my sporting career and the support of others was vital in helping me realise my dream. I am pleased to see young people at The Harefield Academy succeeding in an environment that strives to bring out the best in them, whatever their goals are.”

Support for ‘Activities Access’ THE West Sussex County Council’s Children’s Fund ‘Activities Access’ voucher scheme is now being supported by Freedom Leisure. The funded project is specifically designed to help improve the lives of vulnerable children aged between five and 16 years and Freedom Leisure sites will now be offering them activities including swimming, trampolining, holiday clubs, day camps and children’s fitness classes. Children chosen to participate in the scheme receive £50 worth of

vouchers each school term and £75 during the summer term which can be redeemed for free or reduced price access to a range of activities across the county. Simon Adby of Freedom Leisure, said: “We’re really pleased to be part of the Access Activities Voucher Scheme. “We’re always keen to help children become more active and this is a great way to involve those that may otherwise not have regular access to leisure facilities.”

A new sport and activity centre for children has been opened at David Lloyd Raynes Park. A launch event transformed the club into a circus and local families attended to try out a range of new fitness activities including the new kids bowling alley. Other taster sessions included mini soccer and mini dance, gymnastics,active sessions and

a family disco. The club will also be running a DLKids children’s programme which offers activities for families with children aged under 11. Charles Jude, general manager, said; “We hope the new facilities will help families make the right start to the year, by getting active and having fun together in a safe and modern environment.”

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Dancers performing at last year’s Young Moves event

Best foot forward for young dancers YOUNG people from across the North East are getting ready to stage a dance festival, showcasing their choreography talents. ‘Youth Moves’, set to take place at the Sage, Gateshead, is a dance platform where performances in different styles will be completed by talented pupils from schools, colleges, private dance schools and youth groups. The performers will be aged from 11 to 24 and as well as choreographing the dance sets themselves, they are also creating their own costume designs. The themes for the show include slavery, metamorphoses, the Haka, a Billy Elliot solo, urban street dance and hip hop, plus contemporary and musical theatre. The event will also include two

dances which have been selected for the National Youth Dance Festival in Birmingham, which is set to take place in July. ‘Youth Moves’ has been organised by the Newcastle School Sport Partnership and the North East Youth Dance Network and is being promoted by U.Dance, a national organisation which aims to stimulate dance performances across England. Karin Smurthwaite, NSSP school sport coordinator, said: “Youth Moves takes the performance and audience one step further in that the performers come from across the NE and not just the City of Newcastle. “This is the first regional dance platform – a chance for everyone to get together and see what everyone

is doing as well as a chance to network. There are plenty of opportunities in sport for regional competitions and the ‘Youth Moves’ dance platform is the dance equivalent and will show off the finest dancers in the North East. “On the same day we are also holding our Annual Dance Festival,

‘Dancin’ at the Sage’, which last year attracted over 600 performers, aged five to 18, from Newcastle schools. “I often prefer watching youth dancers to watching many professional companies – there is so much creativity and raw talent on show.”

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18 dance

Award helps parents choose safe, good quality training DANCE is becoming an increasingly popular activity for young people in the UK and thousands of schools and academies have opened up to provide classes and training. Recent Arts Council England figures have revealed that the number of school pupils choosing to take part has risen by 83 per cent in the past four years and that a third of those taking part are boys. In response to this interest, the Council for Dance Education and Training has been looking into how the parents of young people can ensure that their children are receiving quality teaching in a professional and safe environment. The CDET is the national standards body of the professional dance industry and has previously been involved in the accreditation of professional training programmes in vocational dance and musical theatre schools. It has now launched the ‘Recognised Schools Mark’ – which is set to become a national benchmark of dance training. The award has been developed in association with Dancing Times and The Stage, and is designed to

help parents choose safe, good quality dance training for their children. The RS Mark will ensure that young people receive lessons from qualified teachers and staff who have been properly vetted through the Criminal Records Bureau enhanced disclosure procedure, that classes take place in environments which meet Health and Safety standards and that the school has insurance to cover pupils in case of accidents. Sean Williams, director of CDET said: “A school holding the RS mark will offer much more assurance as to the quality of its service than one without it and we shall be actively encouraging students, parents and carers to ask at the time of enrollment if a school holds the mark and if not, why not. “RS is the first stage in the devel-

Picture: Brian Slater opment of a national standard upon which students can rely and to which all pre-vocational dance and musical theatre schools can aspire.” The award can be achieved by

meeting the nine basic requirements set out by The Council for Dance Education and Training, completing a short application process, and paying an annual fee.

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dance 19

‘I Love to Dance’ campaign aimed at young people By Louise Cordell AN interactive campaign to get young people around the country celebrating dance has been launched by Youth Dance England. The national organisation has started up a social networking campaign called ‘I Love To Dance’ to boost children’s participation in different types of dance activities, and aims to turn 14 February each year into an ‘I Love To Dance’ day. The scheme is being driven through social networking site, Facebook, and has kicked off with a viral teaser that features leading figures from the dance world including Youth Dance England patrons Arlene Phillips, Carlos Acosta and Kymberlee Jay, alongside a diverse group of young people. Linda Jasper, YDE director, said: “We want ‘I Love to Dance’ to be a very organic campaign by putting it firmly in the hands of young people so they can create their own dance activity, large or small, wherever they want, and using any dance style they want. “We don’t want to preach to young people, we want to empower them.” The viral aims to spread the campaign message with a call to get chil-

dren active and involved in dance. Young people are being encouraged to promote their own dance activity or event on the ‘I Love To Dance’ Facebook fan page and upload films of their dance activity with a message about why they love to dance. All the films will automatically be entered into a competition, and five winners will be selected by a panel of YDE National Young Dance Ambassadors. As part of the campaign, YDE will also be creating its own big dance event to take place somewhere in London, with the full details to be announced to fans on the Facebook page. Richard Alston, YDE chair and choreographer, said: “I always did love to dance, right from a very young age, and continue to be inspired by seeing the benefits that dance can bring to young people – a greater sense of purpose, wellbeing and confidence, these are just some of the endless positives dance can help to develop.” Youth Dance England is collaborating with organisations including Dance UK and Dance Champions on the campaign.

Pupils given dance mats PRIMARY school pupils in Gainsborough are being given dance mats to help them get active. The area’s Extended School Services has teamed up with FitnessGaming to help provide the children with engaging and exciting PE lessons. Amber Treece of the Gainsborough ESS, said: “We introduced the dance mats to engage those pupils who do not currently enjoy other physical activities. In order to engage our young people in Gainsborough and get them to join in with after school clubs, we needed a physical activity that would appeal to their out-ofschool interests. “This type of activity is perfect

because it crosses all ages and genders so all pupils can play against each other regardless of their abilities. “This way, they get fit and healthy without even thinking about it.” Duncan Black, director at FitnessGaming, said: “A key part of involving all young people in sport and PE is engaging with those who do not currently want to take part in traditional physical activities, such as cross-country, hockey or netball. “Sport needs to move with the times and embrace activities that are more suited to today’s youth, making sport and fitness something they enjoy and not something to be avoided.”

Guide to teaching dance PLAN and deliver a high-quality dance experience with this musthave, user-friendly resource. Filled with comprehensive schemes of work and tried and tested units written for Key Stage 3, A Practical Guide to Teaching Dance will complement your physical education armoury of skills. It will help you recognise the features of good practice in dance teaching and will give you the confidence to deliver high-quality dance classes. The supporting DVD contains: Filmed phases of movement to observe and learn from. Teacher prompts and pupil worksheets. Suggestions for music to accompany your lesson. Useful references and contacts for

further inspiration. Endorsed by the National Dance Teachers Association (NDTA), this resource will ensure you challenge your pupils, and that their learning is progressive and most importantly, enjoyable. Orders can be placed online at www.1st4sport.com, by phone on 0113-201 5555 or by faxing an official purchase order to 0113-231 9606.

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20 dance

Chester school expands its dance facilities THE Hammond School in Chester is expanding its dance facilities thanks to a new installation from the Ballet Barre Company. The school’s four studios feature mirrored walls, double ballet barres and floor-mounted barres in front of floor to ceiling windowed walls. Customised ballet barre floor plates were designed and manufactured to fit between existing underfloor heating pipes and top quality materials were used to ensure the studios could withstand the rigorous demands of

regular dance classes. The company also offers a curtain installation to cover the mirrors when not in use, and this is particularly useful in multi purpose areas where exams or lectures take place and the unwanted distraction of mirrors can be eliminated. The ActiSprung Dance Floor System combines performance and safety to create a permanently installed, fully floating dance floor – providing a uniform level of 'spring' and shock absorption making it ideally suited for all styles of dance.

The product of choice ... WHERE highly technical and specialist dance, sport and exercise floors are needed, Junckers prefinished solid hardwood flooring systems are the product of choice. Their silk matt lacquered Beech Harmony flooring has been used for nine series of the hit US tv show ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and, here in the UK, Junckers floors are frequently specified in premier dance venues. At London’s Central School of Speech and Drama, their Beech SylvaSport Club floors were chosen for nine separate studios and at The Place, the pioneering centre for contemporary dance in London’s Euston, the studios (shown) were fitted with Beech SylvaSport Premium flooring on the Junckers New Era UnoBat cra-

dle system which provides easy leveling support to the highest levels of shock absorption and resilience, all of which respond beautifully to the dancers’ every step. Without a doubt, the dance world has voted with its feet for Junckers high-performance floors. For more information visit: www.junckers.co.uk or call: 01376 534700.

£75k equipment installed PUPILS throughout Hampshire are being given the opportunity to use the latest interactive fitness technology thanks to Sport Unlimited funding. Partnership Development Managers from four School Sports Partnerships - Basingstoke and Deane, Fareham, Toynbee and Southampton – have invested in a range of interactive fitness equipment from ZigZag worth more than £75,000. Five schools and two colleges within the Basingstoke and Deane partnership will share one of the two dance mat systems, while the area’s local leisure centre, the Aquadrome, benefits from the other set.

The school set is used for some curriculum work, but mainly lunch time and after school sessions to generate interest. The students are then signposted to the mats at The Aquadrome, where dance teachers run sessions in the evenings and at weekends. As an added incentive, students will be given free membership for the whole of the leisure centre when they take part in more than eight dance mat classes. As part of the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People, the mats will also be used in the community and with local primary schools.

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Diversity steps up to get kids dancing By Dominic Musgrave BRITAIN’S Got Talent winners Diversity are joining forces with the Department of Health to launch a Government campaign to get kids dancing for a healthier future. The ‘Let’s Dance with Change4Life’ campaign will see children from around the country getting involved in free taster dance classes in various styles from hip hop to ball room. Kids will also have the chance to

win a dance workshop with Diversity as part of the first ever national ‘Weekend of Dance’ in March, sponsored by the Fitness Industry Association. Five to 12 year olds are being asked to recreate one of three dance routines choreographed by the street dance group and film and upload their performance to enter. Perry, 13-year-old Diversity member, said: “I absolutely love to dance. I think it is a really fun way

to keep active and has helped me make lots of friends. ‘Let’s Dance with Change4Life’ is a really great way for kids to have a go at some of our moves.” Diversity will choose their favourite entry who will join them for an exclusive dance workshop and win tickets to their tour. Tickets and merchandise are also up for grabs for runners up and the best videos will be showcased on the Change4Life YouTube channel,

www.youtube.com/letsdance. Gillian Merron, Public Health Minister, said: “Dancing is one of the most enjoyable ways for families to get active and stay healthy. “It’s great that the ‘Let’s Dance with Change4Life’ campaign has teamed up with Diversity to find their favourite Change4Life dancer and that every family will get the chance to try a new type of dance during our free weekend of dance in March.”

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Schools must use quality music to capture pupils’ imaginations By Louise Cordell The growing interest in street dance has led to increased popularity in dance workshops

Delivering contemporary street dance and fun WEEKEND dance workshops from PGL are becoming increasingly popular as interest in street dance grows. The workshops aim to deliver contemporary street dance in a fun atmosphere, led by professional, specialist instructors. They are also especially motivational for students who have been less interested in more traditional forms of PE and physical exercise. Students start by learning

basic steps and then practice various styles to build up short routines. They then go on to develop more complex routines and the workshop culminates in a performance. The courses are run at PGL’s outdoor education centres, meaning that alongside the dance workshops, pupils have the chance to try out other physical activities including zip wires, high ropes, climbing and abseiling.

THE Sound Moves Music Company is now in its tenth year of delivering music resources for dance and drama in education. Andrew Kristy, composer and musical director, was nominated for British Education Composer of the Year 2009 for his work on a Lottery and Arts Council funded project called ‘Wrosne’. The 18-month project involved 60 ‘at risk’ young people from Dudley dancing and acting in the limestone caverns beneath the Black Country in the West Midlands. Andrew composed all the music for the show, using ideas from the participants, a local youth choir, pro orchestra and technology. To date he has composed 28 CDs of widely contrasting music for all types of dance, from Indian to hip-hop to jazz and classical, for young children through to those

taking A-levels. Andrew said: “Young people have such a diverse and high quality diet of music these days. “You only have to listen to the soundtrack of a Disney or Pixar movie to realise that children listen to music of the highest quality and diversity, often fusing or juxtaposing music styles in complicated but immensely entertaining ways to match the filmic action. “Why then should we dumb down the music used for movement classes in school? “To engage boys especially, we need to give them quality music which captures their imaginations and engages their physicality. “To get the best out of teacher and pupil, the resources should be easy for to use; be inspirational for both teacher and pupil alike; be musically well-structured, but not be patronisingly simple.”

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news 23 Sheffield University students keep their beer bellies at bay at onsite gym S10, which is also open to the community. Mary Ferguson found out how the club balances business with integrity – inspiring other universities along the way.

Students working out

Making money is still a weighty issue for S10 AS health and fitness development manager, it’s Nick Wilson’s job to make sure S10 makes money alongside promoting healthy student lifestyles. Of its 6,000 members 85 per cent are students but Nick said they need to make sure they cater for everybody. “It’s always a dilemma for us that we want to be open to everyone but we are primarily a student facility, even though we operate as a business in our own right. So every bit of membership we get, whoever it comes from, is as important to us and it would be to any commercial club. The balancing act between student and public members can be a challenge though.” An off peak membership for a student costs £160 a year or £240 peak, and as the academic year goes on, special offers are introduced. Towards the summer, monthly membership is offered for £28 and members of the public pay £37 a month, with only peak membership available. “The gym was redeveloped nine

years ago and we became one of the first universities to go down the commercial route. It was a huge change and we got a lot of stick from the uni paper for raising prices but it turned out to be a big success and we proved that students are prepared to pay for quality. And once other universities saw it could be done, they followed suit.” Most of the equipment is set up in rows facing big TV screens and Nick said they have deliberately kept things simple because people like to come in, work out and leave, without any fuss. A spinning area sits in the middle of the gym floor and there is a large free weights area at one end, which is hugely popular. There is a beauty therapist and physio onsite, and a 33m swimming pool with sauna and steam room, replacing a diving area that had to be taken out due to new safety regulations. Posters on the gym wall advise people on where to go for help if they are addicted to exercise or

A member of staff gives a student some encouragement does regular training with the gym think they may have an eating disstaff on the signs to look out for order. and how to approach people who “We wanted to make people may have a problem. We feel as a aware of these issues as they are university facility that we have a most common in the 18-24 age duty of care that goes beyond just group. Every couple of months we making sure people are safe on the put up a big display and the univerpremises.” sity eating disorders programme

Quiet summer days but hectic Septembers for Nick and his team

Nick Wilson

NICK said one of the difficulties of running a university gym is the disparity between busy and quiet times. “At the start of the academic year we are absolutely packed but then we get vacation periods when things are dead. “During the summer it’s very quiet and we can concentrate on non-student members, but between the end of September and beginning of November we induct around 2,000 people and that’s a massive challenge, even though we try and condense them into group inductions. It’s back to back and the staff really earn their wages during those six weeks.” Because of the volume of inductions that have to be done, one of each machine is

kept in a separate area dedicated to the purpose. Although they don’t measure it, Nick said the gym likes to think most members stay throughout their academic study, but every three years they lose a big chunk upon graduation. And Nick said a big problem they face is that many people in the community don’t know that it is open to them as well as students. He added: “You also get those people that don’t want to train alongside students because they have preconceived ideas, but I always try and get them down, show them the facilities, and prove there’s no need to feel intimidated.”

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24 news

Pupils sign up for lessons with kickbox champ By Louise Cordell

Pictured, from left, Jonathan Edwards, Joe Smith – StreetGames’ millionth attendee and Andy Reed MP for Loughborough

Jonathan’s praise for national sports charity OLYMPIC triple jump gold medallist Jonathan Edwards has praised national charity StreetGames for its contribution to grassroots sports development. In just three years the charity has established a network of over 100 sport projects which have generated over a million attendances by young people living in disadvantaged communities. Jonathan, who is an official ambassador for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, presented a

certificate and medal to the charity’s millionth attendee at an official celebration held at the House of Commons. He said: “What StreetGames has achieved in three years is incredible. “Sport is notoriously difficult to access in areas of significant deprivation and StreetGames combats these obstacles by taking sport to the doorsteps of those young people who need it most and delivering it in a way which appeals – it clearly works!”

A GROUP of school pupils from Aldershot are getting ready to start a life-changing kickboxing scholarship scheme. A £5,000 grant from Rushmoor Schools Plus has allowed 30 young people to sign up for lessons with World Kickboxing champion, Paul Bernard, which will aim to teach them discipline, focus and respect. All the students will take place in sessions at the Precision Martial Arts Academy across six weeks, when the most promising will be selected for scholarships to train for their black belts. Rushmoor Schools Plus is a partnership between local schools and organisations which works to improve the opportunities of children and families in the area. Master Bernard said: “This funding allows us to extend our black belt scholarship scheme to help more children in the area. “Lads who started the scholarship six months ago have come along in leaps and bounds and the change in their attitude to life, the discipline

and respect they show at home, school and to fellow students at the academy has been amazing.” Last autumn, Ross Clynes, Aiden Nisbet and Paul Linsell successfully completed the six week induction at to win scholarships to continue training for their black belts. Following the course, family, friends and youth workers reported positive changes in all three boys at home and school and confirmed that they had gained confidence, discipline, respect and had improved in controlling their anger at home and in school. Liane Brazier, case worker from Rushmoor Youth Inclusion and Support Panel, said: “We were so impressed by how effective Precision’s scholarship scheme was for the last three boys that took part that we were keen to keep it going. “We are delighted Rushmoor Schools Plus has come forward with the funding for the project. “Some of the 30 children training with Master Bernard are from YISP and the rest are youngsters from the region who we believe would benefit from martial arts.”

Master class invitation to teachers PE and sports teachers are being invited as VIP guests to a master class by a well-known UK fitness company. Boxercise, the company behind the workout of the same name, are inviting professionals connected with PE and school sports to attend a one-day master class event to be held at Brunel University. The invite will give teachers the chance to witness the workout first hand and speak to instructors about the benefits available for young people. Andy Wake, Boxercise founder, said: “Boxercise was designed as a way of

developing the key skills used in boxing without the full contact. “It’s been well documented that boxing encourages discipline and concentration as well as the obvious benefits to health and fitness. “Many PE teachers have already found this to be extremely beneficial, so we want to offer more of them the chance to see Boxercise in action.” A similar event last year saw over 200 instructors from around the UK participate, with more expected this year and invites are available free of charge to PDMs, SSCOs, PE teachers and other related professionals.

Chill factor sparks new activities INSPIRED by the coldest winter for 30 years and the forthcoming Winter Olympics, Durham City School Sport Partnership has come up with a new way to keep pupils fit. It has come up with a Schools Winter Olympics Challenge with the help of Durham Winter Ice Rink and is introducing the kids to a host of new skills. Pupils from first Bearpark Primary School – the first school to get involved – have already taken part in six activities, including sliding curling stones, speed skating, ice hockey dribbling, shooting penalties with a puck, gliding and a snowball relay. Paul Donaghy, School Sport Coordinator for Durham City, said: “A colleague of ours, Emily Sarsfield is actually competing in Vancouver in the Ski Cross downhill event and we wanted to promote a bit of interest in

the Winter Olympics as well as giving pupils the opportunity to try out a new sport. “Pupils of all ages can come and try out the challenges and we are hoping to have an Ice Festival day in March when some of the British National Curling team are coming to visit and do some coaching.” Every challenge is scored and each school’s results will be entered onto the Partnership’s website, allowing pupils to compare their performances to others in the area, on a regularly updated leader board. Carol Armston, Bearpark Primary School’s PE coordinator, said: “None of the pupils had been on the ice before so as well as learning to skate they have set the standard for the Olympic Challenges. We are hoping to come down again and see if we can improve on our scores.”

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Elite coaching ‘chosen twelve’ are unveiled UK SPORT has announced the 12 emerging high-performance coaches who will form the first intake of their new Elite Coaching Apprenticeship Programme. Following the success of UK Sport’s Fasttrack Practitioner Programme and Elite Coach, the two-year accelerated Apprenticeship Programme will build on the knowledge and experience gained so far. It provides a bespoke development pathway towards coaching excellence for each participant, based on the needs of each coach and their sport. The 12 apprentices will benefit from ‘on the job’ training by working alongside a ‘Master Coach’ from within their sport while also having access to a mentor. This will be complemented by a workshop programme, delivered by experts in coaching, non-technical coaching skills, sport science and sports medicine. Peter Keen, UK Sport’s director of performance, said: “It would be difficult to overstate the pivotal role that coaching plays in determining success in elite sport. “From instructing simple movement technique through to sharing complex insights from the Olympic and Paralympic Games, coaches hold the key to the transfer and

development of knowledge and practice in sport. “We wish these inaugural Apprentices every success and look forward to seeing them develop both while on the Programme and into the future.” Elite Coach has accelerated the development of over 30 established high performance coaches since it began in 2004. However, the new Elite Coaching Apprenticeship Programme is geared towards coaches emerging on the world-class landscape, with the longer-term future of the British elite system, and specifically coach development, in mind. David Faulkner, performance director of GB Hockey, has seen several of his coaches benefit from Elite Coach and another coach, Craig Parnham, will now take part in the Elite Coaching Apprenticeship Programme. He said: “The Elite Coach Apprenticeship Programme provides Olympic sports with the opportunity to support and develop those coaches identified within their sports who have the potential to lead their Olympic programmes. Exposure to and working with coaches from other sports will ensure sharing of best practice and ultimately push up the performance bar.”

Local children at The Lawn play area

Getting fit in the park YOUNG people in Lincoln have been getting fit in the city’s park thanks to the installation of a new i.play unit. Kids and their families have clocked up 35,000 games on the Playdale equipment, which combines traditional physical activity with technology, since it was installed in the Lawn play area in October 2008. The council has released the results following new government research which revealed that more than one in five children in the UK are starting school overweight, with the figure stretching to almost a third of pupils in year six

classes. Antony Angus, team leader for recreation services at Lincoln Council, said: “The total of 35,000 games, some of which will be multi-player, has far exceeded our expectations. “Even more important is the excellent feedback we continue to get from families and young people using the equipment. “Many people and families have informed us that they purposely go to The Lawn to use the i.play. As well as encouraging physical activity, it is great fun and accessible for all ages and abilities, including wheelchair users.”

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26 news

2010 product book launched

Big Sports Day 2010 THE Big Sports Day 2010 has been launched by Macmillan Cancer Support. The event aims to give school pupils from around the country the chance to take part in fun, sporting activities while raising funds to help people living with cancer. The charity is asking schools to hold their sports days as usual, or set aside a separate lunchtime and incorporate a fund-raising challenge. Pupils can take part in a sponsored star-jump race in an attempt to break the world record of 51 jumps in one minute or try out one of a range of other challenges suggested on the charity’s website.

WICKSTEED Playscapes has launched its 2010 Product Book, covering playscape design from landscape-led play concepts and case studies to a showcase of fitness and agility product ranges for children. Wicksteed has designed and developed an extensive range of gym equipment to be used and enjoyed outdoors. The individual units provide a variety of different ways to stretch, tone and strengthen the muscles whilst also keeping the heart and lungs active. To keep youngsters active outdoors, Wicksteed’s Multi-Use Games Areas aim to provide plenty of opportunity

for football, netball, hockey, cricket and basketball to be competitively played in schools and public areas. The Fun ‘n’ Fitness range is designed to encourage physical development in a fun and challenging way with timber high and low level trails for kids to traverse. The new Rockscapes range is made up of realistic stone mountain faces to challenge aspiring climbers. Particularly popular in schools is the Fantasy Funrun which provides a modular fitness trail for all ages, promoting fitness and active play across a wide ability range.

Motiv8 responds to competition request A NEW inter-school Sports Competition Programme has been launched by Motive8 at Marshgate Primary School in Richmond. The scheme was introduced following requests from primary schools to increase the number of opportunities for young people to take part in competitive sport. The first event involved 72 young people from eight teams representing five different schools: Marshgate, Kew Riverside, St. Mary’s Juniors, Sheen Mount and

Collis. Young Leaders from Marshgate School, who were trained by Motive8 coaches in 2008/2009 as part of the Sports Leaders UK accredited course, also helped with the organisation of the event. The Sports Competition Programme will

include a different sporting discipline each half term, including football, tag rugby, gymnastics, cheerleading, basketball, tennis and athletics. The competition year will culminate with a Festival of Sport at the end of the summer term.

Club La Santa in Lanzarote aims to make fitness fun for kids and families. The resort has more than 25 different sports available on site from windsurfing and cycling to football and dance. It also offers good quality coaching, catering fro all levels from beginners to experts in every sport. There is a daily playtime group for the very young, from three years old, and older children are able to take part in special classes and group instruction to learn new skills like badminton, tennis and swimming.

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27 365 directory 23 Training & Qualifications Training Equipment YMCA FIT 111 Great Russell St London WC1B 3NP T: 0207 343 1855 W: www.ymcafit.org.uk E: info@ymcafit.org.uk Central YMCA Qualifications 111 Great Russell St London WC1B 3NP T: 0207 343 1800 W: www.cyq.org.uk E: info@cyq.org.uk Jump Rope Uk Ltd 16 Riverside Park Wimborne Dorset BH21 1QU tel: 01202 840590 fax: 01202 840577 jumpropes@ntjr.co.uk www.ntjr.co.uk National Extension College The Michael Young Centre Purbeck Road Cambridge CB2 8HN T: 0800 389 2839 W: www.nec.ac.uk E: info@nec.ac.uk

Sports Facility Development Sports Solutions GB Suite One Copse Farm South Marston Park Swindon SN3 4UQ T: 01793 833456 W: www.sportssolutionsgb.co.uk E: chris.bevan@sportssolutionsgb.co.uk

Crazy Catch Wall Tree House Farm Steane Brackley NN13 5NS T: 01295 816765 W: www.flicx.com E: ricx@flicx.com

Interactive Equipment/ Dance Mats Pulse Dance Machine The Bromley Centre Bromley Rd Congleton Cheshire CW12 1PT T: 01260 294600 W: www.pulsefitness.com E: info@pulsefitness.com Cyber Coach Unit 1a Britannia Business Park Union Rd The Valley Bolton BL2 2HP T: 0845 869 2848 W: www.cyber-coach.co.uk E: info@cyber-coach.co.uk

Fitness Equipment Pulse Fitness The Bromley Centre Bromley Rd Congleton Cheshire CW12 1PT T: 01260 294600 W: www.pulsefitness.com E: info@pulsefitness.com SportsArt Fitness 2 Dean Court Unit 10 Shuttleworth Mead Bus Park Padiham Lancs BB12 7NG T: 01282 779234 W: www.sportsartfitness.com E: mark.turner@sportsartfitness.com

British Colleges Sport 2/3 North Street Workshops North St Stoke-Sub-Hamdon Somerset TA14 6QR T: 01935 823444 W: www.britishcollegessport.org E: kate.paul@britishcollegessport.org

Hexa Sports Ltd New Bond Street Birmingham B9 4EJ tel: 0121 7720724 sales@hexasports.co.uk www.hexasports.co.uk

Design & Build

Climbing Walls

Pulse Select The Bromley Centre Bromley Rd Congleton Cheshire CW12 1PT T: 01260 294600 W: www.pulsefitness.com E: info@pulsefitness.com

Football Facility Build Goals Soccer Centres plc Orbital House Peel Park East Kilbride G74 5PR T: 01355 234800 W: www.goalsfootball.co.uk E: keithm@goalsfootball.co.uk Pulse Soccer Centres The Bromley Centre Bromley Rd Congleton Cheshire CW12 1PT T: 01260 294600 W: www.pulsefitness.com E: info@pulsefitness.com

Freedom Climber Cherry Cottage Guildford Rd Cranleigh Surrey GU6 8LS T: 07554 016220 W: www.revolutionaryproducts.co.uk E: andrew@revolutionaryproducts.co.uk Entre Prises Eden Works Colne Rd Kelbrook Lancs BB18 6SH T: 01282 444800 W: www.ep-uk.com E: info@ep-uk.

Audio Equipment

Professional Associations Association for Physical Education Building 25 London Road Reading Berkshire RG1 5AQ T: 0118 378 2440 W: www.afpe.org.uk E: enquiries@afpe.org.uk

Sound Dynamics 51 Bridge St Belper Derbyshire DE56 1AY T: 01773 828486 F: 01773 828475 W: www.sound-dynamics.co.uk E: support@sound-dynamics.co.uk

Sports Clothing Kitking 9, Upper George Street Leicester, LE1 3LP 0116 262 7332 E: sales@kitking.co.ukst rskitking@aol.com

If you would like to advertise in this directory please contact James on 01226 734 672

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