19 December 2008, 08/289
Skateboarding puts wheels in motion for
active
lifestyles
Youngsters from West Lancashire who shy away from traditional
sports had the chance to try out skateboarding to encourage them to
get active.
For the last few weeks West Lancashire District Council’s Sports
Development Team have been running a new project called ‘Sport
Unlimited’, which aims to get inactive youngsters involved in
leisure opportunities.
The initiative was aimed at 10 to 16 year olds from various
schools across the district and used skateboarding as a way of
getting the children interested in sporting activities.
Whilst it’s not the most common way to get fit, research within
schools shows that this is the type of activity that lots of young
people are interested in.
So as a trial, the Sports Development Team hired an instructor
for eight weeks to teach kids on the course about the techniques
and skills needed to take part in this type of extreme sporting
activity.
Children have been very enthusiastic about the project and have
really enjoyed the classes. As a result, the team are hoping to set
up a skateboarding club if enough people are interested.
Cllr Geoff Hammond, Portfolio Holder for Community Services,
said: "This has been a fantastic initiative and the young people
who have taken part have been extremely positive about the
benefits. Whilst it’s not the most traditional sport, it’s
something that youngsters are interested in and shows that there
are plenty of ways to stay active and healthy. Hopefully, we can
start up a permanent club as a result of this project."
The Sports Development Team provide sporting programmes for all.
Their main purpose is to involve people in sport from grass roots
through to performance level. If you are interested in the
skateboarding club or how they can help you call 01695 555570.
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