Race Makes Fitness A Goal

ROGERS — A challenge to family fitness levels and a chance to build student upper body strength are dual goals for a 5K race scheduled May 4 at Kirksey Middle School.

Students have a hard time with pushups, said Deb Walter, physical education teacher. More than half can’t do a proper pushup, and if they had to hold on for their lives, they would be in trouble, she said.

“These kids couldn’t hang on for five seconds if someone was trying to give them a rope or a hand,” Walter said.

School groups have raised money for about three years to build a climbing wall at the middle school. Four belay stations — which will allow students to rappel down the wall — and a 24-foot-long, 8-foot-tall bouldering section will cost an estimated $24,000 to purchase and install, Walter said. By clinging to the rock wall, they will learn to lift their body weight and have fun at the same time, Walter said.

“Kids hate to do pushups. And if you can’t do one, how will you ever practice (on the wall)?” she asked.

A student pledge drive and entry fees to the 1st Street 5K race should make the wall a reality for fall classes, she said.

Physical education teachers announced a schoolwide pledge contest Wednesday. Students who bring in a $20 pledge from family members will be invited to the P.E. Extraordinary Party at the end of the school year with a DJ and games. A pledge of $50 or more gets the student’s name or family business name permanently affixed above one of the handholds.

Students roared their approval for the homeroom prize of a limo trip to Mad Pizza.

Seventh-grader Edgar Rojo said he can run a six-minute mile and is enthusiastic for the school race. He will work hard to build up to the slightly more than three-mile race distance. Neither contest is strictly about winning, but he plans to work hard.

“It’s not about winning, it’s about having fun with your friends,” Edgar said.

Disc golf and trails are another way students can be fit with their family, said Marcus Alexander, physical education teacher. Changes in the area are bringing more outdoor activities to families, he said.

A trail running behind the school could open by the beginning of 2014, said Barney Hayes, parks director for Rogers. The School District granted the city right of way for the trail earlier this year, but the City Council will vote Tuesday on the purchase of remaining right of way for the two-mile trail, Hayes said.

The May 4 Kirksey event will have both a competitive 5K and a family fun run/walk that will accommodate strollers and dogs, Alexander said. Kirksey Middle School is a family, and the race event is an outreach to the community to inspire family fitness and positive lifestyle changes, he said.

Students who bring a $20 pledge can bring their entire family to the fun run, and the student who brings the most family members wins a prize.

Vendors set up in the school parking lot will be like a health fair, Walter said. The race will be the first of what teachers say they hope to make an annual event.

Being physically fit is part of training the whole child, said Principal Mel Ahart.

School data shows a direct correlation between a lack of physical fitness and students who struggle academically, she said.

School officials with a good program must consider how to make it better, she said, and a climbing wall will take students to the next level.

Eighth-grade students will use the belaying stations, while sixth and seventh will learn bouldering technique on the wall, Walter said. Students will build grip strength and upper body strength, she said. The school can add up to 40 feet of bouldering panels as they raise the money.

Seventh-grader John Amaya said he is excited about using the climbing wall.

“It’s good exercise,” he said.

Middle school sets healthy patterns and instill values that carry into adulthood, Walter said.

“We want our kids to be stronger, fitter and smarter,” Walter said.