Following on from the success of the WAIS Community Development Program in 2008, WAIS athletes have been heading out to metropolitan primary schools recently in a bid to raise awareness of the importance of two fruit and five vegetables each and everyday.
Athletes such as 2008 Beijing Olympians Todd Skipworth and Natalie Bale, Australian representative kayaker Jesse Phillips, 2006 Commonwealth Games athlete Kim Mickle and West Coast Fever netball player Jasmine Keene have travelled as far north as Quinns Baptist College and as distant south as Warnbro’s Koorana Primary School to encourage children to find 30 minutes of exercise and pack their lunch boxes with nutritious fruits and vegetables.
The WAIS athletes talk through their sporting careers, present an audio visual package and engage the students in some fun fruit and veg themed physical activities, before answering questions and signing autographs.
Todd Skipworth – who was a member of Australia’s men’s lightweight four team in China – was thrilled to see the impact that the Healthway sponsored program was having in local communities.
“It’s just amazing to see how excited they are when you tell them about the Olympics,” Skipworth said. “I know how fortunate I have been, but to share that and explain how important diet and exercise has been to me is just very rewarding.”
The Western Australian Institute of Sport through its Healthway sponsored community development program aims to visit schools, sporting clubs and host tours of its facilities to promote a daily intake of two fruit and five vegetables, as well as finding 30 minutes of exercise everyday. If you would like for your primary school or sports club to be considered for a visit, please contact WAIS public relations officer Chris Abbott on 9387 8166.
