The Western Australian Institute of Sport took its Go for 2 and 5 WAIS Community Development Program to the Gascoyne region in early June to promote the health benefits of a diet high in fruit and vegetables and regular physical activity.
WAIS scholarship holders and 2008 Beijing Olympians Tina Tanrikulu (nee Morgan) and Tanya Bailey toured schools and clubs through Exmouth and Carnarvon as ambassadors for the Healthway supported program.
After an early morning flight on Monday 8 June, Taekwondo athlete Tanrikulu and BMX competitor Bailey headed straight to Exmouth Primary school to visit the year 4-7 classes and kick start the week long tour.
The students at Exmouth PS were enthralled to meet two athletes who had competed at the Olympic Games which the vast majority had watched on television in 2008.
Tanrikulu – a world champion and third ranked competitor in the world – spoke of her involvement in Taekwondo and how important a healthy diet had been in helping her reach her goals in the sport.
Bailey – who was one of the first ever clutch of Australian’s to represent the sport of BMX at an Olympics – talked of growing up in regional Western Australia (Karratha) and her dream of competing in the world’s elite sporting event.
The students were keen to ask questions following the presentation, ranging from why the girls choose their sports, to how much training they do and what the most cherished memories were from Beijing.
Tanrikulu and Bailey then put the theory into practice by leading the students in some fun fruit and vegetable themed activities which included fruit and veg tag and the popular mushroom and eggplant relay.
For both athletes the opportunity to be involved in such a positive program was a big incentive.
“The Go for 2 and 5 message is such an important theme,” said Tanrikulu. “The kids are so full of energy and it is really rewarding to be part of the fun.”
For Tanya, having grown up not far from the region she wasn’t surprised to see the students getting so heavily involved in the message.
“The kids are great. They ask so many questions and seem really keen to learn. Hopefully they’ll take away the message that eating healthily and finding regular physical activity doesn’t have to be a chore and that it can be good fun,” said Bailey.
Both athletes also appeared at the Exmouth skate and Recreation Park after school to engage in more activities and to share giveaways and autographs.
The Gascoyne visit moved on to Carnarvon afterwards, a town which is famous for its thriving fruit industry.
The tour took in visits at Carnarvon Primary School and Christian School and also went through East Carnarvon Primary School and St Mary Star of the Sea.
The WAIS girls proved just as popular in Carnarvon as they had in Exmouth with autographs again hot property in the school yard.
Tina Tanrikulu was the main attraction on Wednesday (10 June) evening during a visit to the Carnarvon Karate club. Tina spoke with the kids regarding some of the similarities and differences between Karate and Taekwondo before taking the class through a warm up and showing them several points scoring moves and counter attacks.
The Carnarvon skate and Recreation Park also held a special event for the Olympians arrival which included more giveaways with a DJ set up for music and interviews.
The week long visit saw more than 500 students receive the Go for 2 and 5 message and WAIS would like to thanks Tina Tanrikulu and Tanya Bailey for their outstanding efforts.
A special thank you to the Department of Sport and Recreation in the Gascoyne Region for all their help and assistance. In particular, Indigenous Liaison Officer Keno Phillips, who went out of his way to make the WAIS visit a massive success in Carnarvon.
