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National fitness program tells kids: Get up, get active

A grant will help fund a 10-week national program to help low-income children exercise at Academy Prep.

By JON WILSON
Published October 16, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - A national fitness program targeting low-income children who might not otherwise exercise starts Tuesday at Academy Prep and is expected to begin later this fall at Gulf Beaches Elementary School.

Grant money worth $5,000 from the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Road Runners Foundation is fueling the 10-week effort, which may be expanded to include other schools, officials say.

Beach Charities, which owns the St. Pete Beach Classic footraces held in January, is running the program.

Academy Prep's Tampa campus and some other Tampa schools also are participating. Up to 1,000 youngsters eventually may take part.

"It's all about serving underserved elementary school students," said Wendy Johnson, president of the St. Pete Beach-based charities organization.

Schools with a high percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches have priority.

Pressure to prepare for statewide achievement tests can cause schools to neglect physical education, Johnson said.

"The reason the program appeals to (school officials and youth leaders) is that this is a really simple, simple program they can implement," she said.

Health experts nationwide are increasingly worried about childhood obesity. One in five American children is overweight, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The new exercise program's strategy is to get a youngster to run as little as 10 to 15 minutes three times a week. The ultimate goal is to make healthy living a habit.

"Screenbusting," said Mary Ann Renfrow, the running program director. She referred to television or computers, the attractive lures that often tempt youngsters into permanent inactivity.

The program, said Renfrow, is not meant to hone competitive athletes.

"It is for kids who have never run before and have never dabbled. We really are going to encourage the kids to come and give it a try, one foot in front of the other, just moving their bodies," Renfrow said.

Incentives like backpacks, water bottles, fancy shoelaces and T-shirts will help encourage children to stay with the program. They may get to participate in races such as the St. Pete Beach Classic.

The program originated with the New York Road Runners Foundation, which carries out the community service efforts of New York Road Runners, whose premier event is the annual ING New York City Marathon.

The foundation's New York City program serves about 7,000 youngsters, said Cliff Sperber, NYRRF director. Another program has started in San Francisco, where about 500 children participate.

Sperber and Johnson met at a Running USA conference in January. A series of e-mails and phone calls followed. Sperber said the Tampa Bay area was an easy choice as a program site.

"Wendy showed passion for the kids, and that enthused me," Sperber said.

The initial 10-week commitment can be renewed and the program expanded to other ties, he said.

"One of the real nice elements is its potential to attract sponsors. First off, it's a very low-cost program. The cost per child to motivate and support a child's running, it could be anywhere from 25 to 100 miles a year, it could be as little as $5 to $25," Sperber said.

[Last modified October 16, 2005, 01:32:18]