Preschoolers Get Moving with Amazing Athletes Sports and Fitness Program

News Article

Reporter-Herald/Christopher Stark

Holden Wierema, 5, of Loveland barrels his way through an Amazing Athletes activity on Thursday at Bright Horizons. Amazing Athletes franchise owner Kathy Jacobson, in background, travels around to schools and learning centers to motivate children. Also visible, from left, are Preston Sullivan, 4, Rylan Butts, 3, Jack Newberry, 3, Trey Carlson, 4, Braeden McDonald, 5, Brynne Kelly, 4, and Riley Simpson, 4. For more information Contact Kathy Jacobson at 214-6247 or go to amazingathletesinc.com, Colorado tab.

By Shelley Widhalm
Loveland Reporter-Herald
June 16, 2009

At first, 4-year-old Trey Carlson would ask every morning if it was Amazing Athletes day at his preschool.

Now, the Loveland boy is excited to show his parents what he learned during the sports and fitness program each Thursday.

“He absolutely loves it,” said Trey’s mother, Sharolyn Carlson, adding that Trey demonstrates the drills he learns. “He’s excited to share with us about it.”

Amazing Athletes is a national preschool sports and fitness program designed specifically for preschool-aged children ages 21/2 to 6.

That age group is underserved for athletic and fitness programs, said Kathy Jacobson, owner of an Amazing Athletes franchise in Loveland.

In February, Jacobson started the franchise, the first one in the state, she said. She currently serves Loveland and Fort Collins and plans to expand to Berthoud, Greeley and Longmont, she said.

“We all know how important exercise is,” Jacobson said, citing the health benefits and link to academic success. “The main thing is developing the habits at an early age.”

Jacobson offers the Amazing Athletes program at preschools, day care centers and elementary schools that lack a kindergarten physical education program, along with summer camps at preschools and through the city of Loveland. The program, which is limited to 12 students per session, is school-funded or provided on a fee basis as an optional enrichment program.

“We use small-size equipment and real kid-friendly terminology and techniques to teach the kids the fundamentals of each sport,” Jacobson said.

Jacobson, along with two part-time coaches, teaches nine different sports on a rotating basis, focusing each week on two of the sports in 35-minute sessions. For the summer camps, the sessions can be longer and for more days a week.

The sports include basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, baseball, golf, tennis, hockey and lacrosse.

“Going into the classes, the kids are so excited to see you. They run up and hug you,” said Amazing Athletes coach Briana Lasher.

The sessions begin with 10 minutes of warm-up and stretching, muscle toning, cardiovascular exercises and plyometrics, such as lunges and squats, Jacobson said. The two sports for the day are taught in 10-minute sessions, separated by two minutes of eye-hand coordination drills. The sessions conclude with a short game.

“It’s jampacked. That’s why they love it,” Jacobson said. “You really have to keep it moving. They have short attention spans.”