Amazing Athletes' Offers Sports Options for PreschoolersNews Articles & Ads
By Kate Robertson
Stepping up to the plate, he focuses on the baseball, then swings. The ball soars to the back fence, and Mason Valliere, age 4, runs the bases. The boy's power hit is just one of many athletic feats made possible by Amazing Athletes, a program for children ages 2-6 that teaches nine sports and healthy exercise habits. "It helps kids get introduced to sports early and teaches teamwork and hand/eye coordination," local Amazing Athletes instructor Michael Amberg told the Reporter. Children learn the basics of basketball, soccer, football, golf, baseball, volleyball, lacrosse and hockey. In a 35-minute class, Amberg covers warm-ups, two different sports and a game. "You keep them focused by keeping it upbeat and fast-paced," Amberg explained. "Their attention spans are short." Amazing Athlete's overall goal is to increase children's physical activity and decrease the obesity rate, which recent research indicates is rising in Oklahoma. In 2008, Oklahoma was ranked 8th highest in adult obesity, and in 2009, Oklahoma ascended to 6th in the country. According to the study, almost 30 percent of Oklahoma's children are overweight or obese. "Developing good exercise habits early increases their chances of continuing them," Amberg said. Nine sports might seem a little overboard for toddlers, but the sports are simplified to capture just their essential ideas. "He doesn't just teach them hockey," Elaine Valliere, mother of Amazing Athlete student Mason, said. "He tells them the different parts of the hockey stick." During the lesson, the children learn to identify their biceps, triceps and other muscles, as well. "Mason was doing sit-ups, and I asked him what he was doing," Valliere remembers. "He said, 'Stretching my abdominals." Children often end the program with an . interest in a particular sport. "Parents don't have to just put their kid in a sport," Amberg said. "They will have an idea of what their kid enjoys." Diana Clay, mother of Amazing Athlete Riley, said her daughter is already more active at home. "My 3-year-old was playing basketball, and she started defending. She actually knows what to do," Clay said. With some schools eliminating or reducing the size of their physical education programs, some local private schools are inviting Amazing Athletes to take their place. In Owasso, Amazing Athletes is offered at Cross Timbers Preschool and Kids Club House and Academy. "The kids have to be enrolled in the schools," Amberg said, "except [the] Jenks community, [which] has a program." And Amberg is hoping to be a part of the Owasso public school system, as well. The class is offered once a week for $40 a month with a $15 annual registration fee. For more information about the program, log on to: www.amazingathletesinc. com. |
