Sports Day in Deh Gah
School gets into the spirit of the national day with table tennis and Jump A Bunch
Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, December 5, 2013
DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
One sport and one activity were celebrated as Deh Gah School got into the spirit of Sports Day in Canada a little early.
A Jump A Bunch session was part of Deh Gah School's Sports Day in Canada celebration on Nov. 27. Raynna Bonnetrouge, left, and Shanita Landry try out pairs of Kangoo Jumps. - photo courtesy of Jim Snider
|
The school held its celebration of sports on Nov. 27, three days ahead of the national event. Table tennis and Jump A Bunch workouts were the focus of the day's events.
Through an initiative with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Amanda Grobbecker, a fitness instructor who owns the business Jump A Bunch in Yellowknife, spent the day at the school. Grobbecker introduced students in every grade to Kangoo Jumps, a rollerblade-type boot balanced on top of a compressible and elastic-powered oval base.
Instead of gym class, each grade spent half an hour to 45 minutes with Grobbecker doing different activities including an aerobics class while wearing the boots. Grobbecker also offered a session for adults in the evening.
"The kids got really engaged in it," said Patrick Kippax, the school's sport and physical literacy co-ordinator.
The boots reduce the impact of exercises on joints while also increasing cardio. After a session with Grobbecker, a number of students were so enthusiastic they wanted the school to purchase pairs of the boots, Kippax said.
"It's a good way to get kids active," he said.
A sport that is being promoted at the school was also highlighted during Sports Day in Canada.
Table tennis is growing in popularity at Deh Gah. On Nov. 22 and 25 Chandra Madhosingh, a representative from the B.C. Table Tennis Association, and Thorsten Gohl with the Canadian Table Tennis Association taught students the basics of the sport. The two instructors also led a workshop that weekend, which 11 people attended, about how to coach and umpire table tennis.
The school will be hosting the territory's Arctic Winter Games trials for table tennis in January and the goal is to encourage students to participate in the sport, and potentially try out for the games, said Jim Snider, the school's vice-principal.
Snider and teacher Jeremy Kielstra took a two-day table tennis coaching course in Vancouver in October.
In honor of sports day, a two-hour table tennis tournament was held in the school. Seven high school students battled through the round robin matches and into the finals, until Spencer Bonnetrouge emerged as the champion after beating Nathaniel Minoza.
A short session on table tennis was also offered to students in Grades 4 to 6 that afternoon.
