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11 November 2022

Teaching them young!

Monday 16 May 2022 | Written by CI News Staff | Published in Athletics, Sports

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Teaching them young!
Children aged four years to 14 years spent an hour of engaging activity to celebrate World Kids Athletics Day on Friday. Photo: ACI/22051502

About 30 Rarotonga children joined other 30,000 kids around the world to celebrate World Kids Athletics Day on Friday.

On Friday, May 13th as part of the World Kids Athletics day held globally, Athletics Cook Islands ran a fun, interactive and inclusive six station circuit highlighting progressive activities towards achieving skills used in the adult events as seen at the Olympics.

Athletics Cook Islands secretary/development Ruth Tangiiau Mave said instead of discus, kids used the same arm action of the discus throw using small rings or hoops which they tried to throw into the buckets or over the road cones. 

This activity focused more on accuracy than power, Mave said.

For javelin, a flying vortex was used to create the arm action as the kids aimed to get them over the crossbar of the goal posts.

“These are a couple of ways whereby age-related progressions give the child a higher success rate of achievement and encourages them to do it again,” Mave said.

Parents and children gathered at the stadium trusting their weather app that said no rain.

“It was right and about 30 children aged four years to 14 years spent an hour of engaging activity and joined the other 30,000 children around the world who also came together to celebrate World Kids Athletics Day.”