Sklahreysti School Fitness

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Skólahreysti / School Fitness

• Back to the basics with a bounce

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Overview

• Background
• The Competition
• Statistics
• Social Effects
• Evolution
• The Vision

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Background
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Background

• Spring 2005 marked the inaugural competition of
  School Fitness
• Founders Andrés Guðmundsson and Lára
  Helgadóttir
• Basics of general PE
• Predominantly working with own body
• Healthy competition to spur interest free
  admission no team cover charge
• Involve schools from all parts of Iceland

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Background

• The catalyst
• Concerns over childrens obesity and overweight
• Lack of excersise for kids sports giving way to
  computers and games
• The goal
• Encourage healthier living
• Strengthen childrens confidence and self esteem
• Bring to the table talents from all sports as
  well as those not involved in any athletics

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Background

• 6 schools participated first year
• Caught on quickly
• Parents and classmates involved
• Big turnout at preliminaries and finals
• 2008 biggest year so far
• 106 schools out of 134 participated
• Forecast even bigger turnout in 2009

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The entire competition-field
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The entire competition-field
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The Competition
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The Competition

• Team event
• Two boys and two girls
• 9th and/or 10th grade (age 14 15)
• Preliminaries within each school
• Preliminaries within regions (10)
• Finals of qualifiers from each of the regionals

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Competitors
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The Competition

• A five tier event
• Chin-ups
• Push-ups
• Dips
• Fitness grip
• Speed track
• One boy/girl specializes in two events, while
  other competes on the speed track
• Two schools compeating together
• Teamwork is the name of the game

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Two schools compeating
together
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Chin-ups Dips
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Push-ups
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Fitness-grip
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Start of speed track

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Tyres Monkey ladder
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Pipe Climbing wall
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Crawl
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Sack carrying Stone lift
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Skip rope Rope climb
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The finish line
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Champions
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Statistics

• Steady improvement each consequent year
• The kids getting stronger, fitter and more
  technical
• Evidence of difference in emphasis in PE between
  different parts of the country

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Statistics

• Interesting regional differences
• Schools from northern part stronger in push-ups
• Northern schools include push-ups in PE tests

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Social Effects
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Social Effects

• The schools
• School boards starting to demand good results in
  School Fitness
• Unified ambition on behalf of each school
• Over 40 shools have School Fitness as a PE
  elective
• PE teachers seeking advise from School Fitness
  founders on best manner of preparation
• Excellent collaboration with PE teachers
• Brings much welcomed attention to the labor of PE
  teachers

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Social Effects

• The students
• A surge in number of participants
• Estimated 2.750 participants in qualifiers within
  each school
• Confirmed 440 participants in regional
  preliminaries
• Participants spending more and more time on
  preparation
• Estimated 13.000 spectators over the season
  cheering their classmates on
• Serious preparation by the spectators as well
  Pep-up chairman, costumes, drums, boards
  banners
• Last finals 22 packed buses with energetic kids
  coming to support their school

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You can win
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Pep-up cairman spectators
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Social Effects

• The media
• State televison (RUV) picked up School Fitness
• Ten 50 min episodes from preliminaries aired on
  prime time
• Live coverage of School Fitness finals
• TV ratings 30 viewing of finals in 2008

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The Host The Founders-The Spectators
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Social Effects

• Corporate Iceland
• Companies see value in School Fitness healthy
  message
• Only socially responsible companies allowed as
  sponsors
• MS (dairy products) and Toyota
• Tasteful product placement

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Social Effects

• Government sanction
• Ministry for education a partner from the start
• Athletics and Olympics association as well
• Municipal support evident
• School boards applaude a fresh new approach to
  rekindle interest in PE

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Minister of Education
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Evolution
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Evolution

• Steady improvements in all aspects since 2005
• Design intended to evoke cool factor for the
  kids
• Competition-clothing design to the same extent
• Fitness-set developed to assist participants
  prepare for the competition
• Fitness field developed to meet community demands
  3 up and running 4 in the makings

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School Fitness-set
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Fitness field
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Fitness field
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The Vision
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The Vision

• School Fitness by all accounts a success in
  Iceland
• Nordics a logical next step
• Country competition
• A Nordic challenge
• Pre-requisite to a yearly Nordic finals in School
  Fitness
• Europe and USA down the line
• Not a business idea, but a true vision coming to
  life

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Thank you