Introducing…
Our first
SPOTLIGHT
STUDENT
ATHLETE...
LILY!!!
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Okay, I’ll admit that my choice for our first Spotlight Student may have been a bit biased. She’s my cousin! But she’s smart, out-going, adorable, and there’s no doubt that this star gymnast deserves some recognition! I told Lil all about our blog and asked if she wouldn’t mind sitting down with me for an interview - her dedication to her sport is sure to amaze you!
I recorded our conversation and will scribe it for you know… mind you, I’ll be omitting lots and lots of giggles heard from both her and I throughout our talk! Since I had the advantage of knowing Lily’s background prior to the interview, I’ll provide you some of that info now! She’s a grade 5 student in Ottawa, Ontario and is a competitive gymnast. She’s been training since she was only two years old! Lily is a fantastic student and excels in gymnastics competitions at both city-wide and provincial levels.
(Me/Mollie, Lily)
What kind of daily physical activity did you do today?
I went skating twice with my class, and I ran outside at recess.. a lot!
So how much time would that be?
Well we went skating for two whole blocks, which are about an hour and fifteen minutes each, so about 2.5 hours, plus the running around at recess…
Is that a typical amount of exercise for you in a day?
Yeah because of all my gymnastics, I do four hours of it almost everyday.
How many days?
Four times a week after school, and then once on the weekend. So 20 hours a week total!
Wow! How do you find time to fit in your school work?
Well I do some when I get back from gymnastics, and then sometimes in the mornings before school, and then I have Thursday nights free and a little bit of time on Saturday and Sundays.
Do you find that being a gymnast helps you be a better student?
I think it does, just like… kind of like learning about physical education and commitment… so yeah!
Are you training for anything in particular?
Normally I train for competitions; I have about 4 to 5 a year. I do a lot of routines.
What’s your favourite event?
The floor.
What achievement are you most proud of?
I do well in competitions, and I’m proud that I’m doing all new moves that I couldn’t do when I was younger.
What level are you at and how to do the levels work?
You have to be at level 5 to compete, and I’m at level 7. There are 12 levels – 12 would be Olympics, 9 would be Nationals…
Is being in the Olympics a goal for you?
Ummmm.. MMMmmm…Maybeeee. Not too sure.
Tell me about your best moves.
On bars it’s giant – do a hand stand and circle around the bar in a straight body. On floor it is a layout full twist, which is a straight body flip with a full twist, and on beam it is tic toc back hand spring.
Can you describe that one for us, please?
You go into bridge and touch your foot then kick back then do a back handspring, you like jump back on to your hands and then step down. Oh and the vault! Vault is front hand spring half, you jump on the beat board – the bouncy thing, and then your hands go on the vault and then you pop off and then you just do a half twist.
What kind of training do you do during the four hours of practice?
We do conditioning every practice, which is push ups, sit ups, you hang on the wall bar, climb the rope, hand stand walk and more for about 45 minutes. Then we do events the rest of time. We have breaks and snack time too!
Any advice for our readers?
Always go for your dreams!
Teachers – keep an eye out for a Spotlight Student in your class! Why? Allowing student athletes to lead exercise lessons using their expertise is not only a great way to incorporate various DPA styles into the classroom, but gives students the opportunity to learn more about their classmates, show off their talents and discover new activities that they may like to get involved in.
Already thinking of one? Let us know! We encourage you to nominate Spotlight Students via email: dpablog@hotmail.ca - they might be the next star of our blog!!
Parents - Check this out! If your child is involved in an extra-curricular activity, you may be eligible for a tax credit! The following link will provide you with more info:
I’ll end with a quote from Lily’s dad/ my uncle/ former teacher/ former principal/ current guidance counsellor:
“I think that for kids who have some kind of outside activity, it doesn’t have to be 20 hours, more than anything it builds their self-esteem. I think that’s the biggest value that comes from extra-curricular activities… Every kid should have ‘something’…”
Posted by: Mollie Halverson
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