ATHLETES from Launching Place Primary School will head off to Queensland on Friday to represent the school in the National Schoolaerobics Championships.
The school has a long and happy history of aerobics starting around eight years ago with 14 students to today when more than 40 per cent of students in Grades 3 to 6 take part.
Teacher and coach Candice Nyman introduced aerobics as a lunchtime club and it wasn’t long before teams were competing.
“We have sessions now before school and at recess and lunchtime to try to fit all the kids in,” she said.
The school did extremely well with seven teams qualifying for the State Finals and two, the Boys 5/6 and Girls 5/6, now heading off to the Nationals in Brisbane.
Ms Nyman said aerobics was classed as a sport, not a dance, and that the routines now, compared with when the school started competing, were much more intricate and demanding.
“I believe our kids are a lot fitter now than when started,” she said.
“We have kids, even at prep level jumping around, copying the older kids and we hear all the time about how kids are jumping at home and practising on the netball courts on the weekend.
“We’re a jumping school,” Ms Nyman said.
The competition starts on Saturday.
