50 Hour youth sports challenge is fact finding as well as fun

Over 3 000 schoolchildren from communities throughout Gauteng  will be doing more than keeping a ball in motion at the sixth annual Kellogg’s® Health of the Nation 50-Hour Sports Challenge, taking place at the Southern Suburbs Recreation Centre in Rosettenville from Friday 28 until Sunday 30 October.  The young participants will feature in important field research, which will provide information on the state of fitness and obesity in South African school children.

The Kellogg’s® Health of the Nation 50-Hour Sports Challenge, in association with Sporting Chance is the largest sporting event of its kind in the country.  Children partake in up to 15 different indoor and outdoor sporting disciplines over the course of the three days.  The participating children are exposed to a huge variety of sports, including cricket, tennis, hockey, rounders, table tennis, badminton, netball, basketball, soccer, squash, rope skipping, athletics and touch rugby.

This year, behind all the fun and games of this annual sporting extravaganza is a serious fact-finding study, a 10-year follow-up to the original ground-breaking Health of the Nation study1, which first revealed the magnitude of obesity in South African children. The resulting information and statistics will assist health and education policy makers to gauge where we are, so that they can continue steering SA youth towards healthier lifestyles.

According to Brad Bing of Sporting Chance, the youth sports development agency that conceived and coordinates the Challenge and study, while there is plenty of academic research available on adult obesity, there is a lack of current information on how the prevalence of obesity relates to children’s health and fitness in South Africa.  The 2011 study will assess the fitness and health of a large sample of youth ages nine through 13.

“Every child who participates in this year’s Challenge will first complete a fitness test,” says Bing.  “Testing personnel will measure   height, weight, waist and hip circumference, which will provide crucial statistics on the prevalence of obesity and body weight distribution. Then, children will engage in a series of exercises designed to assess flexibility, abdominal muscle strength, lower and upper body strength and agility.  These include:  sit and reach, sit-ups, standing long jump, shuttle test and a cricket ball throw.”
In 2004, data collected by Sporting Chance in conjunction with the UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa indicated that nationwide, children from all backgrounds showed a tendency towards the onset of obesity similar to that seen in developed countries.

“The genesis of the Challenge was the 2004 study, which revealed the shocking truth about South African children,” says Bing.  “We found that a large percentage of our children were already looking at probable health problems due to obesity.  It was obvious that we needed to kick-start an awareness of the importance of exercise and living a healthy lifestyle, which we hoped would grow into a passion for sport and physical activity.”
There are many reasons why South African youth are fighting the bulge. Youth are less active because physical education is no longer compulsory at schools, and at home, exercise has been largely replaced by TV and computer time.  Parents, teachers and peers are not always encouraging of physical activity.  Other crucial elements are directly related to crime and poor socio-economic conditions:  facilities and equipment are not always available or safe, street crime largely prevents children from walking and cycling to and from school, and from playing outside in their own neighbourhoods.

According to biokineticist Nicky Sulzer, who is overseeing the research:  “Research conducted on South African school children has shown that the implications of childhood obesity are truly shocking, with 25% of obese children presenting two or more cardiovascular risk factors.  Numerous studies have shown that physical activity has the potential to be a powerful ‘agent of change’ in the prevention and management of obesity, and getting kids moving is the aim of the Challenge.”

Besides giving kids the chance to play new and unfamiliar sports under enthusiastic coaches, the Challenge provides an opportunity to spot new talent, according to Bing.  Many accomplished sportsmen have benefited from the Sporting Chance coaching programmes and events, like current England International cricketer Craig Kieswetter; Lions captain Thami Tsolekile and former rugby Springbok Neil de Kock.

“Over the past five years the Challenge has grown exponentially,” says Sarah Mansfield, corporate spokesperson for the Kellogg Company of South Africa. “In addition to teaching and showing learners how to be physically active on the field, it’s also important to empower South African children to make healthy lifestyle choices off the field.

“In this light, in the weeks leading up to the Challenge, Sporting Chance hosts pre-Challenge road shows in selected communities.  The sessions address specific social concerns within communities including how to lead an active life; prevent obesity; principles of personal hygiene and nutritional guidance facilitated by Kellogg’s dietitians,” says Mansfield.

The Kellogg’s Health of the Nation 50-Hour Sports Challenge is supported by the National Department of Health Promotion.

“The promotion of sport and an active lifestyle from a young age is very important for the general wellness and well-being of our people,” says Theuns Botha the Western Cape Minister of Health. “The Western Cape Department of Health has adopted an approach to reduce the burden of disease on our system, and that is the creation of wellness. In laymen’s terms it means that the objective is to adopt an approach of preventing illness, rather than build more facilities for sick people. This government will be spending more money on the building of strong immunity, which can only be achieved by a healthy lifestyle, including sport and recreation. For this reason we strongly support the Kellogg’s® Health of the Nation 50-Hour Sports Challenge initiative and call on all learners to participate in the project. Be healthy!”

Schools or individuals wishing to participate in the Kellogg’s® Health of the Nation 50-hour Sports Challenge and research project can contact Natalie at Sporting Chance on 021 683 7299 or log onto www.sportingchance.co.za

Interact with Sporting Chance on Twitter @sportinchance – the event hashtag #sportingchanceHoTN

Get sharp and ready with pre season training at our cricket and soccer clinics, and enjoy refining those skills you have mastered this past season with our hockey and special edition World Cup rugby clinics.

As Sporting Chance celebrates 21 years and we start a new coaching season we are proud to welcome new apparel sponsor Hi-Tec and associate sponsor Kauai. We also are delighted to continue our relationship with title sponsor Flip File, and associate sponsors Sportsmans Warehouse, BIC, GM and media partners SuperSport Let’s Play.

Thank you to our sponsors for their continued support and we look forward to having the Sporting Chancers join us on the fields at Constantia, Kelvin Grove, WPCC and Kenridge PS next week!

This year, in addition to all the fun and games of this annual sporting extravaganza, the schoolchildren also took part in a serious fact-finding study, a 10-year follow-up to the original ground-breaking Health of the Nation study, which first revealed the magnitude of obesity in South African children. The resulting information and statistics will assist health and education policy makers to gauge where we are, so that they can continue steering SA youth towards healthier lifestyles.   The Kellogg’s Health of the Nation 50-Hour Sports Challenge is supported by the national Department of Health Promotion, Western Cape Department of Health, Education, Cultural Affairs and Sport.

Thanks to our sponsors Kellogg’s in association with Virgin Active, KIA Motors, SuperSport Let’s and Good Hope fm for making the project possible. and to the Sporting Chance team of coaches for all their hard work.

The interactive format of the road show sessions have been well received by the participants and the messaging focussing on physical
activity, nutrition, health awareness and general fitness has been absorbed by the eager children.

The Sporting Chance team together with Kellogg’s dieticians have visited the communities of Ocean View, Elsies River, Gugulethu, Langa, Manenberg, Masiphumelele , Mitchell’s Plain, Grassy Park and will finish off in Macassar this afternoon.

The 2011 Kellogg’s Health of the Nation project in association with SuperSport Let’s Play, Virgin Active and KIA Motors with radio partners Good Hope fm, is a Four Phase programme that highlights the importance of physical activity and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Phase 1: the Health Education road show has ensured the children are well prepared to take part in Phase 2: the Kellogg’s Health of the Nation: 50 hour sports challenge and Phase 3: the Research Testing (Phase 3) this coming weekend at WPCC Sports Centre.

Look forward to seeing you there…

KELLOGG’S HEALTH OF THE NATION: 50 HOUR SPORTS CHALLENGE

14h00, Friday 16^th to 16h00, Sunday 18^th September 2011

WPCC Sports Centre, Rondebosch

The 2011 Kellogg’s Health of the Nation project in association with SuperSport Let’s Play, Virgin Active and KIA Motors with radio partners Good Hope fm, is a Four Phase programme that highlights the importance of physical activity and leading a healthy lifestyle.

The Ocean View community are participating in the Kellogg’s Health of the Nation for the first time, which meant they were all eager to be a part of the action. Phase 1: The Health Education road show takes the format of engaged learning, with the participants being divided into sub groups and spending 15-20 minutes at four activity zones as follows:

1. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: This zone highlights the importance of physical activity through a series of fun exercises & drills including shuttles runs, sit  ups, push ups and hand-eye coordination exercises. Variations of the conventional drills focus on emphasising the enjoyment of physical activity with the participants competing in: Sack Races – increase lower body strength; Ball and spoon races – increase hand eye co-ordination; Wheel barrow races – increase upper body strength; Sprint races – increase in speed off the mark; Shuttle races – increase in endurance

2. NUTRITION: This zone is facilitated by Kellogg’s dieticians and highlights the importance of eating a balanced diet & making healthy food choices. The activity includes a workshop focusing on food groups and the benefits attached.

3. HEALTH EDUCATION: This zone focussed on personal hygiene and the importance of washing hands, brushing teeth, keeping your body clean with emphasis on its relation to preventing TB etc. When? Why? and How? we should we carry out this daily routine.

4. FITNESS SPECIFIC: This zone focuses on specialised activities that advise participants on specific exercises to improve their sporting abilities. Through this participants are introduced to the scientific research testing that will take place at the Kellogg’s Health of the Nation: 50 hour sports challenge.

The session concluded with a group ‘Question and Answer’ session to illustrate the life skills discussed before all participants were part of a vibe dance in preparation for their participation in Phase 2: Kellogg’s Health of the Nation 50 hour sports challenge next week.

Day 2 of the road show saw the team visit Gugulethu where the participants from the schools excitedly gathered at NY49 to be a part of the Kellogg’s Health of the Nation project.

Look forward to sharing the rest of the week’s activities…

The Grassy Park community came out in their numbers and hosted the finals in supreme style. The Metro Police were sideline to ensure everyone was well looked after, while the large group of media buzzed around catching all of the action.

Before proceedings, special honour was paid to two significant women who recently passed away. Aunty Shirley from Manenberg was a long serving member of the Sporting Chance team, and Mrs Abrahams who lived in the street which plays host to KIA Street Soccer in Grassy Park. They will long be missed and we thank them for their contribution to Sporting Chance and to the children of their community.

The twenty teams were divided into four pools of five, the format was demanding with only the top team in each pool progressing to the semi finals. The competitive spirit was evident from the first kick off and the each region was well represented by their boys and girls.

The matches were tightly contested throughout the afternoon with the players putting on a wonderful spectacle of this specially adapted version of the beautiful game. An esteemed line up of special guests made time in their busy schedules to offer their support, including MEC for Sport and Cultural Affairs in the Western Cape, Dr Ivan Meyer; Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services, Councillor Tandeka Gqada; SA cricket icon Herschelle Gibbs and former Bafana Bafana star, Thabo Mngomeni.

After tough round robin matches it was an all ‘township’ affair in the semi finals as Langa, Nyanga and both teams from Khayelitsha finished top of their respective pools. In hard fought semis with hundreds of supporters lining the pavements it was ‘team South Africa’ from Khayelitsha and ‘team Zimasa’ from Langa that emerged victorious and moved onto the final.

The stage was set… the lines were redrawn on the tar pitch, a new ball was supplied and the teams lined up opposite each other to shake hands.It was end-to-end action for the twenty minutes and after a skilled battle it was Khayelitsha that won the dual claiming with it the 2011 Western Cape KIA Street Soccer trophy.

A fitting ceremony concluded the day with thank yous to the sponsors, and prizes from AJAX Cape Town and Sporting Chance been awarded to the winners. No participant however went home empty handed, as each player was delighted to receive a food pack and Let’s Play soccer ball.

The Western Cape finals brought to a close the 2011 KIA Street Soccer programme which has seen Sporting Chance, with the support of title sponsor KIA Motors and associate sponsors Foodzone, Dawn Wing and media partners Supersport Let’s Play and Good Hope fm roll out a neighbourhood street soccer programme in streets in and around Durban, Johannesburg, Tshwane, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth as part of FIFA’s Ticket Fund legacy. The KIA Street Soccer League was created as one of the tiers of the Ticket Fund initiative as a means of adding sustainability to the programme which has involved 4 500 boys and girls under the age of 13 and provided contractual employment for 800 coaches.

The Sporting Chance team look forward to evaluating the 2011 programme and planning the road ahead with sponsors for KIA Street Soccer in the future. Keep watching this space!

The weather has been sublime and we couldn’t be more grateful to have had a warm week in the middle of July. Not sure if it’s climate change or just pure luck with the timing, but it certainly made the clinics run well with everyone enjoying the winter sunshine.

The Constantia venue has again proved popular with both the rugby and soccer clinics being well attended. Of particular interest was the amount of players that come from the traditional Southern Schools that enjoy soccer and would like to see the sport being introduced into their school sports structure… we will have to watch that space.

Bellville and Somerset West venues have been busy with the three sports codes producing good results. Kelvin Grove was buzzing with activity as the soccer and rugby boys and girls were put through their paces.

The highlight of the week must be the awesome vibe and amazing performance of the close on 100 juniors and seniors at the WPCC astro hockey clinic. The coaching team was phenomenal featuring a group of provincial and top level club players and SA women’s hockey player, Cindy Brown and SA u21 representative, Taylor Dart. To have a coaching team with such experience and hockey pedigree is fantastic and the skills certainly rubbed off on the eager participants.

SA cricket icon Herschelle Gibbs was once again passing on his expertise and incredible skills. His presence was well received by the young Sporting Chancers and their parents alike.

Many thanks to our Sporting Chance team of coaches and our sponsors Flip File, Sportsmans Warehouse, Second Skins, GM, BIC, TK hockey and SuperSport Let’s Play for their continued support.

Learners from schools throughout the Cape Peninsula, West Coast, Northern Suburbs and Helderberg regions of the Western Cape gathered to participate in the sixth annual Wynberg Cricket Super Skills competition on Friday 25 February.

The event, which took place at the Jacques Kallis cricket oval at Wynberg Boys High School in association with Sporting Chance and SuperSport Let’s Play, was born from the inspiration of cricket mastermind, the late Bob Woolmer. Woolmer developed the Super Skills concept internationally in order to spread interest in the game.

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According to Wynberg Boys High School Principal Keith Richardson, teams made up of 4 players each played in a round robin tournament. They went head-to-head in a number of challenges to see who can hit the ball the furthest, who is quickest between the wickets and who has the most accurate throw in the game.

“We launched the competition in 2005 to provide a platform for all learners to master the basics of cricket,” says Richardson.  “The competition is a fun exercise that emphasizes the essential aspects of the game of cricket. It’s format entices competition, teamwork and enthusiasm while focusing on the necessity of mastering the key fundamentals of bowling, batting, fielding, catching and throwing. It is a unique and fun adaptation of the conventional game and the testing stations include the Power Drive, Stroke Master, Fine Line and Deadeye.”

Wynberg Boys High School has always been at the forefront of schoolboy cricket and boasts an incredible cricket pedigree. It has been a nurturing ground and launch pad for many cricket careers including one of the world’s greatest cricketers and best all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who proactively supports this initiative. “With fond memories I welcome all the players to my former senior school for the Super Skills competition.  It is a wonderful opportunity to test their skills and it’s about being outdoors and enjoying yourself,” says Kallis.

One of the protégés from the Super Skills competition is current Cape Cobra, Richard Levi. “I honed all the skills and techniques that I use today through the drills and games these boys will be using as they run around the Jacques Kallis Oval.  Enjoy and learn,” advises Levi.

The competition was fierce as the 160 participants were able to express their natural talent and flair in this inter school format. Scores were high and after tightly contested semi-finals and finals the respective age group winners were as follows:

U11: Kirstenhof Primary School

U12: Edgemead Cricket Club A

U13: Wynberg Boys’ Junior School

U14: Wynberg Boys’ High School A

Individual winners (most points over all four (4) disciplines) were:

U11: Matthew De Villiers – Kirstenhof Primary School

U12: Eathan Hendricks – Edgemead Cricket Club A

U13: Donovan Opie – Wynberg Boys’ Junior School

U14: Kyle Verryne – Wynberg Boys’ High School

Thanks to prize donations from Gunn & Moore and goodie bag contributions from SA Cricket magazine, Peninsula Beverages and Sporting Chance none of the participants left empty handed and the day was thoroughly enjoyed by all involved.

“We are very proud to be involved with the Wynberg Super Skills competition,” says Brad Bing, MD of Sporting Chance. “It is an innovative approach to cricket and one that has proven to be an exciting way of introducing competitiveness into the finite details of the game. We look forward to continuing to build on this partnership with the WBHS and the Super Skills competition going forward in the future!

For the past five weeks more than 3000 young learners from 11 regions including Mitchell’s Plain, Manenberg, Gugulethu, Langa, Ocean View, Masipumelele, Elsies River, Khayelitsha and Macassar have taken to the streets, to compete in the 2010 Sporting Chance Street Cricket League.

The Sporting Chance Street Cricket League, in association with Disney, Grand West CSI and the HCI Foundation, is in its seventh successful season and according to event organiser Brad Bing of Sporting Chance, the youth sports development agency that launched the street cricket league in 2003, the initiative has enjoyed unprecedented success since its humble beginnings as a pilot project in Langa.

Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Dr Ivan Meyer, who attended the finals, applauded the initiative. “Projects like this show children the value of sport whilst bringing communities and cultures together. Sports development is very important to the Western Cape and initiatives like this really add value to our communities,” said Dr Meyer.

Bing concurs. “The communities are filled with sports mad children and the street cricket league allows them to be actively involved in cricket and the enjoyment that goes with it, in their very own neighbourhoods.”

Regional cricket clubs and sports organisations in association with Sporting Chance organise children under 11 into street teams of ten. At least two members of each team must be girls and all must have attended school throughout the year prior to the start of the tournament – all part of Sporting Chance’s philosophy of getting as many children irrespective of race, gender or social class, off the streets and into the sporting environment.

“They don’t like cricket, they love it,” jokes Bing, who also adds that the tournament is more than ‘just a game’. “Up to a certain age, all boys and girls should ideally be exposed to sport and research has shown that you develop your habits by the age of 12,” says Bing. “If you’re not playing sport or leading an active and healthy lifestyle by then, the chances are that sport and being physically active will not feature in your adult lifestyle.”

Heidi Abrahams of GrandWest CSI adds. “By introducing children to an active lifestyle we aim to provide them with healthy alternatives to drugs and crime,” says Abrahams. “We want to get children playing in the annual street cricket tournament and encourage them to enjoy the fun of sport and avoid the temptations of drugs and crime that plague our youth of today.”

“The children in these communities face various challenges,” says Disney’s Amanda D’halluin. “This tournament gives them an opportunity to be part of a team and belong to something – all children want that sense of ‘belonging’ and if we can provide them with valuable programmes and projects, perhaps we can lessen the weight of their challenging environments.”

For more information on the matches contact Brad Bing on 021 683 7299 or events@sportingchance.co.za or visit www.sportingchance.co.za.

‘The Chosen’ 2010 MTN Business Leading CEO Council brought together top executives from a wide variety of industries that converged in a power-packed weekend to debate and devise ways of improving the leadership skills in South Africa. The delegates formed a who’s who of the country’s most respected thinkers and decision-makers and the Council focused heavily on skills transfers and mentorship.

With Supersport being a Media Partner for the initiative, they, together with sport coaching and development company, Sporting Chance conceptualised and organised the sporting challenge which took the council delegates through a few hours of competitive and testing sport challenges.

The Life Raft Relay Challenge

Inspired by reality TV show, ‘Survivor’, the delegates had to complete in nine sporting challenges as well as build a unique structure embodying the spirit of the team’s ultimate symbol, strategic direction and philosophy.

Former Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar and 2010 FIFA World Cup LOC CEO, Danny Jordaan addressed the delegates and offered some inspiring words on leadership and the important role of sport in SA………before everyone tackled the sporting challenges.  

The Soccer Spectacle

The nine sporting challenges which incorporated the magnificent facilities of the Hyatt Regency Oubaai included: the Soccer Spectacle, the Clock Tower, the Putting Performance, the Longest Drive, the Treadmill Track, the Static Bicycle Race aka ‘Tour de Oubaai’, the Basketball Bundle, the Tennis Tournament and the Life Raft Relay.

The Clock Tower Challenge with Prof. Tim Noakes

The challenges were specially designed to test physicality and fitness as well as strategy and teamwork. Each activity was well received and all the delegates enjoyed being involved, producing both moments of extreme competition and unparalleled humour.  

A weekend to remember for the Sporting Chance team and hopefully a platform to build upon as we networked with some of our country’s most influential and prominent business leaders.