The Motion Movement - Snapple/DC Tri and the Youth Community!
The DC Tri/Snapple Triathlon Team was invited to speak at Arlington's highlighted school for Bike/Walk to School Day: Oakridge Elementary. Along with local ultra-marathon celebrity Mike Wardian, AJ Morrison and I greeted the pre-K to 5th graders who arrived on scooters, 2- or 4-wheeled bikes, or their own two feet. Some kids rode on bikes with pink sparkly tassles; others wore those sneakers that light up with each step.
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| Gathering for the morning assembly! |
Each year, Arlington hosts a Bike/Walk to School Day to encourage healthy modes of transport and organize bike- and walk-pools so that kids clustered in a neighborhood can bike or walk to school with designated parents The morning assembly kicked off with Mike, AJ, and I leading short exercises and talking to the kids about the importance of daily exercise and participation in sports.
The students had prepared a wonderful surprise for us: a dance to the hip-hop song that goes, "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, going AYO..." - you know what I'm talking about! So hilarious to see the entire school syncing their dance moves to the tunes of Taio Cruz!!!
Clearly, they had practiced their dance moves and were proud to be debuting them!
AJ and I visited the first graders, who asked questions like "How can I get on TV like you?", "Were you in the Olympics?", and "Will you be in the next Olympics?" I could see the dripping disappointment on their faces when we both said that we weren't (and most likely will not be!) Olympians! We managed to steer them towards more realistic conversations about maintaining a healthy lifestyle continuing to bike or walk to school throughout the school year, and their favorite sports. Soccer was a popular one for this class!
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| I love the kid cheering for taking a picture! |
What a blast to visit these kids! So wonderful to engage with the youth community and hear students bragging that they can run 200 miles (one girl claimed that she could beat Mike Wardian!) and have others tell us that they plan to compete in triathlons in the future! Looks like we better watch out for some motivated youngsters from Arlington to emerge in the triathlon world!!
