Kids' Athletics Day | Saturday, May 7

This Kids’ Athletics Day, two-time Olympian Brooke Stratton has one message for kids all over Australia: Get moving, get involved and have fun.

School students from Our Lady of the Assumption Parish School in Melbourne got the surprise of their life this week, when two-time Olympic long jumper Brooke Stratton joined their Sporting Schools session ahead of Kids’ Athletics Day, taking place across the world on Saturday, May 7.

The primary students took part in a long jump skills session with the Australian record holder, with each student leaving with new skills, an insight into athletics, and motivation to be active at school and throughout their life.

“It was a great feeling to be at the school this week. It’s always amazing how taken aback school kids can get by having an Olympian at their school but the best part of it was seeing them get stuck into the long jump session and having fun,” Stratton said.

“That’s what athletics is all about at that level. For young kids, the physical and social benefits of athletics are huge. The biggest positive from a physical perspective is that it encourages kids to be active and move. It’s not about winning, it’s about moving your body and simply giving difference disciplines ago and seeing what you get out of it.”

Kids’ Athletics Day is a concept by World Athletics that uses the power and accessibility of athletics to create a healthier and fitter world.  As a foundation sport and a sport for all, athletics gives children the physical skills that will enable them to move and explore, and a way to open their world by giving them confidence in their physical abilities; a concept that Stratton encourages kids of all ages and abilities to embrace.

“Whenever I go to a school or coach little kids, it can be a mixed bag to begin with, but they quickly start to realise it’s about having fun,” she said.

“Shy ones come out of their shell and then the real confident kids give their everything and give it a real crack. That’s where my role comes into place, encouraging both groups where I can and giving them little bits of feedback to help them improve on what they are doing,” Stratton said.

“I always hope to think that after a session like this one, they may go home and speak to their parents and see if athletics is something they can explore based on how much fun they were having.”

Research conducted by Athletics Australia and La Trobe University’s Centre of Sport and Social Impact shows that the World Athletics Kids’ Athletics program, delivered through Athletics Australia’s Sporting School program helps kids develop across all four domains of physical literacy, including physical, psychological, cognitive and social.

Stratton remembers her life-changing introduction to athletics when she was five, and said it not only gave her an opportunity to develop a passion of the sport, but a social outlet and a sense of community.

“Athletics also encourages social interaction which is very important for kids when it comes to developing friendships and connection,” she said.

“I’ve been involved from a very young age, from when I was five. I met my best friend through athletics back then and have made some lifelong friends through my years in the sport. From the start for me, it was how much I enjoyed it that made me pursue the sport. The people you meet, the friends you make. It made me super competitive, which I still am. Mainly, it helped shape me to want to better myself week in and week out.”

Athletics Australia’s Sporting Schools program currently reaches over 110,000 children and in over 1,000 programs across schools every year. The program is delivered by a workforce of 200+ accredited coaches, each funded by Athletics Australia.

“The feedback you get from these opportunities with kids is amazing. While there were a few kids who were really getting into it, the main thing I saw was the enjoyment. There wasn’t one kid who sat out and didn’t get involved and that’s the whole idea of the program.

“At the end, we did a Q&A, and I got one question about my long jump PB. They got a tape measure out and there were a lot of jaws that dropped – including mine – but I hope that might have inspired kids to get out there and have a go. It shows them what’s possible and that when you put your mind to something, you can achieve it.”

For more information about Athletics Australia's Sporting Schools program, contact sportingschools@athletics.org.au and if you’re interested in bringing this program to life via coaching, contact Nicole.Tumblety@athletics.org.au or Amritpal.Singh@athletics.org.au 

By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 6/3/2022