More than 700 children had a Brilliant time when they took part in Active Nation’s annual Kids TRYathlons in Lincoln and Abingdon.

The TRYathlons were first launched in 2011 as Active Nation’s unique initiative to get children participating in sport and exercise – now in their fourth year the events are getting bigger and better!

The original purpose of these events was to help shape behaviour, attitudes and enthusiasm towards physical activity, with the hope of helping youngsters commit to being active longer term. And they were so successful that Active Nation decided to make them an annual series of events, with 2,000 children expected to take part in 2014.

The TRYathlons focus strongly on the TRY element to encourage all children to participate regardless of ability or experience – this helped to make the events non-competitive and a lot more fun for the kids to get involved in.

At Active Nation’s White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre in Abingdon, more than 400 kids from 7 local schools got to try tennis, badminton, yoga, golf, dodge ball, go-karting, teen fitness sessions, bootcamp and circuits.

And at Yarborough Leisure Centre in Lincoln, more than 300 pupils from 8 local schools got to try out new age curling, tag rugby, tug of war, rounders, football, archery, wrestling, an exercise class, basketball, athletics, swimming, running and cycling.

This year’s event in Lincoln was supported by Enterprise Rent-A-Car who donated £1,500 and a team of staff to help out on the day. Russell Murphy, business rental sales manager, said: “It was a fantastic day and it was great fun for us to be a part of it. It is important for our founding values to be involved in local communities and it really was great to see the kids having so much fun and getting active. We hope to come back next year.”

Teacher Rebecca Edwards from Westgate Academy in Lincoln said: “It has been an amazing day. All of the kids have been really encouraged to participate in all of the events by the staff. They have been made to feel really confident in the activities and have worked really well as a team. It has been great to get the children out of the classroom and getting active and trying many of the sports for the first time.”

One pupil said: “We have all had a really good time. A lot of what we have done is new and really, really fun. I’ll definitely be trying some of these new sports again.”

Not only do the TRYathlons have a positive impact on the attitudes of those taking part, but they are a great way to introduce pupils to local sports clubs and hopefully start a lifelong relationship with sport and exercise.

The post Hundreds of Pupils Get Active At Our Kids TRYathlons appeared first on Active Nation.

More than 1,200 children had a Brilliant time taking part in our Active Nation TRYathlon in Southampton this week – with hundreds getting to see the Queen’s Baton Relay as it visited the Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre.

The TRYathlons are Active Nation’s unique initiative to get youngsters to try their hand at sporting activities that they had perhaps not come across before. It’s all about the young people – encouraging them to take up sport and exercise and enjoy a healthy and active life.

Wow! What a day! Those taking part on Wednesday got to rub shoulders with Sally Gunnell OBE and torchbearers Chris Grainger who has coached junior and senior netball teams in Southampton since 1976 and Richard Cartwright who has been instrumental in the development of Team Solent Sharks – a wheelchair rugby club in the city.

Sally said: “There were big cheers by all the kids here and I feel really honoured to be able to hold it here.”

Pupils from local primary schools also got the chance to have a go at lots of activities, including archery, hockey, mountain biking, rugby, crazy golf, netball, tennis, rounders, a British Military Fitness bootcamp, athletics and so much more. Youngsters also popped over to the Southampton Alpine Snowsports Centre for a ride down the slopes on the donuts and X-Bobs.

And as a reward at the end of a no doubt exhausting but exhilarating day, each child was presented with a medal kindly supplied by Zoggs and an Active Nation goodie bag.

Later that evening the baton was carried on to a stage at Guildhall Square by Southampton Diving Academy Programme Manager Annie Clewlow. Members of the Active Nation Southampton team were also on hand to offer lots of health and sporting advice – including tips on hula hooping!

The baton is continuing it’s journey around the UK before finally arriving in Glasgow for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on July 23.

This was definitely the biggest TRYathlon so far and probably the most inspirational – it’s going to take some beating – but we’re going to keep on trying! Thanks to everyone who made the day such a massive success.

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Our Brilliant annual sporting event has had its first outing of 2014 at All Seasons Leisure Centre in Chorley! More than 150 youngsters from 5 local primary schools took part in the first of this year’s Active Nation Kids TRYathlons.

The TRYathlons were first launched in 2011 as Active Nation’s unique initiative to get children participating in sport and exercise – now in their fourth year the events are getting bigger and better!

The original purpose of the events was to help shape behaviour, attitudes and enthusiasm towards physical activity, with the hope of helping youngsters commit to being active longer term. And they were so brilliant, that we decided to make them an annual series of events.

The TRYathlons focus strongly on the TRY element to encourage all children to participate regardless of ability or experience – this helped to make the events non-competitive and a lot more fun for the kids to get involved in.

In Chorley the pupils of Manor Road Primary School, Rivington Foundation Primary School, Clayton-le-Woods Church Of England Primary School, St Bede’s Catholic Primary School and Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School got to try out trampolining, the gym, water polo, curling, cricket, table tennis, gymnastics and badminton – as well as fun on the pool inflatable!

Headteacher Barry Broderick from Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School said: ““It was great to see so many kids involved, it’s particularly fantastic for me being able to see my old school St Bede’s Catholic Primary School and the school I now work at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School all involved in sports at one event.”

Not only do the TRYathlons have a positive impact on the attitudes of those taking part, but they are a great way to introduce pupils to local sports clubs and hopefully start a lifelong relationship with sport and exercise. And that can only be a good thing!

The post Active Nation’s Kids TRYathlons 2014 Get Underway In Chorley! appeared first on Active Nation.

Southampton Outdoor Sports Centre was the venue of Active Nation’s best-attended Kids TRYathlon to date, with a whopping 525 children aged 8-11 from seven local schools taking part in another fabulous day of sporting activity.

The pupils of Oakwood School, Hollybrook Junior School, Springhill Primary School, Bassett Green Primary School, Ludlow Junior School, Heathfield Junior School and St John’s Primary School, as well as local home-schooled children, were all invited to take part in an action-packed day featuring 17 sport and activity taster sessions delivered by local sports clubs and coaches.

This TRYathlon, Active Nation’s unique initiative to get youngsters to try their hand at sporting activities that they had perhaps not come across before, is just one of six that are happening this summer across the country, with the charity working with over 3,000 pupils from over 50 schools in the process.

And this one was particularly special, with every single child enjoying a 30-minute, non-competitive taster session of each of the 17 sports on offer. Popular sports such as football, cricket and tennis were combined with the frenetic pace of dodgeball, the controlled art form that is karate, and even the plain fun tobogganing out on the ski slope. It was, of course, ensured that time remained for the staple event of all TRYathlons: the triathlon, involving an assault course kindly provided by British Military Fitness, a 1km cycle and a 400m run around our athletics track. And as a reward at the end of a no doubt exhausting but exhilarating day (or at least better than being stuck in a classroom!), each child was presented with a medal and an Active Nation goodie bag, including details about the local sports clubs represented, a health bar from our friends at Decathlon, and a very fetching Active Nation buff from our Active Essentials range.

The day was also made special by the donation of enough bottles of water by drinks company Britvic to keep our young stars hydrated, the presence of the Mayor of Southampton (who was very impressed), and the generosity of 25 students of the British Military Preparatory School, who acted as chaperones for each group of pupils, guiding them between activities with typical military precision. Our thanks go to all of them!

The final word, however, must go to all of the teachers, governors and pupils who sent us so many kind messages to our team for their “excellent work and organisation,” for “letting us try out many different activities we wouldn’t usually get to experience” and that they “look forward to hearing from you re: next year’s event.” Well, you know what? We can’t wait either!

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Our favourite annual sporting event kicked off on 25 June at Yarborough Leisure Centre, Lincoln, as 243 local youngsters took part in the first of this year’s Active Nation Kids TRYathlons.

The TRYathlons, first launched in 2011 as Active Nation’s unique initiative to get children participating in sport and exercise, and now in its third year the events are getting bigger and better!

As well as the customary triathlon, which includes a 60m swim, a 1km cycle and a 400m run – the ‘try’ gets kids having a go at not only the likes of football and tag rugby but also the dance-based delights of Zumba and Sh’Bam, and even things like the intriguingly-named New Age Curling.

The Active Nation Kids TRYathlons are all about allowing children to discover new sports and exercise activities, some of which they might not have come across before. Everyone gets to try out each of the activities on offer that day in a 30-minute, non-competitive taster session, meaning that every child can have the confidence to get involved and find fun new ways to get them active.

With national child obesity rates an ever-growing concern, the TRYathlons are a brilliant opportunity to develop positive attitudes of children towards physical activity, as well as to guide them towards local sports clubs which in turn supports the growth of local youth sport and permits the child to undertake a new healthy and exciting pursuit. And that can only be a good thing!

The post Active Nation Kids TRYathlons 2013 Get Underway In Lincoln appeared first on Active Nation.

One year on from an incredible showcase of sport at London 2012, we’ve been keeping the legacy strong by playing our part in inspiring a generation through our Kids Tryathlons.

The most recent event in Southampton on 11th July 2013 inspired over 500 children to take part in an action packed day of 17 activities including tennis, netball, cricket, golf, football, hockey, archery, rugby, athletics, cycling, snow sports and much more.

The TRYathlon was part of a national event series we launched back in 2011. Now in their third year the Active Nation Kids TRYathlon’s will be working with over 50 schools and 3,000 children nationally across 6 events.

The purpose of the Kids TRYathlon’s are to help children discover new sports and exercise activities that they may not have tried before. Each child get’s to experience all of the day’s activities in 30 minute taster sessions, with activities mostly delivered by local sports clubs and coaches.

The TRY element is all about giving it a go, all activities are non-competitive so that regardless of age or experience every child aged 8-11 feels confident enough to get involved and compete against their own performance, rather than others.

The events are a valuable opportunity to shape the attitudes and engagement of children towards physical activity. They are proving to be an excellent opportunity to signpost children into local clubs and support the growth and development of local sport.

Moving forward the Tryathlon events will be expanding across the UK with 10 events planned nationally for 2014 building to 30 events in the run up to Rio 2016. Perhaps the next phase of Active Nation Kids TRYathlon participants will be inspired to become the next phase of Team GB athletes!

The post An Olympic Inspired Legacy appeared first on Active Nation.

We launched the concept in 2011 as an opportunity for us to engage young people into sport and exercise. The purpose of the events were to help us shape their behaviour, attitudes and enthusiasm towards physical activity, with the hope of helping them commit to being active longer term. And it was so brilliant, that we decided to make it an annual series of events.

The Tryathlon’s focus strongly on the TRY element to encourage all children to participate regardless of ability or experience, this helped to make the events non-competitive and a lot more fun for the kids to get involved in.

But these events were no ordinary Triathlon’s! Ooh no! The recipe for the Active Nation TRYathlon was to provide the participants with an opportunity to discover a wide range of sports and exercises that that they might not have experienced before and would love to have a go at. Across the events the children had a got at Hockey, Football, Dry ski slope tubing (or Donutting as we call it!), Studio cycling, a Military style bootcamp, Rookie Lifeguarding, exercise classes, Kwik cricket, Wheelchair Basketball and a lot more. In addition to these activities the main Tryathlon event contained a 60m swim, 900m bike ride and 400m run. Phew, sounds tiring!

For the first year of the Tryathlon series in 2011, we had 906 children aged 9-11 years participate from a network of 22 schools. Not bad for our first effort!

The Active Nation Tryathlon series has now become an annual event. In 2012 we  expanded the series to include 5 events nationally and a total participation target of 1,500 children. Next year we want it to be even bigger and better!

The post What is A Kids Tryathlon? appeared first on Active Nation.

Year two of our Active Nation Kids Tryathlon, and the second event of 5 was a huge success!

On 13th September 2012, The White Horse Leisure & Tennis Centre in Abingdon was the venue this time, attracting 500 Olympic inspired kids aged 7-11 years to take part in our sport and exercise extravaganza! Participants got an opportunity to try a Dance workshops, Strength and Conditioning Classes, an Outdoor Bootcamp, Tennis, Zumba , plus the swim, bike run elements of the Tryathlon.

The purpose of the event was to help children discover new sports and exercise activities that they may not have tried before, and then offer them pathways to further continue their new found interest in this historic Olympic year. It also created a valuable opportunity to gain an insight into the attitudes and engagement of children towards physical activity.
The Kids Tryathlon concept began in 2011 as a positive way of influencing young people’s attitudes towards sport and exercise.

Further Tryathlon events are planned for 2012 to take place in Southampton and Chorley.

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For the second year running Active Nation has launched it’s Kids Tryathlon series with a bang, inviting 400 children to join them for a sport and exercise extravaganza in Lincoln.

The event, which took place at Yarborough Leisure Centre on Tuesday 26th June 2012, was part of the Charity’s national initiative to encourage children to be more actively engaged in sport and exercise.

400 children from 4 different Lincolnshire schools attended the event to try a range of activities and take part in the Tryathlon. Activities included Swimming, Cycling and Running, plus Street Golf, Hockey, Lacrosse, Sitting Volleyball, New Age Curling, a Climbing Wall and Karate.

The purpose of the event was to help children discover new sports and exercise activities that they may not have tried before, and then offer them pathways to further continue their new found interest in this historic Olympic year. It also created a valuable opportunity to gain an insight into the attitudes and engagement of children towards physical activity.

The Kids Tryathlon concept began in 2011 as a positive way of influencing young people’s attitudes towards sport and exercise. The Lincoln event had particular significance since research in 2010 revealed that 19.5% of children aged 11 years old across the county were measured as obese.

The pilot event launched in 2011 was held across 3 venues in Southampton, Abingdon and Lincoln attracting over 900 children. Pre-event participants were surveyed to reveal that only 29% felt completely confident participating in sport and exercise and only 56% met the Department of Health’s recommended 5 x 30 minutes of activity per week. Post event the children were re-evaluated to discover that 94% of those who took part were more inclined to try out a new sport or exercise activity in future.

To continue last years success, this year Active Nation plans to make the event series bigger and better. Five more Kids Tryathlon events are planned for 2012 across Southampton, Chorley, Abingdon and South Derbyshire attracting 3,100 children in total.

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