A really fun and important day!
Saturday September 27th 2014 marked the official start of Change the Game, a project that aims to cultivate a new way of thinking when it comes to children and sports. This knowledge comes from new research and the ultimate goal is for children to have more fun playing sports, live longer, healthier lives and as an added bonus increase their chances of becoming really good in sport in the long run.
Change the Game was launched by inviting children, young people, parents and trainers to a training camp together with some of Sweden’s top sporting stars. Throughout the day children got a chance to try out new training exercises alongside their sporting idols. At the same time parents and trainers were invited to learn about some of the latest research on how best to nurture our children’s sporting talent and health through a series of lectures and seminars held by leading figures in their field. In other words it was fun and educational, both on and off the track!
Date: September 27th 2014
Time: 10 am–4 pm
Location: Gammlia Sports Centre
Those invited: Any child and young person, regardless of whether they were new to sport or already active. In addition all parents, trainers and other interested parties were invited to take part in the seminars we held during this action-packed day.
Participation at Change the Game was totally free for both children and adults.
Star Raiders
Children aged 7–12 got the chance to make their way through an activity course adjusted to their specific age called Star Raiders. The exercises were designed to be a fun way to challenge and test their all-round skills in combination with various sport-specific elements.
Location Excel Arena
Star Raiders was hosted by Heidi Andersson, the arm wrestler from Ensamheten and Johan Andreasson from SISU idrottsutbildarna.
The course consisted of six challenging exercises:
- The Scorpion (reaction/coordination)
On a given signal use your agility and go on the attack! - Taurus (Ballistics)
In this exercise you need to be as strong as an ox to move big and heavy exercise balls. - Libra (balance)
This element challenges you to keep your balance. - Pisces (Interval and directional change)
Here you become one of the river’s precious fish, resting against the imaginary current for a short moment before bursting into life and swimming upstream, changing direction rapidly as you go. - Leo (speed and strength)
In this exercise you become the king of the jungle, using your speed and ability to leap into action. - Capricorn (function)
Pretend you’re an agile goat, jumping and crawling your way to your goal.
Two of these sporting stars were guest coaches at every session: Björn Ferry. Per Elofsson. Emma Berglund, Umeå IK. Danny Persson, Umeå FC. Lisa Blomkvist and Charlotta Säfvenberg, UHSK. Stefan Öhman & Alexander Hellström, Björklöven. Lisa & Carolina Miskovsky. Alexander Bodén, IBK Dalen. Josefina Eiremo, IKSU innebandy.
Head Coach and designer: Johan Andreasson, SISU idrottsutbildarna.
The exercises in Star Raiders, along with illustrations, instructions and goals are available to download here.
