Takitumu sports day in red

The Takitumu Primary School sports ground will be a sea of red today as the school takes a day out off the classroom for its mini Olympics sports day.

Prior to today’s big sports day at the school – teachers spent time with athletics coach Ake Hosea-Winterflood learning new ways of delivering fun athletics activities for their students.

Hosea delivered the ‘lecturers in athletics projects’ course to teachers with the aim of giving them skills to run efficient, effective and fun athletics programmes for kids.

While the focus is fun, there is also an emphasis on proper coaching to help develop the raw talents of Rarotonga kids.

The course is an IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) programme which Hosea has trained to deliver after attending workshops overseas.

The workshop at Takitumu yesterday was the sixth of its kind taught to teachers by Hosea who plans to keep sharing her knowledge of athletics coaching to as many teachers as she can.

Hosea uses a variety of equipment, provided by IAAF to help train kids and share the fun of athletics.

Athletics equipment including slalom poles, mini hurdles, throwing rings and discs provided by IAAF has been given to the Ministry of Education as well as sent to islands of Aitutaki and Atiu for the kids there.

The Takitumu kids athletics day today is also a build up to the inter primary school Prince of Wales athletics day scheduled for Wednesday, September 19, hosted by Arorangi School.

Hosea is also running her regular ANZ Tamariki Sports Programme to help prepare kids for the annual athletics meet with the next session running on Monday from 4.30pm at the BCI Stadium.

Meanwhile parents of kids attending Takitumu School are encouraged to get along to the school sports grounds today to cheer on all the tamariki in what should be a fun day.