by Larry Eder
Olympic gold medalist Ashton Eaton visits Boise to promote Run With US!
10-23-13
INDIANAPOLIS – The children at three Treasure Valley elementary schools in Boise, ID were given an early Halloween treat last week when Olympic gold medalist Ashton Eaton made a special appearance to demonstrate the USATF Foundation’s Run With US! program.
Thanks to the USATF Foundation and Health Teacher, the interactive game Run With US! is bringing physical activity right into classrooms across America. In each Run With US! event, Olympic athletes show students skills and techniques that can be completed while standing next to a desk.
Each Run With US! classroom break lasts 3-5 minutes as kids exercise along with track & field stars on video. Research shows this activity is not only great exercise but has a positive impact on student engagement, behavior, and achievement.
Amity Elementary student Isaac Niederer testified to
the enjoyment of the game and the javelin, in particular, “I’ve always thought like, I don’t think I would be able to do that, but it seems like it would be fun.”
Eaton won the gold medal in the decathlon at the London Olympics in 2012 and is one of 10 track & field stars featured in the Run With US! game.
“Being able to interact with kids in a way that they are later talking about with their friends is pretty cool,” said Eaton. “I just heard one kid yell to another that he got 12 feet in the long jump.”
The USATF Foundation expects to employ more track & field stars in 2014 as they plan to bring the game to even more school districts. The Run With US! game, as part of Health Teacher’s GoNoodle suite of brain break games, is currently being used in over 9,000 schools throughout the U.S.
About the USATF Foundation
The USATF Foundation provides a means to attract and guide funds to new and innovative track and field programs with an emphasis on providing opportunities for youth athletes, emerging elite athletes, distance training centers and anti-doping education. The Foundation depends upon donations from its Board of Directors, major gifts, and from generous fans of track & field.
Elite athletes are supported by the Foundation via monetary grants, career counseling (mentoring and jobs) and participation in Run with US! (www.rwus-now.org). Youth athletes are supported via monetary grants to youth clubs.
For more information, or to contribute to the USA Track & Field Foundation, visit www.usatffoundation.org
About Health Teacher
Health Teacher is the interactive leader in youth health. Through our growing network of 12,000+ schools, Health Teacher is reaching over 7 million kids with games, apps and educational resources that make health awesome.
