Sports in winter

There is no doubt that activity during the summer months is different to activity during the autumn/winter period. That time of year is here again: children are returning to school, parents are preparing for the new school year and activity is changing. While some children were lucky enough to attend the Summer On The Move programme run by the Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport (KMS), these children, and others, could gain the same benefits by attending the Skolasport programme which begins in October.

It is a proven fact that regular exercise helps anyone, child or adult, to achieve all-round fitness, both mentally and physically. To a child, it may be seen as extreme to start understanding that exercise can prevent diabetes, cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke if one starts exercising from a young age. However, parents need to remember these facts if they truly want their child to have a healthy adulthood with minimal health problems.

The strength of bones and joints will all depend on the levels of physical activity during the critical developing years. Sustaining physical activity in young children until they reach their mid-20s will maximise peak bone mass. In addition, physical activity has been shown to be beneficial in alleviating the symptoms of any mental problems too. We may not think about children suffering from serious depression, especially in the way that adults do, however, it does happen. Substantial research has found exercise to be as effective in helping clinically depressed people as psychotherapy and drugs. So enrolling on a good sports and exercise programme has so many benefits that this time of year can't be missed.

The key issue in exercise and sport is to keep moving. If they don't attend a gym, adults are advised to walk or cycle to work - the KMS can offer various options on the Skolasport programme for children. In addition, the inclusion in group activities offers children the ability to mix in a socially acceptable way, gain self-confidence, observe the tutors and gain a good senior model in which to live their lives.

More importantly, in this time of emerging violence, it is important to offer developing children an interest to take them away from a possible life of crime, drugs or violence. Generally, children who have become interested, or passionate, in a sport rarely get involved in dubious pastimes. This has been proven and we recently observed it in action in the UK. In areas where there is a high crime rate and children are drawn into the drugs culture at a young age, an adventure playground emerged. In this playground of exercise and games, children aged four to 16 regularly came to take part in a variety of exercises and even learned to play chess.

Most of these children came from poor homes. Their home life was troubled and probably violent. However, the magnetic draw of this playground where so many types of sport and exercise were on offer, kept them returning day after day. Sometimes as many as a hundred attended, more importantly they queued outside the gates waiting for the playground to open. The manager of this paradise for the local children explained that his aim in life was to save as many of the children as possible from becoming what their siblings were. These brothers and sisters were often seen parading about, outside the gates of the adventure playground, selling drugs and carrying illegal weapons. He confirmed that in their older years many of the children who had attended the adventure playground regularly, went on to become involved in sports too - some even working for him.

There are so many benefits to an involvement in sports and exercise, that even if we don't have a comparable violent culture, we do have a programme in which can offer a great present and future to our children.

In October the KMS gears up to organise the largest school of sport in Malta. There are more than 1,500 members applying to take part in the sport activity programme; over 50 coaches and instructors; national sports associations, sports clubs and administrators of the top sporting venues all ready and waiting to offer an unrivalled programme to anyone wishing to join.

Skolasport has moved with the times. Every year there are new and improved methods included in the programme. Children are guided through a series of simple and effective activities and games which are designed to help them achieve competence in basic movement and sports related skills. The Foundation Programme is designed to start them off and provides movement activities for children aged four to five years. Subsequently, they build up the basic skills with various activities. The Participation Programme begins to refine the skills by offering children aged eight to ten a general idea of various sporting activities and team games.

By the age of 11, participants have the opportunity to enter the Performance Programme where they can choose from over 20 different sports disciplines ranging from athletics to volleyball, sailing to karate and go-karting to adventure sports.

Skolasports is organised by the Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport and sponsored by Kellogg's. This partnership has a common goal in the aspiration to provide and promote to children and adults a healthy and active lifestyle for all the reasons mentioned above and any others you can think of.

It is a continual 30-week programme for a fee of Lm20, which will take the children through the winter months, when parents will be content in the knowledge that their children are getting the best professional training in sports.

For further information, contact Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport on 2166 0658/9 or e-mail Tanya Zahra on programmes@sportmalta.org.mt, or visit www.sportmalta.org.mt

Ms Borg is director of Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport.