Kathy Stewart, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – A group of 125 Prince George’s County school children were invited to “Train with the Terps” for several hours on Saturday morning at the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center in College Park, Md.
“We had the entire men’s lacrosse team come and work with the students,” says Cheryl Harrison the university’s senior assistant athletic director for community relations and stewardship.
Students were split into groups and cycled through four different exercise stations with coaches and lacrosse players leading them through 15-minute sessions at each station. The students were challenged with circuit training exercises and an agility course – a floor step ladder course – and a mini-hurdle course.
Mya Harrison, a fifth grader from Perrywood Elementary in Largo, Md. came with her mother (who graduated from the university) and her younger brother, Marc, who’s in second grade.
“This is so much fun. It’s fitness and stuff. I was so excited when I saw the Comcast Center, it was really fun,” Harrison says. She adds on the way to the event she got the bonus of seeing where her mother lived as a student.
The hope is that the kids take home an understanding of how important exercise is teamed up with making better food choices for a better and healthier life.
This day came about after learning of the county’s epidemic of childhood diabetes while she was meeting with the county executive’s chief of staff, she added.
The university’s team doctor Yvette Brooks also offered nutrition tips at the fitness event. Brooks has been studying ways to combat childhood obesity. This was a natural way for the university to partner with Prince George’s County, according to Cheryl Harrison with the university.
Following the workout, the group of students attended the men’s basketball game against Virginia Tech for free.
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