Surfing and rock climbing in Edmonton are next for Lloydminster Comprehensive High School (LCHS) student athletes in the new Athletics Pathways program.
They’re going to surf at West Edmonton Mall before heading to Vertically Inclined for two hours of rock climbing.
Student-athletes got their final fix of cross-training at the Fight Farm in October.
“We’re building their athlete toolbox, so to speak,” said Natalie Wiebe. Wiebe is the lead instructor for the Grade 10 and 11 athlete development pathway.
Wiebe is also an instructor within the Lloydminster Public School Division sports academy system.
“Our students get to participate in sport-specific training, but we’re also looking at doing various activities in sports to work within different health and skill-related fitness components,” she explained.
Athletic Pathways also focuses on sports nutrition, mental performance, anatomy and biomechanics, some sports injury management as well as look at leadership skills like volunteerism, communication, conflict and working within a team.
The Fight Farm’s offering of Brazilian Jui Jitsu, kickboxing, Muay Thai and mixed martial arts gives students another opportunity to tap into their athleticism.
Facility owner, Garrett Tepper, who has a 4th-degree black belt in kickboxing, talked about how the different styles of fighting benefit students at a session on Oct. 24.
“Today, we’re doing, kind of an introduction to kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, so a little bit of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, some wrestling,” said Tepper.
“Basically, it’s team building, but just showing the benefits of what mixed martial arts can do for athletes, all types of athletes.”
Tepper thinks kickboxing is great for core balance, cardiovascular, muscle endurance and building confidence.
Kate Fink, a Grade 11 track athlete who focuses on the 100m and 400m hurdles was learning some Muay Thai from Tepper.
“This helps me with my coordination as a hurdler,” she said, while sparring with classmate Izzy Sebree, an experienced Muay Thai fighter.
“It’s actually pretty good,” she said.
Fink was also having fun learning to defend herself and do some boxing too with Tepper demonstrating the various offensive and defensive moves for the class.
Some of the other cross-training students involved play specific sports such as gymnastics, football, dance, and volleyball and basketball.
“This type of activity allows our kids to try different sports and different activities where they are using their bodies in different ways than what they’re typically accustomed to doing within their given sport,” said Wiebe.
“Then you just see the benefit of the cross-training going back to their main sport down the road.”
Surfing will take place on a Nov. 7 outing to Edmonton, one of two excursions a year in the fall and the spring for the Athletic Pathways students.
“It’s a really neat opportunity for them just to be able to, one, get outside of the city of Lloydminster and two, to participate in an activity that they’ll really get to test some of their athleticism,” said Wiebe.
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