From left, Sarah McGrath and Sophia Ambrose, first graders at Colvin Rum Elementary, try to climb the gym rope while volunteer Sabrina Thomas cheers them on. Photo by Alex McVeigh.
Vienna — Students at Colvin Run Elementary School got a little extra time in the gym Monday, March 5 and they were able to raise funds for the American Heart Association while they did it. The school hosted a Jump for the Heart event, where children could jump in many different ways to learn the importance of physical activities.
Students jumped rope alone or with friends, climbed the rope, played Wii and even tried to jump a length that was equal to their height as part of the event. They had a chance to stay at each station for about four minutes before moving onto the rest.
"Doing double dutch jump ropes was the hardest by far," said fourth grader Aly Trumbull, referring to a game where two people help two different jump ropes that students had to jump over. "It’s really hard to jump and duck at the exact same time."
Other students preferred the more familiar games.
"I like played with the Wii, because it’s cool to play a video game in school," said fourth grader Evan Bremser. "Plus it was fun to dance along with the game and make sure we were moving right."
The "Jump You" game didn’t allow any student to have an advantage based on their size. Children first lay down on a mat, and the length of their body was marked with a piece of plastic. Then they had to try and jump father than the plastic.
"It was really hard to jump myself, especially since they didn’t give us a running start," said Emilie Gregory, a fourth grader. "But at least it wasn’t easier for taller people, they have long legs, but they also have to jump farther."