Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/117128
Brian francis Left: Donald Watts��� basketball program is a popular athletics offering. Right: Junior Fit with trainer Will Hicks is designed for 12- to 15-year-olds. Designed for ages 6���14, the event takes participants through the customary three legs, using stationary bikes, the running track, and the pool. This year���s triathlon is slated for Saturday, April 27. ���It���s very fun,��� Darin says. ���We���ll get about a dozen kids who will come in and start training for it. They���ll get used to riding the bike and will get swim instruction and running instruction.��� On the day of the event, the kids will bike, run and swim���in that order���in age-group categories with varying race distances. Afterward, snacks and a pool party cap off the event. ���You compete, you eat, and then you play,��� Darin says. Of course, it���s play with a purpose. ���The WAC provides an avenue so kids can stay active,��� says Will. ���Plus, they can have some fun and burn off some of that kid energy.��� teens take center stage ���The focus will be on uniting younger WAC members and providing an avenue for lasting friendships.��� New activities focus on middle and high school students H ip hop got a big thumbs up. Ditto for glassblowing, community service projects, and a pizza-making class���all ideas that were discussed at the WAC���s first meeting of its new Teen Advisory Panel. The panel is ���all about getting our teens at the Club more involved,��� says Mary Ellen Jilek, a Club Programs event coordinator. ���The majority of kids who come to Club 32 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | MARCH 2013 Programs events are in elementary school. We see a drop-off between middle school and high school. We want to change that and create great events for teens, too.��� To that end, the Family Activities Committee and Mary Ellen, along with Aquatics Supervisor Jennifer Mesler and Athletic Programs Manager Darin Barr, created a panel to come up with new ideas��� and new ways to reach 12- to 17-year olds.