A YEAR'S worth of practicing tricks with a skipping rope in the playground came to an exciting conclusion at the fourth annual Celebration of Skipping.
The event was hosted by last year’s winner of the overall school skipping award, Sulby Primary School.
All of the Island’s primary schools were invited to take part in the celebration morning which was held on Tuesday.
The event gave pupils of all ages a chance to demonstrate skipping skills that they set to music. Six schools from across the Island took up the challenge to perform to an audience of parents, other schools and invited guests.
The Department of Health’s Public Health Directorate, along with the Department of Education’s Skimmee Gien Mie, supported by Isle of Man Anti-Cancer Association, have worked hard to promote skipping as a fun and healthy physical activity for schools.
Public Health now has a qualified Level 2 Rope Skipping Coach on their team, able to visit schools and encourage the development of skipping to a high level.
As part of the skipping project the skipping challenge website www.skipping.gov.im allows pupils from across the Island’s schools to log on and record their scores for challenges on the leader board and compare their achievements to other pupils in the Island.
Health Minister David Anderson MHK said: "First of all congratulations and well done to the winners. I personally think this is a great initiative which will keep children fit and healthy.
"There are great benefits which can be gained from activities like this and by doing so, children are helping to prevent health problems which could occur later in life.
"I enjoy hearing about schemes like this which help children get active and I encourage programs like this which help the Island's communities."
This year’s winners of the Isle of Man Anti-Cancer Association Award for Overall Achievement went to Fairfield School who have gone from strength to strength in skipping since starting a club at the school in 2009.
Other winners for the 2009/2010 individual awards went to pupils from Cronk y Berry and Fairfield Schools.
The Public Health Directorate would like to thank all those involved for making the day a success. In particular the Skimmee Gien Mie team who have partnered the project from its inception, and will no longer be able to provide the support for future events.
From September the Children’s Centre will be taking up the role as partner in this project, with continued support from Isle of Man Anti-Cancer Association.
