Schoolchildren across Flintshire have been getting ready for this year’s Festival of Youth Sport, where hundreds of them get the chance to enjoy a day of sporting fun!
The event, supported by Airbus and Sport Wales, will be held at Deeside College on Thursday 14 April 2011. The festival is the largest of its kind for schools in Wales and this year marks its fifth anniversary.
The festival will host nine sporting events in total – dodgeball, cricket, wheeled sports, street dance, basketball, cheerleading, girls football, girls netball, water polo.
Schools receive free coaching for the events they are entering in the run up to the festival.
At the Flint Skate Park, children have been learning skills in wheeled sports, including scootering, skate boarding and BMX.
Leo Jones, who’s 11, and from Cornist Park CP School in Flint, is keen to compete in the festival:
“I’m skateboarding so that I can be in the festival. I’m quite good. I already skateboard, I’ve been boarding for five years now. Alex, the coach, has been teaching me loads of stuff.”
Lewis Aldridge is ten and also from Cornist Park:
“I’m scootering. I find it more comfy than the bikes. I go on my scooter a lot. I’ve been learning lots of skills – bar spins, 360, and loads of stuff on the back wheels.”
Mr Dewi Hughes is their teacher at Cornist Park:
“The school is competing in the wheeled sports, dodgeball and girls football events. We’re doing those sports because we wanted to target the children who haven’t taken part in the Festival of Youth Sport in previous years, and those who don’t take part in the usual school sports, things like football, rugby, and athletics.
“Some of the children here haven’t represented the school at anything before, so it’s a nice opportunity for them to do that too.”
Alex Gray is the Wheeled Sports Development officer for Flintshire County Council, and he’s been coaching the children:
“We’ve chosen the Flint Skate Park for the coaching sessions, so everyone practises here and then the competition will be here too, so it’s fair.
“We’re looking at encouraging the first timers too, and those who then choose to take the sport on. It’s an alternative sport, if you like.
“We really want to break down those barriers and show children that this is a fun place to come in their own time.”
And that’s a key aspect of the festival – organisers Sport Flintshire are keen to ensure that many of the activities continue after the festival has finished, encouraging children to go on with their selected sport.
Julie Rice-Williams, Sport Flintshire, said: “This is an amazing opportunity for Flintshire children to participate in a range of activities which are not only great fun but help keep them fit and active too.”
Paul Mckinlay, Vice-President and Head of Broughton Plant, Airbus in the UK, said: “The previous festivals over the past four years have been a huge success and again Airbus is delighted to be supporting this fantastic event. Airbus is keen to be a part of promoting sport in Flintshire, both through this festival and also through our commitment to the Flintshire Sports Personality Awards.
“As one of the biggest employers in the county we are committed to playing an active role in developing opportunities for young people within the community.
“The Festival of Youth Sport is a tremendous opportunity for young people to develop skills they will find useful in later life, whilst having fun and enjoying a wide range of sports and activities.”
Graham Williams from Sport Wales, said:
“Sport Wales is delighted to once again be working in partnership with Sport Flintshire’s Festival of Youth Sport and Airbus.
“This is our fifth year of involvement with this excellent event, which has made huge inroads towards achieving our ambitions to get ‘every child hooked on sport for life’ and to create ‘a nation of champions.’
“The Festival of Youth Sport represents more than just one day of fun. This innovative event is helping to give local youngsters the essential skills for a life in sport in their community.”
