Concept

ROZA Kids’ Athletics project was conceived with the recognition to promote the health of youth at an early age so they would grow up to be not only strong and healthy but also athletically capable. It focuses on physical movement skills of primary schools kids that are vital to develop their capability for various kinds of athletics and enhance their quality of life.

Purpose

The project aims to develop youth who appreciate the spirit of competition, win or lose, and the benefit of living in harmony with others, working as a team, and making sacrifices, thereby producing the nation’s new generation of good, worthy young people.

Activities

The project comprises numerous stages:

Stage I. Train the Trainers: the first and essential step for getting off to a good start

• Training Instructors

Training on coaching methods is provided for instructors and physical education teachers from schools in five provinces, namely Udon Thani, Bueng Kan, Nong Khai, Nong Bua Lamphu and Loei.

Stage II. Providing Opportunities: step ahead positively for improving capability

• Training students and youth
• Recruiting students to the project

Instructors, already well trained, conduct workshop and coach participating students as well as youths selected from competitions held in the five provinces.

Stage III. Final Round: fast forward to the finishing line for achieving excellence

• 8 representative teams of the provinces compete in the final round

ROZA Kids’ Athletics competition consists of eight events. Competitors must complete all the events and the scores obtained by each event make up the final score of each team. The  eight athletic events are as follows:

1. FORMULA ONE

Type of Competition:

The Formula One race is multifaceted as it combines forward roll, sprint, slalom and hurdles clearance. Each one in the team must complete all athletic activities performed on the ground.

Scoring System

Each team is scored based on the time taken to complete the race; the quicker the time the higher the score.

Safety Measures & Instructions

The course spans 60-70 meters and is adequately fitted with equipment for the safety of participants.

2. SPEED LADDER

Type of Competition:

Competitors must run between every rung of a ladder and holes of a table top laid on the ground between two marker cones that are 9.5 meters apart. Any one running over more than one rung at a time is penalized and is required to run an additional one meter as the marker cone in moved further by the supervisor. The competitor must touch the marker cone and run back the same way and touch the first starting marker cone. The competitor runs the course two times and only the fastest time of the two is scored.

Scoring System

Each team is scored based on the time taken to complete the race; the quicker the time the higher the score.

Safety Measures & Instructions  

The ladder is safely positioned on the ground that is soft and not slippery.

3. CROSS HOP

Type of Competition:

With two feet placed together, the competitor must hop from the center square to the square in front and back to the center, then to the square behind and back to the center, and to the square on the left and back and finally to the square on the right and back to the center. The hops must be done within 15 seconds and a point is scored for each square covered. Two rounds are given to each competitor, with only the round with the most points is taken into account.

Scoring System

Each team is judged and scored only on the hops that are correctly performed.

Safety Measures & Instructions  

The ground for the athletic event is not slippery, and the squares are clearly marked.

4. SPRINT/HURDLES SHUTTLE RELAY

Type of Competition:

The course consists of two lanes, one with and the other without hurdles.

Team members must sprint in relay by starting out from the lane with hurdles. The relay race is run by passing on a soft rubber loop instead of a relay baton to the next runner.

Scoring System

Scores are given according to the time taken to complete the course; the faster the time the higher score.

Safety Measures & Instructions

The ground of the race course is soft, not slippery, and the hurdles are safely positioned and appropriately selected to suit the age group of the teams competing.

5. PRECISION THROW

Type of Competition:

Throw a light instrument across the hurdle about 2.5 m high to hit a target 2.5 m from the hurdle. The thrower must compete by standing at 5, 6, 7 and 8 meters away from the target, and has three attempts from each distance. A score of 2, 3, 4 and 5 points are given for completing the throw at 5, 6, 7 and 8 meters away from the target, respectively. Any throw not hitting the target is counted only as one point.

Scoring System

The teams are scored by tallying the score of each member of the team.

Safety Measures & Instructions  

The instrument selected is safe for throwing, and a practice session is organized for all members of participating teams.

6. KNEE THROW

Type of Competition:

Each competitor is given two attempts to throw from a kneeling position a medicine ball weighing one kilogram on to a rubber cushion.

Scoring System

The score of each team is based on the total distance tallied from each team; the farther the total distance thrown the higher the score.

Safety Measures & Instructions 

Team members are advised not to throw but roll or hand the medicine ball to the next person.

7. FORWARD SQUAT JUMP

Type of Competition:

The first team member jumps forward from a squat position and the landing point nearest to the starting line is marked by the supervisor. Falling back on the ground and contact made with any part of the body is also marked as the landing point from which the next team member does the forward squat jump, and so on to the last member of the team.

Scoring System

Teams are scored in accordance with the total distance covered; the farther the distance the higher the score.

Safety Measures & Instructions

The ground selected for the athletic event is soft and not slippery, and team members are advised on how to jump safely.

8. 8-Minute Long Run

Type of Competition:

This long run requires each team member to complete as many laps as possible of the 150-meter track. The runner carries a card, ball or any other item that is passed on to the next team member to continue the run.  The whistle is blown after reaching every seven minutes to alert the runner and at the completion of the eight-minute run.

Scoring System

Scores are given based on the total laps run by each team; the higher the laps the higher the score.

Safety Measures & Instructions

Markers distinctly placed on the track for all teams to be fully aware, and each team is fully instructed prior to the run.

The scores from all the athletic events completed by each team are tallied to determine how the teams are ranked.