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Tri-County Sunday
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DuBOIS - According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 9 million U.S. children, or 16 percent, are overweight. The rate of overweight Pennsylvania children is 18 percent - exceeding the national average.
How is the DuBois Area YMCA combating this issue?
CEO Dan Dowling's answer is - with video games.
The YMCA now offers a sports wall, Dance Dance Revolution, Expresso Bikes and a Wii Fitness system to enhance the traditional activities offered at the center, such as basketball, dodge ball, swimming and weight training.
The DuBois Rotary Club contributed $16,500 to the project and JCPenney contributed $6,200. The set of interactive systems cost approximately $25,000.
The systems in the YMCA's "Interactive Zone" have been in place since mid-July and are available to children 17 and under.
"They (the youth participants) relate to computer games and animation and they go crazy with this stuff," Dowling said. "Most adults wouldn't come over and use these computer games because they think it's hard, but the kids just jump right on them."
Dowling stumbled upon the idea of video game fitness while going on a "fact finding mission" to other YMCAs. While in the Virginia Beach area, he found an interactive program using video games and brought the idea home.
"They're (the YMCA in Virginia Beach) a more advanced association, whereas we're a more rural one, so I went there looking for ideas that we could use here to meet our needs," Dowling said. "I had seen information on this for years, but I had to see it in action. I was impressed by how much the kids enjoyed it and how they used it with such ease,"
With the system in place and operating, Dowling said it puts the DuBois Area YMCA ahead of the game, as most YMCA centers are just starting to look into these kinds of systems.
The interactive zone enables youth to use high tech equipment to keep active and excited about fitness while having fun. "It sort of tricks them into exercising," Dowling said.
Expresso bikes are cardio workout bikes which have a screen attached. Bikers can choose different terrain courses or games to help them interact with the bike. What makes them even more radical is the bikes are connected to the Internet so bikers can compete against each other and against other people with the bike systems. Dowling said even though bikers cannot communicate through the system, they are still able to race against other people from all over the world.
The YMCA has staff available who have been trained on the equipment and are present to supervise its use.
"All the games are based around friendly competition. The kids like the competition, but the best part is anyone can play," Dowling said.
With DDR, children pick a song, stand on a "dance platform" and hit colored arrows laid out in a cross with their feet to musical and visual cues. Players are judged by how well they time their dance to the patterns presented to them and are allowed to choose more music to play to if they receive a passing score.
While two players go head-to-head on the flat screen television, two other pads set up so the players "on deck" can practice along with the song before it's their turn to compete.
Dowling admitted he tried DDR, just once, and wasn't quite sure how the children are so good at it.
The interactive zone is also home to a Nintendo Wii, which can be used to bowl and box, as well as to play tennis, golf, and baseball. Using a motion activated controller, rather than just using their thumbs, players use their arms and legs to play.
The Sport Wall is in the side gymnasium area. The wall has a series of lights, as well as a series of 60 games which can be played on it. Some games can be played individual, or in a group or relay style. When a light is lit on the wall, gamers throw balls, bean bags, or run up and hit the lights with noodles. Dowling said the Sport Wall is an excellent way to develop hand-eye coordination.
According to the 2006 report of Gov. Ed Rendell's cabinet on children and families, in the last 30 years, the obesity rate for 2- to 5-year-olds and 12- to 19-year-olds has doubled. The obesity rate for children 6 to 11 has tripled. Furthermore, adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
During the summer, the interaction zone is used by walk-ins, as well as children who are involved in camps at the YMCA. The interactive zone is used during the hottest hours of the day, so groups can come inside and beat the heat, or when it is raining out.
"During the year, we have a lot of kids from the middle school coming down after school. Some go and play dodgeball or use the weight room, but there are a lot of kids sitting around texting," Dowling said. "We knew we needed something that related to that age group."
Regardless of physical ability or age, users of any of the interactive games gain increased balance strength, endurance and flexibility while enhancing motor coordination.
"The YMCA feels that childhood obesity is one of the most complex, multi-faceted public health problems in recent years," Dowling said. "To counter increasing childhood obesity, the YMCA wanted to continue to live up to its signature of building strong kids, strong families and strong communities by providing physical activities that relate to this computer, video game generation as well as to sports-oriented kids."
With more and more interactive games coming out, he said, the center hopes to expand its interactive zone by the end of 2009.
