Through the running, zumba, cycling, weight training, step classes and hip hop, we lost some of our participants, but in the end, there was a core group of kids who stuck with it. Yesterday was the last day of the program and I got to watch our instructor walk with the kids up the stairs from the Fitness Center as they were headed home.
You know that look on the face of the guy who just got named MVP at the end of the Superbowl as he announces he's going to DisneyWorld? How he's covered in confetti and wearing that cap with the team logo and the tag still on it and he's grinning from ear to ear and holding his kid and almost in tears. You know the look right? Think Jerome Bettis when he finally won the Superbowl in Detroit. Think Boston Red Sox in a giant pile at the pitcher's mound after finally breaking the curse.
The look on the faces of the handful of kids in this program blew that away. Now these are kids that have never been exposed to exercise before. Before the class, they'd have sat at home eating nachos and watching television. Now they've had the door opened to all these new and fun ways to live a healthier lifestyle. And I think that's the key. It's our responsibility - not just the Y but ALL of us - to introduce kids to the idea that health doesn't have to mean dull, difficult monotonous minutes on a treadmill or elliptical machine. It can be dancing, hiking or swimming. And while we're at it, it can be fun for adults too.
You know what else was cool - that same smile was spread across the face of our instructor. She talked about the experience for another 20 minutes after the kids left. So in showing these kids a new way, her spirit was fed too.
And now writing about it, I'm smiling too. Come to think of it, at the end of the game, the whole team was celebrating.
