The World Championship Athletics in Berlin was one of the best I can remember.
Tainted by drug scandals and performed in front of increasingly sparse crowds, athletics has needed a shot in the arm for some time and hopefully this excellent championships can go some way to providing it.
Usain Bolt is nothing short of a phenomenon, and his sensational double world record cements his status as the most famous sportsman on the planet. Outrageously talented and effortlessly charismatic, he could fill any stadium anywhere in the world. He is the best thing to happen to athletics in a long time.
There were other great moments too. One of the most dramatic was when German high jumper Ariane Friedrich ran up in a completely silent stadium, before sailing over the bar and being greeted by a sudden eruption of noise.
As a Sheffield based company, though, we have to give the biggest mention to Jessica Ennis, who led from the front to become the new heptathlon World Champion. She took up athletics after attending a summer athletics week at the city's Don Valley Stadium. It just goes to show what the possibilites are if youngsters can be encouraged to give sport a go.
With superstars like Bolt and role models like Ennis, now is the perfect time to get more young people involved in athletics. The London 2012 Olympics represent a once in a generation opportunity to inspire young people to take up athletics and leave a legacy of a more healthy and successful nation. And if they're half as good as Berlin, we're in for a treat.
Thursday 27 August 2009
Wednesday 12 August 2009
Xoolon to launch new app!
PCs, mobile phones, MP3s. In recent years these products have transformed from relative luxuries to lifestyle essentials. Whether it is for making videos, taking pictures, listening to music or simply chatting, they are a ubiquitous part of modern life. For the current generation of young people, their presence is a given and using them is second nature - they are unafflicted by technophobia!
At Xoolon, we think that this represents a fantastic opportunity. That is why we are developing a new app for the iPhone and iPod touch, which will be available from Apple's app store.
By tapping into technology savvy young people and making the whole Xoolon experience more interactive, we feel that we can add another level of interest to our project and entice more young people into doing sport. The new app will enable youngsters to easily set up their own Xoolon games, record, submit and compare results and share them along with their thoughts via facebook, twitter and e-mail. It will also allow the quick and easy submission of scores after school or a training session so that an accurate and up to date record of sporting progress is maintained.
Our experience in schools suggests that young people are very keen to use this technology. Within minutes of letting them loose they are uploading results and comparing with friends - with the competitive spirit very much in evidence! Even those who would not normally be 'sporty' get sucked in by the excitement which is generated, and want to have a go themselves. This demonstrates to us that phones and computers can, within the right context, be very valuable educational and motivational tools. They are not just the unwelcome distraction which they are often viewed as. Sometimes the kids just need to be freed to have a go!
We are very hopeful that by intertwining sport and technology, we can get more kids engaged in sport and take Xoolon to a new level - we certainly think that this is the way forward.
What do you think - do you agree? Do you think the app is a good idea? We'd love to hear plenty of feedback on this, so leave your comments below!
At Xoolon, we think that this represents a fantastic opportunity. That is why we are developing a new app for the iPhone and iPod touch, which will be available from Apple's app store.
By tapping into technology savvy young people and making the whole Xoolon experience more interactive, we feel that we can add another level of interest to our project and entice more young people into doing sport. The new app will enable youngsters to easily set up their own Xoolon games, record, submit and compare results and share them along with their thoughts via facebook, twitter and e-mail. It will also allow the quick and easy submission of scores after school or a training session so that an accurate and up to date record of sporting progress is maintained.
Our experience in schools suggests that young people are very keen to use this technology. Within minutes of letting them loose they are uploading results and comparing with friends - with the competitive spirit very much in evidence! Even those who would not normally be 'sporty' get sucked in by the excitement which is generated, and want to have a go themselves. This demonstrates to us that phones and computers can, within the right context, be very valuable educational and motivational tools. They are not just the unwelcome distraction which they are often viewed as. Sometimes the kids just need to be freed to have a go!
We are very hopeful that by intertwining sport and technology, we can get more kids engaged in sport and take Xoolon to a new level - we certainly think that this is the way forward.
What do you think - do you agree? Do you think the app is a good idea? We'd love to hear plenty of feedback on this, so leave your comments below!
Wednesday 5 August 2009
Poll reveals extent of inactivity
A poll commissioned by the government's Schools Department has revealed the extent of inactivity amongst five to 19 year olds. The results, published last week, show that 23 per cent of children and young people participate in no organised sport whatsoever, with that figure rising to 58 per cent among 16 to 19 year olds.
The results are something of an embarrassment for the government, coming two years on from its pledge to get all young people doing five hours of sport a week. They also give further ammunition to those who argue that deep-rooted change is needed if Britain is to get more young people active and limit the extent of an impending obesity crisis.
Schools Minister Ian Wright said that the design of the poll could have distorted the results. Mori (which carried out the poll) asked respondents how much organised sport they had taken part in during the previous seven days. Wright claimed this could have led to anomalous results due to 'one-off timetable changes or absences'. This is a somewhat unconvincing explanation given that the poll was carried out over the whole of 2008 and included some 12,000 children - more than enough to smooth out any anomalies.
In reality, the results are the product of PE and competitive sport being long undervalued in the curriculum, too little collaboration between schools and clubs and a lack of creative thinking when it comes to engaging young people in sport. Unless or until the government starts focusing its attention on these essentials of a strong sporting culture, rather than cringe worthy nanny-state adverts telling us not to sit on the couch stuffing our faces, then this sorry state of affairs will continue.
The full findings of the poll can be viewed at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR135(R).pdf
The results are something of an embarrassment for the government, coming two years on from its pledge to get all young people doing five hours of sport a week. They also give further ammunition to those who argue that deep-rooted change is needed if Britain is to get more young people active and limit the extent of an impending obesity crisis.
Schools Minister Ian Wright said that the design of the poll could have distorted the results. Mori (which carried out the poll) asked respondents how much organised sport they had taken part in during the previous seven days. Wright claimed this could have led to anomalous results due to 'one-off timetable changes or absences'. This is a somewhat unconvincing explanation given that the poll was carried out over the whole of 2008 and included some 12,000 children - more than enough to smooth out any anomalies.
In reality, the results are the product of PE and competitive sport being long undervalued in the curriculum, too little collaboration between schools and clubs and a lack of creative thinking when it comes to engaging young people in sport. Unless or until the government starts focusing its attention on these essentials of a strong sporting culture, rather than cringe worthy nanny-state adverts telling us not to sit on the couch stuffing our faces, then this sorry state of affairs will continue.
The full findings of the poll can be viewed at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RR135(R).pdf
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