IT'S TIME TO REVITALIZE PE PROGRAMS Gym Class Warming Up to Run at Recess, Photo by Carol Goodrwo Article by Char Simons GYM CLASS and education reform - the two are rarely uttered in the same breath. It's hoped that will start to change. "The more I research this, the more I become alarmed. The health of our kids is at stake, and right now, no one seems to be too concerned," said River Ridge High School track coach, Bryan Hoddle, the chair of a new USA Track and Field task force on physical education reform. "We think we have a health-care crisis in this country right now? Wait 20 and 30 years when these kids become adults. Then we'll see a real health-care crisis that'll make the current one look mild." Hoddle and a group of physical education teachers, coaches, and public health officials from around the state and nation are sowing the seeds for what they hope will be a national campaign similar in scope to the antismoking messages of recent years. Like other social ills such as teen pregnancy and smoking, solutions will require coalition-building. Part of the answer will be a major push for tougher K-12 physical education standards, which has been the object of bipartisan neglect. While reading and math reforms have already been implemented, standards for PE have already been delayed twice by the state legislature - at a savings of $300,000, said Kevin Know, spokesman for the Northwest Division of the American Cancer Society, which works with schools on fitness and nutrition education. "We're waiting for the 2009-2010 implementation. the health and fitness teachers are ready to implement it," he said. Bill Roe, a professor at Western Washington University and president of USA Track and Field, agrees that PE reform is barely on the radar screen of the public and lawmakers. "Altogether too many people think of education reform on the academic side," Roe said. "This whole initiative will probably have to be a state-by-state attack." One in five kids is considered overweight or obese. Children are spending up to five hours a day watching TV - and that's not counting computer time. Obesity is expected to lead to 300,000 deaths and cost more than $100 billion this year alone. Only smoking causes more preventable deaths, says the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC). At least 70 precent of overweight children will be overweight adults, putting them at greater risk for heart disease and diabetes. Type II diabetes, once seen only in overweight adults, now accounts for up to one-third of new cases at many pediatric diabetes centers, according to the American Diabetes Association. "From a coaching perspective, I have to spend much more time getting kids into shape before I can actually coach them," said Hoddle, a 20-year coaching veteran, whose proteges include state track and field champions Janae Young and LaShonda Christopher. The numbers bear Hoddle out. Of the more than 100 responses to an on-line survey by the Washington State Cross Country and Track and Field Association www.watfxc.com High school graduates in Washington need fewer than two years of PE. That's not counting the fact that most elementary schools don't have PE specialists. Nationally, just half of all students are enrolled in PE, and daily participation dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 29 percent in 1999, says the CDC. Sixty-eight percent of respondents say their schools do not give the President's Physical Fitness Test. There is a lack of accountability and measurable fitness standards. Getting a waiver from PE is easy, reported 58 percent of respondents. Reforms need to include mandatory PE for all kids, more make-'em-sweat curriculum and cutting the rampant use of PE waivers are needed, proponents say. "So does that mean we waive math if a student is in math club after school or sciecne if they are in science club?" Hoddle said. "Yes, college-bound students need high-level coursework, but at the expense of their health? "This isn't about good and bad PE teachers. It's about a return to fitness-based PE, like jogging and jumping. There is a lot of emphasis on game sports, but kids aren't learning motor movements." While PE reformers claim the issue is non-partisan, it is. Part of the problem is with big business and the corporatization fo schools, which increasingly rely on fast food and soft drink sales to fund a variety of activities, including sports. In the past six years, about 250 U.S. school districts have signed marketing deals with soft drink companies, making the high-calorie liquid candy more accessible than ever. A special federal report on youth fitness last year recommended a media campaign to counter fast-food and soda industries. No action has been taken. PE reformers are hopeful taht a new era is about to dawn. "Maybe people don't know the facts. Once you educate the public, you get some action," Hoddle said. INFORMATION Resources, references, and links about exercise recommendations. AHA Recommendations For Adults The AHA recommends that people work up to 30 minutes of vigorous cardiovascular exercise on a daily basis. AHA Recommendations For Kids The AHA recommends that kids participate in family outings that incorporate exercise. AHA Recommendations Statement For All Americans Exercise is essential to and benefits all Americans. Special thanks to Char Simons for giving KidsRunning.Com permission to print this article. Char is a sports columnist with the Tacoma Washington News Tribune. She has been writing a running/triathlon column since 1992 and has been a runner since 1977. You can contact writer Char Simons at paradise.com@home.com Contact Bill Roe, USATF, at bill.roe@wwu.edu and Bryan Hoddle at bhoddle@home.com. Please check back for more. Email rwedit@rodale.com