Involuntary vs. Voluntary Activity
Before organizing a Tri-Fit-A-Thon program at a school or club, you must
decide on whether you want all the children to participate or just the
ones who are interested. Obviously, this decision is made for
you
if you are doing the program at home. The Tri-Fit-A-Thon is
an
activity that can be organized in Physical
Education class or classroom environment (Involuntary), which
means all the children participate. It can also be arranged
for the
children on a voluntary basis in a ‘school fitness
club’
atmosphere before or after school. It is recommended that participation
in
this event take place on a
voluntary basis for two principal reasons.
1. It may be time consuming during a PE class along with prolonged
limited activity for the entire group.
2. No child is forced to participate.
Regardless, determine what would be best for the children in your
surroundings when deciding on who will participate in your
Tri-Fit-A-Thon.
Types Of Competition
Approach # 1 Individual Competition
The first classification of competition for the Tri-Fit-A-Thon is at
the individual level. This is the recommended approach for the
activity. The children will not compete with their peers in this
procedure, rather, they challenge themselves to achieve personal
best scores. When children try to enhance their
‘personal’
fitness skills, they become motivated to achieve higher standards.
There is definitely less pressure on them to have to compete with
another individual who may be gifted physically.
Approach # 2
Comprehensive Competition
You may decide to have the children compete against one another in a
formal competition. If you choose this style, it is recommended to do
it on a voluntary basis as to not put pressure on children who feel
uncomfortable with the contest. You must also decide if you want to get
a single winner from your school, or get divisional winners using
categories. Categories may include:
Age, Gender, Grade, or Class.
In summary, decide on the best practice for organizing the
Tri-Fit-A-Thon at your facility. Decisions must be made on the
following:
• Voluntary vs. Involuntary
• Individual vs. Comprehensive Competition
• Are Categories Needed?
Widespread Activity
It is possible to initiate this program on a wide scale level. Many
years ago, this program was organized in the state of New Jersey. Ten
or so
schools joined in to make the event more extensive. A local competition
was held at each school (on a voluntary level) to get a male and female
winner in the sixth grade. All the results from the schools were
submitted to the organizer on a predetermined date. The highest score
from all the
schools determined the overall winner. For verification purposes, each
school had to submit their winners on videotape.