Getting in the swim of things

Bush School Swimming and life style clinic students travelled to Alice Springs to take part in a range of activities to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Areyonga primary school students enjoy relief from the heat at the Bush Carnival Swimming day.

THIS week the Bush School Swimming and life style clinic had students travel to Alice Springs from surrounding communities to take part in a range of activities to promote a healthy lifestyle.

The program went over three days and was hosted by Yipirinya School and Swimming Australia.

Students were lucky enough to meet a number of elite athletes who came up to help run the program, including Paralympics swimmer Ellie Cole.

Lara Davenport, 2008 Olympic gold medallist and program manager from Swimming Australia, was in Alice Springs for the carnival, and said the event gave children from Alice Springs and the communities in the region the opportunity to improve their swimming abilities.

‘‘The kids are taught water safety, stroke correction and the techniques so that maybe they can be transitioned into swimming clubs, ‘‘ Lara said.

‘‘Some of the children don’t have pools in their communities so it’s great for them.

‘‘The kids from Kintore have travelled the furthest and they’ve been coming for six years so it’s great to have that relationship.

‘‘The program really en- courages healthy eating, a healthy lifestyle and accepting individual’s differences.

‘‘We’re really fortunate because it’s not just swimming based, it also concentrates on safety, stroke and talent identification.

Other games and athletics were also held to promote healthy living.