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TOEHEilALD0UTU0BS6ilJAprtllllPgef Sports Outlook IN GIBSON Herald Sports Editor Student fitness on the decline The physical fitness of students within the school system elemen tary through high school has been on the decline for years Dont blame the schools however blame the powers-that- be In the Ministry of Education for this sorry state of affairs For some unfathomable reason the education ministry decided a number of years ago that time spent in physical fitness classes was in effect a waste of time Throughout the school system physical fitness classes were cur tailed supposedly to benefit academic priorities A ministry of education directive from several years ago still in ef fect only requires that high school students attend one compulsory physical education class over one semester during their time in high school Where does this leave the students Basically unfit according to a number of recent surveys that go on to state a students academic performance similarly suffers As has been reported because of increasing emphasis on academics and decreasing emphasis on physical education only about half of Canadian school children get enough exercise to maintain effec tively functioning cardiovascular systems let alone alert minds Don Bailey a researcher on fitness and child development at the University of Saskatchewan has gone on record stating Physical fitness seems to be a decreasing function of age from the time our children get behind a desk in school A study done in Prance revealed that when time spent on physical activity among French school children was raised within a study group the health fitness discipline enthusiasm and academic results of the students in the experimental group were superior to those of control groups riot receiving the fitness program Similarly a sixyear study of Quebec students in grades found that young people with five extra hours of physical activity a week achieved higher marks in academic programs that regular program students The old cliche A healthy body a healthy mind has been bandied about for years However whenever the theory has been put to the test it has proven correct Over easy please with rider Kelly Patterson in total control easily handles a Jump at the Dressage and Stadium Jumping equestrian competition held last Sunday at Georgetowns Myrddin Stables located just west of Trafalgar Road on 17 Slderoad will be staging a Dressage Stadium Jumping and Cross country equestrian competition May 17 Spectators and equestrian enthusiasts are welcome to attend Herald photo time after time So what is the solution as the 1990s approach Obviously school systems must adhere to directives issued by the Ministry of Education However Jim Hall recently ap pointed Head of Physical Educa tion at Georgetown District High School and a lifelong Georgetown resident approaches the obvious with a ptagmatic solution Maybe Im from the old school of thinking said Hall in a recent interview But I still agree with that old saying A healthy body a healthy mind Obviously Hall said we are under the Jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education But we can and should develop a quality school physical education program within the ministry guidelines By developing a quality school physical education program which will appeal to students with different levels of athletic ability fitness awareness and its im portance will increase which in turn will lead Jo more participation in reactionoriented sports and eventually to a lifelong enjoy ment of sports and its importance to general health Hopefully Halls will not be a voice in the wilderness as it relates to the health and fitness of school students through the 1990s It would help though if someone in the Ministry of Education was also listening HILLS in the Ontario Quad A Swin Lb held at Brock University in St Catharines last weekend Front row left to right Tracy Melissa Watts Andrew Terrell LaurieAnne Crocker and Alison Duby Back row left to right Sabrina Bassett Leigh Nell Scudder John Brennan Han dy and Andrea Absent when photo taken Thane Goodlet Herald photo Blue Fins swim to glory The Ontario Quad A Swim Team Championships were held at St Catharines Brock University last weekend and Halton Hills Blue Fins club members made their presence felt at the event which at tracted approximately 300 swim mers from 36 clubs provincewide Twelve members of the Hills Blue Fins Swim Club par ticipated with eight swimmers qualifying in division finals In 13 final races Halton Hills Blue Fins swimmers accounted for one silver medal one bronze medal two fourth place ribbons one fifth place ribbon three sixth place ribbons three seventh place ribbons and three eighth place rib bons including a ribbon for the girls free relay team with members Andrea Sabrina Bassett Melissa Watts and Leigh Sabrina set three new club records in the metre free the 50 metre free and the free club record in the 200 individual medley- Melissa Watts set a new club record in the individual medley Stinson set a new club record in the metre backstroke Andrew Terrell set a new club record in the metre free and Neil Scudder set a new club record In the 200 metre backstroke Results Alison Duby 50 Free 3645 100 Breast 15830 100 Back 50 Fly and Free 12121 Laurie Crocker too Breast Back 50 Fly 200 4th Leigh Shillington Free Breast 100 Back Free and IM 30499 6th Tracy 100 Fly 100 Breast Back 200 Breast 34178 and Andrea Herner Free andl00Backl23 Sabrina Bassett Free Free 2955 3rd Free 23330 Back and 100 Free 10626 Melissa Watts Breast 14126 Free 11323 and 200 30106 Mandy Stinson 100 Back 11734 200 Back 25010 8th and 25998 Andrew Terrell Free 2nd 100 Back 13280 and Thane Goodlet 50 Free Breast Back 100 Free and 200 Back303837th Neil Free 100 Breast 12843 Back Free and Back 24571 John Free Free 24305 Free Duplicate Bridge In Open Duplicate Bridge competition Monday afternoon at Georgetown Branch 120 Royal Canadian Tobjasz and Rene March combined to take the Number One winners position Diane Johnson and Norma to latch on to the Number Two winners spot the team of Doris Barber and Glavicic claimed the number three winners position and the team of and Jack Timpson claimed the Number Four winners spot Open Duplicate Bridge competition is scheduled for this Monday pm at the Georgetown Legion on Mill Street and this will be the final session for the spring as no sessions are scheduled for the summer months Spors Chuckles I