Living a long distance from schools, sports grounds and clubs isn’t stopping some of our kids from participating in the Active After-school Communities (AASC) program.

Participating in sports sessions via satellite is all in a day’s work for Hay School of the Air (SOTA) students. A member of the AASC program since 2007, the school has 19 primary school-aged children participating in its AASC program.

Identifying and planning suitable AASC activities for school of the air students is difficult due to the limitations of technology, space and equipment. But with limitations come adaptations, and in New South Wales the current technology allows coaches to use verbal feedback from the children throughout the session. Since 2007, the students have taken part in sports such as aerobics, dance, circus skills, martial arts and gymnastics.

Each term Hay SOTA students call in from their isolated homes in south-west New South Wales to participate in AASC sessions. Students also travel to Hay once a term for their mini-school program where they take part in face-to-face sessions with their teachers and local community coach Rob Anderson.

Rob has been delivering in the program since 2007 and is an active member of the Hay sporting community through his involvement with martial arts, aerobics, gymnastics and the local swimming pool. Rob is a qualified gymnastics coach with the Hay Gymnastics Club and it is through his involvement with the club that the students have had the opportunity to experience gymnastics.

In term 1 of 2011 Rob began teaching the students basic gymnastics shapes and core strength skills via satellite. These skills were then applied in an actual gymnastics club environment during their AASC mini-school session. Students learnt a variety of skills during the session using the bars, beam and floor.

Due to the success of the term 1 mini-school program, the students revisited the gymnastics club for their physical education program in term 2.

The children were able to extend their skills during the visit with activities based around the beam, vault, bars and floor apparatus.

Through their involvement in gymnastics for AASC and PE the students have learnt locomotion and balance on the beam; spring and landings from the vault; log and forward rolls on the floor; and swings on the bars. For many of these children the highlight of any gymnastics session has been the group-based ‘play for life’ activities such as ‘Coach says’ on the beam.

In term 3 the Hay School of the Air is teaching aerobics and gymnastics with support from Rob Anderson and the Hay Gymnastics Club.