A partnership project between the Active After-school Communities (AASC) program and Gymnastics Australia not only has the children participating jumping and cheering, but also parents, AASC community coaches and administrators from both organisations, who have all hailed the success of the project’s pilots.

The AASC program is an Australian Government initiative that provides primary school children with access to free sporting programs after school, and so was a natural fit to partner with Gymnastics Australia on two pilot programs based on gym sports: TEAM Cheer (cheerleading) and AEROSkools (sport aerobics). The two pilots took place in 21 selected AASC sites in Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria in Term 4 of 2009.

Each of the pilots included six weeks of lesson plans, choreography, warm-up games and stretches, and ended with a showcase event. These events proved a huge hit, with hundreds of children participating across the country, cheered on by friends and family.

At the NSW Samuel Gilbert Out of School Hours Care Centre north west of Parramatta, advanced childcare worker Karen Kubista said 17 kindergarten–Year 5 students had enthusiastically taken to the TEAM Cheer and AEROskools program.

‘We generally offer more sports-type activities like soccer and cricket so this was more dance oriented but the kids really enjoyed it and embraced the whole thing,’ Kubista said. ‘They all came together in a joint showcase with other centres and loved showing off what they had learnt.’

‘In fact, I have had three separate parents say that their children were so enthusiastic about it that they [the parents] would be more than happy to help out in any way if we were to run it again next year. The kids are already asking when they can start practising again.’

Kubista’s comments echo those of other centre administrators and regional coordinators who have also mentioned the enthusiasm and confidence of the children involved in dancing and performing routines.

Gymnastics Australia sport development manager Geoff Rietschel said the partnership provided Gymnastics Australia with a unique opportunity to develop a new resource and to test it in a potential new market.

‘These pilots have provided us with a great opportunity to show off to a new participant group the quality of our resources and influence the healthy participation of children,’ Rietschel said.

‘What these pilots will do is lead to the resources becoming a foundation level for ongoing in-school and out of school hours care programs, which we can provide to our members to further grow gymnastics in their communities.’

The pilot programs are currently being evaluated to provide future direction for resource and program development.