Indigenous children at Yipirinya School in Alice Springs were recently treated to a visit from one of the nation’s most exciting young athletics talents, Indigenous athlete and Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) scholarship holder, Robbie Crowther.

The school’s community was inspired by Robbie’s story – a gifted rugby league player from Bowen, in far north Queensland, who chose to pursue athletics to fulfil the dream of representing his country at the Olympic Games.

Robbie was first revealed as an up and coming talent when he won the long jump and triple jump at the 2004 Australian All Schools Championships. He is now a member of the Athletics Australia Target 2012 squad and is preparing for the London Olympics.

The children at Yipirinya School, many of whom travel 50km each day to school from town camps, were delighted to play traditional Indigenous games with Robbie on 15 September. The games included mer kai, in which a ball is kept in the air for as long as possible (similar to hacky sack), and marn-grook, in which a ball is kicked in the air and participants try to catch it (believed to have influenced the game of Australian rules football). The visit concluded with a healthy afternoon tea.

The traditional games are part of a free Australian Sports Commission (ASC) resource, Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games, designed to be used in schools as an educational resource and a guide to inclusive games for all ages. Robbie said these games are a great way for kids to learn about Indigenous cultures in a fun and engaging environment.

The Yulunga resource contains over 100 games and activities from all over Australia and the Torres Strait Islands and is free to download from the ASC website.

‘I enjoy talking to kids about getting fit and healthy and staying in school,’ Robbie said. ‘It’s important to make sport fun so they stay involved, make new friends and make it a life-long hobby.’

During his trip to Alice Springs, Robbie also paid a visit to Ross Park Primary School to help promote the Nestlé and AIS Get the AIS into your Classroom teaching resource, which includes a unit featuring Indigenous games. Footage of Robbie playing the games with the local school children was broadcasted live across Australia on the Nine Network’s Today Show breakfast television program.

Ross Park Primary School is one of the lucky winners of the Hitachi StarBoard Challenge, a competition developed to increase awareness of the resource developed by Nestlé and the AIS. The competition gives Australian primary schools utilising the Get the AIS into your Classroom education resources the chance to win a Hitachi StarBoard every week until Friday 3 December 2010.

The Nestlé and AIS Get the AIS into your Classroom is a free health and physical education resource for Australian primary school teachers. The curriculum is a state-specific aligned resource that enables teachers to bring the AIS’s expertise on nutrition and active lifestyles into their schools, through a series of fun and engaging lesson plans.

Ross Park Primary School principal Karen Blanchfield said she encourages all her teachers to use the resource.

‘The resource has been aligned to the NT curriculum, which is a great benefit and allows teachers to teach straight off the page,’ said Karen.

‘The resource is thorough, teacher friendly and can also be taught online, which encourages the students to interact and feel more engaged.’