GOLF GREAT ANNIKA SORENSTAM TO KICK OFF "TAKE IT OUTSIDE" WEEK ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22 WITH ORLANDO HEAD START CHILDREN
RESTON, VA (October 20, 2009) – Hall of Fame golfer and new mom Annika Sorenstam will join Orlando Head Start children on Thursday morning, October 22 to help kick off the inaugural Take It Outside! Week, October 19 – 23. Annika will visit the Oakridge YMCA site in Orlando, encouraging the children and their families to play outdoors while celebrating the environment.
Presented by Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play (HSBS), the national initiative is sponsored by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR). Its purpose is to get children outside, connect with the natural world, and increase physical activity.
Accompanied by Luisa Vargas of Garden Grove Elementary School, their parents, teachers, and assistants, the children will participate in four activity “stations.
Books That Move You, Catch and Do, Cooperation Carr and Bubble Fun
Head Start Centers serve over 900,000 children and
their families. For an array of free resources about Take It Outside! Week, visit http://www.
The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) recommends that children get a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity every day. To help early childhood programs establish and maintain movement as an integral part of the overall learning process, NASPE has recently published these two new resources -Appropriate Practices in Movement Programs for Children Ages 3-5 and Active Start: A Statement of Physical Activity Guidelines for Children From Birth to Age 5. To order, call 1-800-321-0789, or order online at www.naspeinfo.org.
Head Start Body Start
Head Start Body Start National Center for Physical Development and Outdoor Play (HSBS) is a project of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR), which are associations of the American Alliance for Health, Physical education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). Funding for HSBS is provided by the Office of Head Start (OHS), Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services.
The purpose of HSBS is to increase physical activity, outdoor play and healthy eating among Head Start and Early Head Start children, families and staff.
ANNIKA Foundation
The ANNIKA Foundation teaches children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition, and offers aspiring junior golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams. A primary focus for the ANNIKA Foundation is to identify the greatest needs and opportunities to make an impact through the development of sports and physical fitness programs for kids. A key focus will be to provide resources that increase participation and access where it is not currently available or affordable, and promote awareness for the importance of leading a healthy, active lifestyle.
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Annika,Just another example of giving back to the community. Headstart is a nationally recognized curriculum.Having a Hall of Fame Golfer & Legend to come out join these kids in the activity stations should have helped them begin to place a value on why they should buy into physical activity as a lifelong personal behavior. Thanks so much for all you do for the game, for humankind. You show every day that you care.
Posted by: Jeanette Jones | October 29, 2009 at 06:03 PM
Bloggers,
The promised "blog" about our visit to the Annika Academy turned out to be lengthy, but please know that I did send it to an Academy Team member for review and permission to post.
Was hoping to post on the last Academy blog, but further entries have been closed.
So here goes!
For months on end Sis & I had been talking about our belated “birthday present”--a trip to The ANNIKA Academy because we “knew” it would be special. And the “feeling” that this visit would be life-inspiring was not just a flippant emotion that surfaces when a much needed vacation was needed, but it would be more--“different”.
Arrival to see the breathtaking view of the Grand Reunion Hotel towering above the undulating greens of golf courses accentuated with a kaleidoscope of flowers and trees left me feeling peaceful and optimistic at what was to come.
The gift package and detailed itinerary that greeted us in our villa was like a first realization that we “really” were there, and that we would be very busy starting the next morning.
Pam greeted us first thing after breakfast--but wait--where was the rest of our group? Turns out Sis & I “were” the group--we would be receiving full-time attention from The ANNIKA Academy Team. Wow.
As with the view of the Grand Reunion Hotel, the view of the ANNIKA Academy was colorful, functional. The comfy couch to the left and ANNIKA attire to the right. The brightly decorated reception area and of course Charlotta & Marks’ gleaming smiles. We were home.
Meanwhile, straight ahead were the trophy cases. Man alive--the -’95 US Open Trophy, and crystal scorecard of the “59 day” in 2001. Red shoes from the Kraft-Nabisco triumph and photographic memories of those “5-days in May at The Colonial”. Geeze! More pics of the juniors and youth being inspired and trained by this special group of professionals.
In a timely, but unhurried pace we were given a tour of the facility and couldn’t help but think how it was smaller than what I had envisioned from seeing video on annikablog.com. It’s kind of like when I first saw Annika in person--”that little thing is Annika” I blurted out before catching myself. I don’t know what I expected then and now but I guess the magnitude of her reputation is larger than she.
Anyway, we proceeded on schedule with the designed activities working with Kai in fitness & nutrition and Henri & Charlotta in the skills of the game jotting down many notes in our AA spiral books. By the third day we had grown a bit quieter in concentrating on what was previously presented.
The meals were exquisite, small in portion size but large in variety; and oh so satisfying. On one day Michelle joined us to chat, and on the next Pam did the same telling us how she came to work with the Annika Team. It’s so great to hear about ordained relationships which in my opinion define the word “purpose--the right people, at the right time, with the right message”.
Turns out our package also included lunch with Annika--which could bring a sense of nervousness and awkward silence but such was NOT what happened. She was gracious and friendly--just like family so much so that there was NOT ONE “idiot” question that left our mouths!!
Questions abounded between the three of us but in keeping to the schedule (which Lotta oversaw) lunchtime was ended when I was able to present her with a little “passionate creation” of my own--a 13x19 print of her at the 2005 US Womens Open at Cherry Hills.
And as if we needed any more gifts--she had brought Ava!! Quiet and cute as ever. Tales of how she & Mike were adjusting to all the stuff one has to do just to get out the door with a newborn could be seen in the imagination in living color, leaving us howling with laughter. Parenthood was clearly exciting and fun for these two.
The business of fitness & nutrition education and advice in golf skills and equipment of course was plentiful and eye opening. Especially in my case since I’ll be having to concentrate on “correcting” wrong mechanics & techniques. Sis is a brand new golfer so has the advantage of learning from the best at the start.
In summary, I would say what we learned at The ANNIKA Academy is that there is much needed PREPARATION for all elements that pertain to living, and that this preparation will be well worth the cost in promotion to a truly healthy lifestyle. We consider what we are now embarking to do can be equated to “pampering” ourselves.
Sis & I have already conspired to make a way for our brother & his wife to attend hopefully in the near future.
Finally, we are now “official” friends of the ANNIKA family and have an engraved bag tag with credential of such!! Join us one and all
Posted by: Golf54deciple | October 29, 2009 at 06:48 PM
G54,
Thanks for posting! We knew you and your sis were in for a treat! Even though we were there for only a day, the improvement in our game is priceless! Pam, Michelle, and Charlotta were wonderful! Annika has created a fantastic place with a fantasic staff!
We are really looking foward to returning for one of the 3 day packages, but sadly we have to wait till 2011 as I am facing knee surgery and will not be able to play golf for some time. However, when the time comes we know we will be teated beyond our expectations and like you and sis, will have the experience of a life time.
Take care...
BK
Posted by: B. K. | October 30, 2009 at 08:10 AM
BK,
By all means heal quickly & completely from knee surgery.
Sis & I are planning to return perhaps in a year to see how firmly the skills and health & nutrition have taken root and grown.
Perhapas we'll only "need" a day package! Meanwhile we'll just let our adjusted lifestyles speak to our brother & sister-in-law so that they'll desire a visit no matter the length.
PS one other thing, Charlotta does a B4 & after swing evaluation even recording herself doing specific drills designed to train each golfer. Pics taken of Sis & I are also included on the DVD that they send.
Posted by: Golf54deciple | October 30, 2009 at 08:40 AM