Iowa Street announces fitness awards

FALLBROOK — This year’s physical fitness testing at Iowa Street Home School doubled in recipients compared to last year. The students, ranging in age from 6 to 14, were honored for their outstanding achievements in National and Presidential Fitness testing during a special awards assembly held this last week.

Principal Craig Schmad and fitness coordinator Arlene Eyerman presented 35 students with the National Physical Fitness Award. These students earned this award by scoring in the 50th percentile or better in five events. The Presidential Physical Fitness Award was earned by 22 students this year compared to last year’s ten. These students had to score in the 85th percentile in five events based on the 1985 School Population Fitness Survey. The five events all measure a different part of a person’s overall fitness.

The five events include:

1. Curl-ups or partial curl-ups, which measure abdominal strength and endurance

2. Shuttle run, which measures speed, quickness and agility

3. Endurance run/walk, which measures heart and lung endurance

4. Pull-ups, right angle push-ups or flexed arm hang, which measures upper body strength and endurance

5. V-sit reach or sit-and-reach, which measures flexibility of lower back and hamstrings

Students only meet one day a week to work on these areas of fitness while learning group games and basic sports skills. The rest of the week they must work individually with their families to be able to accomplish these goals. These students did an outstanding job in their quest to not only be smart academic students but to be physically fit as well.