Captain's Challenge Fit Finals Provides Fun, Inspiration and Education

Fitness and leadership were the words of the day on Monday as the Anaheim Ducks welcomed more than 1,500 fifth grade students to Honda Center for the seventh annual Captain's Challenge Fit Finals.

An initiative of the Anaheim Ducks S.C.O.R.E. (Scholastic Curriculum of Recreation and Education) program, Captain's Challenge is a physical education curriculum that serves to inspire and motivate fifth graders by promoting fun physical activities and healthy living concepts as they prepare for the California Physical Fitness Test.
The program is offered for free to participating schools through the Anaheim Ducks Foundation and begins with a 30-day, in-class workbook that the schools incorporate into their classrooms and physical education modules. The workbook outlines creative physical fitness exercises and encourages healthy lifestyle choices as a way of preparing the students for their state required physical fitness testing.
Beyond the fitness aspect, the workbook also introduces character traits built around the idea of what it takes to be a leader or "captain," including qualities such as courage, accountability and integrity. Each student has the opportunity to wear the "C" for a day as "class captain," while leading his or her classmates through the workbook's activities and exercises.
More than 8,000 fifth graders across Southern California schools used the workbook in their classrooms, culminating with 1,500 of those students from 16 schools participating in the Fit Finals. The focus of the day-long event was for the kids to complete the five assessments that are part of the state test, including sit-ups, push-ups, the sit-and-reach, trunk lifts and the one-mile run.
Fifth grade teacher Mackenzi Merten from Mariners Elementary School in Newport Beach is in her first year using the Captain's Challenge curriculum and was impressed with how engaged her students were during the classroom activities.
"It was really great because they learned a lot of different skills beyond just physical fitness," Merten said. "They talked about leadership and teamwork, leading by example and how to work with other people. These are all important life skills."
Two of Merten's students, 11-year old Duke Ditteaux of Costa Mesa and 11-year old Tyler Jameson of Newport Beach, have enjoyed all aspects of participating in the program.
"I thought it was a great experience for us to learn all of the stretches and exercises in the workbook," Duke said. "We've had a lot of fun doing them."
"Being here today has made me push myself harder to become mentally and physically stronger," Tyler said. "It's been a great experience."
Merten's hope for her students is that they come away from the Fit Finals event encouraged by their progress and thankful for the opportunity.
"I want them to work hard, bring their own personal best and have a positive attitude," Merten said. "It's about being a part of something bigger than what we do at Mariners. I hope they have fun and are grateful that we got to be a part of this wonderful experience."
More than 200 volunteers were on hand from Anaheim Ducks community partners such as Cal State Fullerton, UCI Health, University of La Verne, Anaheim Ducks Die Hards and DejaBlue to help with the recording of the students' assessments.
Westmont Elementary School in Anaheim has been a Captain's Challenge participant since the program's inception, and fifth grade teacher Kat Nieto finds that each year it is easier to implement the program and motivate her students.
"The kids were excited to get here," Nieto said. "I've been really building it up, and they've been doing all the exercises so they would be prepared. I hope that out of this experience the kids continue with physical fitness, not just because we were prepping for this field trip, but because staying fit and being active is important."
Melany Caldera and Daniel Medina, both 10-year old students in Nieto's class, have been excited about Captain's Challenge as a way to learn new exercises and improve their physical fitness skills.
"I think it's cool because we got to learn a lot of things about our bodies, and we got to learn things like push-ups and more activities that we could do in our free time," Melany said. "I want to improve my running."
"I learned a lot more activities then I knew before," Daniel said. "I was looking forward to not stopping during the mile (run), and I didn't stop! I was so excited."
After completing the five assessments, the students ate lunch and had the opportunity to visit with vendors at the celebration expo, including Kids Run the OC, a non-profit organization that is part of the Orange County Marathon.
"With our mission of inspiring kids to fitness, we just love being out here and seeing kids do exactly that," said Kids Run the OC representative, Kelsey Beall. "One of our goals is to make fitness exciting…and I think it's cool that the Ducks are promoting this kind of event that does that for kids. To get them thinking that way at this young age will help them make healthy lifestyle choices for the rest of their lives."
The day concluded with closing ceremonies, where the students were recognized for their perseverance, and a few lucky participants went home with some prizes, including signed Anaheim Ducks memorabilia, New Balance shoes, smart watches and gift cards.
Having participated in the program for seven years, Nieto is grateful for the support she and her fellow educators receive from the Ducks organization in promoting physical fitness and leadership through S.C.O.R.E. and Captain's Challenge.
"I am so impressed with what the Ducks do for the community and the way they give back to the kids and the schools," Nieto said. "The kids enjoy it, and even though I don't think they really grasp all that the Ducks are doing, we as teachers do. I know what they're doing, and it's phenomenal."
For more information on Captain's Challenge and the Anaheim Ducks S.C.O.R.E. Program, visit
ducksscore.com
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