Schools Compete in Statewide Elementary Fitness Meet Competition Saturday, April 28
Event to be televised for the fifth straight year

Thursday, April 26, 2012  |  Contact: Meghan Speakes; (225) 342-1463 or (225) 281-0463 (cell)

Baton Rouge - On Saturday, April 28, the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports is hosting the 19^th Annual Elementary Championship Fitness Meet at LSU's Carl Maddox Fieldhouse in Baton Rouge.  The public is encouraged to attend and see students from around the state display the results of their hard work and dedication.

For the fifth time in the program's history, elementary school children will showcase their physical fitness on a Cox Communications televised broadcast.  The event will be broadcast in at least 14 parishes (check local listings for schedules and channels).

Fitness Champions, selected after school competitions in 25 parishes, will participate in seven fitness events from the President's Challenge Model to see which parish will take home the state championship.  The seven events will be: the 50-Yard Dash; Shuttle Run; Pull-Ups; Standing Long-Jump; Curl-Ups or Sit-Ups; 600-Yard Run; and the V-Sit and Reach. 

Elementary schools from participating parishes held Elementary Fitness Meets at the local level to select their Fitness Champions.  The top two boys and two girls participated in a preliminary parish meet against other champions to determine which two boys and girls would represent their parish in Baton Rouge for the State Championship.

Opening ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. The event is free.

At the conclusion of the event, the participants from the top three parishes will be recognized, and the top girl and boy in the event will be crowned Mr. and Ms. Fitness for the State of Louisiana. 

The Louisiana Elementary Fitness Meet is the only event of its kind in the nation.  The Governor's Fitness Council plans to meet soon with the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in Washington, D.C., to discuss the possibility of a National Championship Fitness Meet - based on the Louisiana model - that could be hosted here.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about DHH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov. For up-to-date health information, news and emergency updates, follow DHH's blog, Twitter account and Facebook.