Bormla, Malta, Centru Tbexbix
by Leandros Calleja (athletics coach)
For the past year, a number of children from Centru Tbexbix, Bormla have been attending weekly athletic training sessions at Matthew Micallef St John Stadium in Marsa. The aim of this program was to introduce the various athletic disciplines and their components and to practice each event in its elementary form. The 7 to 13 year age bracket is the Golden Age for learning different skills. Therefore, as with the main intentions of this athletics program, the more variety of skills employed the more skillful and coordinated these children get. In fact, most of the children that attended have shown an improvement in movement, coordination, posture and other basic skills. Some have also shown significant improvement in specific events, although this was not the main intention of this program.
Additionally, the children developed a positive attitude towards running, jumping and throwing both individually and as a group. They also learned to show respect for one another especially when one of them is leading the group as for example during stretching. Some of these new athletes have shown interest and in fact competed in organized athletic activities. The plan for the coming sessions is to continue practicing through repetition with the goal of rectifying the skills obtained and to start taking part in the KIDS Athletics meetings and Aggregate meetings organized by the Malta Amateur Athletic Association. However, the latter will be an additional target but it will not replace our primary aim. Learning to run, jump and throw will still remain our main focus, at least for the time being, until these children have achieved a skill level high enough to become competitive youth athletes.
The Athletics programme is sponsored by Woman2000 (www.woman2000.net)
Athletics events
This month our young athletes participated in two events, one on the 7th March at Floriana stadium and the other on the 31st at Corradino Sports Complex. The first was organised by the MAAA, while the second one was a charity event organised by the Malta Association of Physiotherapists in order to promote physical exercise and well-being, while raising funds for a children’s home and an animal sanctuary. For 1.5 hours the children tried their skills in a number of fun athletic games, together with children from other sports schools and football nurseries.
Confidence building
At Centru Tbexbix we strive to build and boost our children’s self-confidence, to help them deal with their insecurities and become active participants in our programmes and later on in their community. It is wonderful to notice a positive transformation happening at various levels and with varying speed in all our children. All of them without exception are now engaging in drama, singing and other performances, (photo) in contrast to their shyness of some months before.