Popular for its vibrant combination of music and highly artistic hand and foot movements, Aerobics is currently experiencing strong growth throughout the province, especially among students. In recent years, the inclusion of Aerobics as an official competition at the Phu Dong Sports Festival has breathed new life into school sports, creating motivation for training and contributing to improving physical fitness, fostering teamwork, and promoting creativity among students.
Healthy and beautiful
Aerobics is a harmonious combination of exercises and rhythmic body movements set to music. This coordination involves many parts of the body, such as the arms, legs, hips, and waist. To practice this sport , participants must move continuously to the music, creating a lively and exciting atmosphere. In Quang Tri, aerobics is a sport that has existed for a long time and is enjoyed by many people of different ages.
The Aerobic team from the Department of Education and Training of Vinh Linh district won 1 Gold Medal at the 7th Phu Dong Sports Festival of Vinh Linh province in 2024 - Photo: DC
For children, this is a collective sport that fosters teamwork and helps them build confidence in front of crowds to showcase their talents. Aerobics training is good for young children because the continuous movement increases their endurance and flexibility, improves their limb agility, and contributes to a healthier and more attractive physique. Children who develop skills and receive systematic training through aerobics classes will have the opportunity to participate in larger competitions such as the Phu Dong Sports Festival at various levels.
Nguyen Quynh Chi, a student from Kim Dong Primary School in Vinh Linh district, shared: “Aerobics helps me stay healthy, flexible, and grow taller. This year, I am very happy to participate in the primary school aerobics competition at the Phu Dong Sports Festival and win a gold medal. This achievement will motivate us to practice more enthusiastically and confidently participate in more competitions.”
To create a visually appealing and captivating aerobic performance, students must practice thoroughly and prepare meticulously. For difficult movements, guidance, support, and timely adjustments from the instructor are essential. Ms. Vo Thi Huong Giang, the head teacher in charge of the student team at Phan Dinh Phung Secondary School (Dong Ha City), said: “Aerobics is a talent-based subject that requires long-term training. Compared to other talent-based subjects for students, this one is more difficult because students must have a passion and talent for music. Each movement in Aerobics requires agility and decisiveness, coupled with good musical ear so that the movements are coordinated smoothly and in sync with the music. Understanding this, I regularly monitor the training sessions to provide feedback, corrections, and guidance to the students. However, I still allow them to think creatively and express their opinions so that the performance is complete and harmonious with the whole group. This will help them develop both intellectually and physically.”
Impressions at the Phu Dong Sports Festival at all levels
On March 1st, the Aerobic Gymnastics competition for primary school students, part of the 2024 Phu Dong Sports Festival of Dong Ha City, took place at Hung Vuong Primary School. Approximately 300 athletes from 12 primary schools and Trung Vuong Primary, Secondary, and High School competed in two age groups: 7-9 years old and 10-11 years old, across six events: prescribed routines and optional routines for 3 and 8 people. Many teams demonstrated excellent skills, making a strong impression with their professional performance and confident displays, creating a vibrant and artistic sporting spectacle.
Exam papers from Trung Vuong Primary, Secondary, and High School - Photo: DC
During this same period, Vinh Linh district organized an Aerobic competition for primary school students, part of the district-level Phu Dong Sports Festival, with approximately 200 athletes from 8 schools participating. These competitions were not only events but also platforms for the children's overall development, serving as a stepping stone to selecting outstanding individuals to participate in the provincial Phu Dong Sports Festival.
At the 7th Phu Dong Sports Festival of Quang Tri province in 2024, the Aerobic gymnastics competition for primary school level took place from March 28-30, bringing together more than 280 athletes from 4 Education and Training Departments of Vinh Linh, Cam Lo, Huong Hoa districts, Dong Ha city and Trung Vuong Primary, Secondary and High School, iSchool Quang Tri International Integrated School, competing in 2 age groups (7-9 years old and 10-11 years old) in 6 events: prescribed routines and optional routines for 3 and 8 people.
Teams from the Education and Training Departments of Vinh Linh and Dong Ha districts, among others, had undergone extensive training and thorough preparation, showcasing many uniform, visually appealing, and technically proficient routines, leaving a strong impression on the audience. The Aerobic gymnastics competition provided a platform for students to meet, interact, learn from each other, and express their passion and talent through lively competition; it also served to assess the Aerobic gymnastics movement in various units and schools, thereby providing direction to promote its development, creating more beneficial and practical playgrounds for students; and to select outstanding athletes to participate in the 10th National Phu Dong Sports Festival in 2024.
They need support.
Despite advancements and the increased participation of students in aerobics training, maintaining aerobics classes in schools still faces many difficulties and obstacles. Currently, there are no specialized teachers or coaches for this discipline in the province. In school sports competitions that include aerobics, the instructors are mostly music teachers or physical education teachers.
Students made a strong impression in the Aerobic gymnastics competition at the 7th Phu Dong Sports Festival of the province in 2024 - Photo: DC
Ms. Vo Thi Lien, a music teacher at Vinh Thuy Primary School in Vinh Linh district, shared: “The Aerobic team from the Vinh Linh District Department of Education and Training participated in the Aerobic gymnastics competition at the 7th Phu Dong Sports Festival for primary school students with 41 athletes competing in all 6 events, winning 1 gold medal, 1 silver medal, and 4 bronze medals. This is a commendable achievement because the students only had 3 months to train, from getting acquainted to competing. I myself had to constantly learn and explore on my own because I am not an expert in this sport.”
"We hope that leaders at all levels and in the education sector will pay attention to introducing this subject into schools and organizing training and professional support for teachers in charge of teaching Aerobic; investing in facilities for this activity in schools and coordinating the organization of more large-scale, annual Aerobic competitions so that students have more opportunities to play and teachers have the chance to interact and exchange expertise."
According to Mr. Le Ngoc Thanh, a senior specialist in the Secondary Education and Continuing Education Department of the Department of Education and Training, the inclusion of Aerobics in the official competition program at the 6th and 7th Phu Dong Sports Festivals of the province demonstrates the deep concern of the Department of Education and Training for the development of this sport.
In particular, at the 7th Phu Dong Sports Festival of the province in 2024, Aerobics received much attention and encouragement from leaders of the Department of Education and Training, teachers, parents, and students throughout the province. To develop this sport, we will propose to the leaders of the Department of Education and Training to organize training for teachers on Aerobics; pay attention to organizing more provincial-level competitions; and direct the Education and Training Departments and schools to encourage and promote the practice of this sport among students. This is also a way to train life skills for students, create a beneficial playground, and promote unity and exchange among schools throughout the education and training sector.
Hoai Diem Chi
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