Discovery & Engagement Discovery & Engagement

LIBERAL ARTS MAGAZINE Spring 2004
6
DISCOVERY & ENGAGEMENT in the School of Liberal Arts
Eleven-year-old Michael Diaz no longer plans to spend
his summers in front of the television at his babysitter’s
house. After attending his first National Youth
Sports Program (NYSP) at Purdue University this past
summer, the Vinton Elementary School student looks forward
to going to the five-week day camp next year to
improve his backhand in tennis and breaststroke in swimming.
“I have learned about sports, like tennis, that I
didn’t know about or wasn’t very good at,” says Diaz.
For Diaz, the summer was all about fun, but for the
Purdue professors and students who organized the camp,
the summer was about helping more than 200 children,
ages 10–16, get in shape, eat right, and make healthy life
decisions. The day camp is free for campers who were
referred by their schools in Tippecanoe or White counties.
The NYSP is one of two initiatives that members of the
Department of Health and Kinesiology are leading to get
people moving. As the nation’s waistline continues to
expand for people of all ages, researchers are discovering
more effective ways to help older adults and children fight
the battle of the bulge with exercise and health-promotion
programs. The Living Well after 50 Coalition focuses on
older adults.
“Faculty and staff members in the Department of
Health and Kinesiology are promoting the benefits of a
healthy lifestyle by encouraging children to participate in
sports, and helping older adults become physically active
by using their community resources, such as senior centers
and walking programs,” says Tom Templin, department
head and professor of health and kinesiology. “These
researchers are advancing their fields with their work;
they also are designing programs to help people in Greater
Lafayette improve their quality of life.”
In 2002, the first NYSP at Purdue was rated best in
the nation by the federal administering board for its
emphasis on health and fitness. Campers spend their days
divided into activity groups that rotate from tennis to
volleyball and basketball.
Each receives a
BY AMY PATTERSON-NEUBERT
Health and kinesiology professors are studying efforts like
the National Youth Sports Program to help children learn
to develop healthy lifestyles.
new swimming suit and gets to swim in Purdue’s new
aquatics center. Time also is made for dental cleanings for
campers and for audiology and speech sciences staff to
conduct hearing screenings. The Purdue Health Center
also provides medical exams at the start of program.
The program’s leaders rely on Purdue and community
resources to help fund the $200,000 camp. The federal
program contributes $60,000. With additional support
from community resources, including the Lafayette Parks
Department, the camp is able to
sponsor family nights at the
local water park.
Campers also receive
prizes for attendance.
William Harper, professor
of health and kinesi-