By Shirley Shuman
Repeating their success of last year, members of the Frametown Elementary fitness team again this year won first place in the WV Fit and Active Schools Fitness Face-Off competition. This competition is a school-team-based student fitness competition open to all West Virginia public and non-public elementary and middle schools. The elementary division includes students in grades three to five.
Frametown Elementary physical education instructor and leader of the school’s fitness team Lori Spencer declared “These students are amazing. They work hard all year, not just for this competition.
She named those on her team: fourth graders Brayden Cadle, Maggie Glover, Taylor Hart, Adeline Lowther, Lane Moore, Brent Moyers, and Faith Skeens and fifth-graders Clarence Davis, Kassidy Malone, and Jeremiah Stilwell.
Spencer explained that they had to submit a video in April with their team doing the fitness routine. That routine included four rounds of eight exercises, each performed for 30 seconds. The routine itself was 20 minutes long.
The Frametown Elementary team was one of six teams from throughout the state to compete the in-person competition May 19 at the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston. Students were judged on form, intensity, rhythm, stamina, and transitions. Those six teams performed the exercise routine at the in-person competition. From that, the top three teams advanced and were required to perform the routine once more. Frametown’s team emerged as the state winner for first place in the state competition for the second consecutive year.
Instructor Spencer said that she is “so excited for our students to have an opportunity to compete at the state level. It’s a great experience for them.” The 10 students who won must certainly feel the same way.