Dear Members,
You and your friends are cordially invited to a night of Disco Dancing at Seattle Urban Squash’s first ever Sox Hop Disco on November 5th at
8:00 PM. Join us on the basketball courts at Seattle Athletic Club Downtown!
Some of you may have already seen young kids practicing on Squash Courts or huddled together studying intently as you rush past them towards your next gym class. Seattle Urban Squash (SUS), a 501(C)3 Public Charity working in association with our Seattle Athletic Clubs, is providing a comprehensive after school education, athletics, and community service program for kids from low-income families, creating pathways for higher education and a lifetime of opportunities. Kids face numerous challenges at school, but hardships faced by their families at home make it increasingly hard for them, potentially limiting their access to opportunities many of us take for granted. SUS staffers and volunteers work diligently year in and year out with a select group of kids starting from elementary school to help them focus on their studies, hone their game of Squash, and get involved in servicing their communities. In the process, our scholar athletes acquire crucial lifelong skills – commitment, diligence, resilience, integrity, and teamwork. In just the past 3 years since our inception, our students have significantly and consistently increased their reading and math abilities. We have averaged over 98% attendance across
250 hours of practice, community service projects, and field trips annually! As we kick-off our 4th academic year of this innovative and highly successful program, we invite you to join SUS at their informational and fundraising dance party to be held at Seattle Athletic Club Downtown Basketball Court on Saturday, November 5th, 2016 at 8 pm till late. The ticket prices are $30 and include a light buffet dinner, a drink ticket and a formal DJ to get you grooving to good old Sox Hop Disco party tunes (no hard sole or heeled shoes please!).
You will find the registration forms at our reception desks; please reach out to SUS staff directly for more information or sign-up online at
www.seattlesquash.org/events/2016/11/5/sus-soxhopdisco-party. Spread the word, bring your friends, and enjoy the evening for a good cause!
We look forward to seeing you groove with us!If you wish to learn more or volunteer in the Urban Squash program, please check out our website at
http://seattlesquash.org or email us at info@seattlesquash.org.
November News & Events, Seattle Urban Squash
501C3, Downtown, kids, Seattle, Seattle Urban Squash, Squash, youth
Month of July:
- Saturdays – 9th, 16th, 30th| 10:00 am | $50/kid, (for drop-in special – email Melissa for more details)
- Wednesdays – 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th | 1:00pm | $85/kid (for drop-in special – email Melissa for more details)
Why Summer Youth Yoga?
- Develops motor skills and coordination
- Increases strength, balance, and flexibility
- Enhance self-awareness and focus
- Reduces stress and provides methods for coping and self-soothing
Children ages 5+ are welcome. All sessions are adapted to each child’s individual needs. A minimum of 4 sign-ups are needed to run the class.
- Please contact Melissa for more details on signing up. Accounts will be charged for late cancellations and no-shows.
For more information or sign-up, please contact personal fitness trainer Melissa Barasona at mbarasona@sacdt.com.
July News & Events, June News & Events, May News & Events, Yoga
kids, Summer, yoga, youth
Let’s say congratulation to:
- Madeline
- Brooke
- Margo
- Charlotte,
- Jackson
- Nadia
- Julia
- Axe
On your gold belt in kenpo karate from sensei Jody sac martial art director
Martial Arts
Jody, Karate, kids
For years there has been a belief that resistance training was inappropriate or even dangerous for children. This belief stems from a study performed in the 1970’s by a group of Japanese researchers that observed juvenile workers that were subjected to many hours of lifting and moving heavy objects. On average these children were shorter than their non-working counterparts. Through this observation they concluded that it was the heavy lifting at such a young age that had a negative effect on their epiphyseal plate, and in turn, resulted in a stunted growth. However, recently there has been a growing amount of evidence that suggests that resistance training for children is not only safe, but can be highly beneficial.
Researchers from the Institute of Training Science and Sports Informatics published a study that analyzed 60 years worth of studies involving children and weightlifting. The researchers found that virtually all of the children and adolescents benefited from weight training. Interestingly enough, although the older kids did have greater strength gains, compared to the younger kids the difference wasn’t significant. This study also found that, contrary to popular belief, there was no sizable difference in strength increases once the children hit puberty. There was however a difference in hypertrophy (increase in muscle mass) that was likely due to the amount of testosterone in the adolescent population. Because of the lack of noticeable size gains in children, many researchers in the past had concluded that weightlifting wasn’t an effective training method for the youth.
So how young is too young to start resistance training? The jury is still out on this question, though most scientific literature seems to point to ages 6-8. Resistance training at this age should involve body weight exercises or very light loads with emphasis on control and form. Squats using a wooden dowel or push-ups are a common method of training children at this age. Heavy loads (without proper progression) or exercises that involve ballistic movements should be avoided when training children.
For more information on youth resistance training please contact Will Paton.
Fitness Advice, Sports Conditioning, Strength Training
club, conditioning, exercise, gym, health, kids, Personal Training, prep, Seattle Athletic Club, sports, Training, workout, youth
Summer break is here and your kids want to come to the Seattle Athletic Club Downtown (SAC) with you while you workout. It’s great that they want to come in and be healthy with you but you may be wishing you could have your workout time all to yourself. No worries, all of the SAC training staff are certified and experienced training children. Get your child some training sessions so that they know what they can and can’t do, what is safe to do, and what will help them excel in their sport. If your kids want to learn from you, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- The more basic the better. Stick to machines that are almost totally fool proof, do body weight exercises, and basic cardio machines (make sure your child “fits” the machine).
- Keep the weights light. Make sure your child is comfortable with the weight, is not being overly stressed by the weight, and can keep the technique and form throughout the movement.
- Respecting rules. Make sure your kids know that this is a place for more serious fun. Walking through common spaces, cleaning machines after use, and keeping voices to a reasonable level.
- Staying within your own abilities. If your child has never run on a treadmill they should probably stay away from doing so until they have walked on it and gotten comfortable with the machine. This applies to any equipment or exercise they have never done. Supervise your child until you feel that they have a good level of knowledge for exercise.
- Respecting the Age rules in the weight room. If your child is under 13 years old they MUST be Okayed by a trainer to be in the free weight room. Please be respectful of this rule, it is easy and cost free for you to sign your child up for a 30-40 minute weight room evaluation with a trainer. The goal of the SAC staff is to provide you and your family with a safe and fun workout atmosphere.
- Questions… just ask! If you or your child needs assistance or has a question please feel free to ask any of the SAC Trainers. We are more than happy to assist you with anything you may need.
Have fun! Encourage your kids to come in and implant the healthy lifestyle early. If they are part of a sports team this could be the way they move up the ladder. Edging out competition with strength, endurance, speed, and power is one of the best and easiest ways to improve your game! Bring them in, let them find and achieve some new goals this summer!
Fitness Advice, Fitness Programs, Lifestyle, Sports Conditioning, Strength Training, Weight Loss
fitness, health, kids, lose weight, Personal Trainer, Personal Training, Seattle, sports, Strength, teen, Training, weight
As summer approaches and the kids are out of school it’s the perfect time to get your family involved in quality time together. One of the best and most fun ways to do this is through family workouts. There are plenty of ways to achieve this in and out of the club. If it’s a sunny Tuesday evening and everyone is home why not go run short hill repeats, or find some good stairs somewhere and encourage everyone to run/walk/jump them.
If staying in the yard is more your style there are plenty of ways to get the family involved in workouts that seem more like play. Race each other by long jumping across the lawn. Wheelbarrow teams make a great workout without your kids even knowing that their abs, arms, and back are getting worked. Grab a medicine ball at your local sports store and do some throws, jumps, squats etc. as a family.
If you feel like getting more structure and coming into the gym it’s a perfect time to get your kids comfortable with using the machines and basic equipment. You can always sign the whole family up for a few training sessions so that you can help each other exercise safe and effectively in and out of the gym.
It’s great for everyone to be coached by a professional and to cheer one another on through workouts. It makes for some good conversation before and after workouts! Plus your kids might finally be impressed with what you can do… maybe.
Setting a standard day and time is a great idea but if that’s too structured take advantage when you can. By working out as a family your kids learn by example, you spend time together being healthy and interacting, you encourage one another, your kids learn the great feeling of physical achievement, and most of all learning self confidence through physical activity will transfer over to other areas of life. The Seattle sun is sparse; enjoy it with everyone doing things that make you feel good about yourselves!
Fitness Advice, Health News, Lifestyle
active, Family, healthy, kids, Seattle, Summer
