Pottstown Athletic Club

This program offers an avenue of expression and socializing for area youth who find team activities difficult for whatever reason. Some in the Karate train for free because of their socioeconomic origins. This discipline teaches valuable personal management skills that these children have not been learning elsewhere for a variety of reasons. Karate is the art of unarmed self-defense. Karate is a Japanese phrase meaning   "kara"   - (empty),   "te"   - (hand), or the way of the empty hand. Karate is a centuries old martial art, formally introduced in Japan by Master Gichin Funakoshi. Since the 1950s, karate has been practiced throughout the United States and other parts of the world. Karate is an excellent exercise, utilizing 90% of the body muscles. The mental aspects are as important as the physical. The main objective of karate training is development of character, although karate is also a practical and effective self-defense system.  Men and women...

Peter Driscoll is a CrossFit Level 1 trainer and a physical-education teacher at Hartland Elementary School in Hartland, Vermont. He’s also the founder of HES CrossFit, which operates out of a transformed kindergarten classroom in the school. The affiliate is helping the school’s K-8 students gain strength and confidence through the integration of CrossFit into their daily lives. Driscoll explains that when he brought research to principal Jeff Moreno “that showed him how movement positively impacted cognitive capacity and academic performance,” Moreno decided to support Driscoll’s efforts to build the program. As a result, what began as a small initiative with six male students, some PVC pipes and a few kettlebells has grown into a school-wide movement. Students now take exercise breaks throughout the day and can choose to do CrossFit during recess or elective periods or after school with their teachers and peers. “We believe in getting the kids out of their seats. We believe i...