*OLYMPIC SPECIAL* Badge of the Month: Sports

Written by Ellie Barton

As a Ranger, my main goal has been to complete all the interest badges! I'm now at the point where I only have 5 or 6 left. One of the ones left is the 'Sports' badge, which has been impossible to find time to do.

Since the Olympics have just finished and it's soon the Paralympics, there isn’t a better time to do it. Come along with me and if you take part, let your leader know and that's part of the new programme signed off (and a super cool badge!). Let’s do it!


Design taster sessions:

What other individual sports or activities can you think of? There are lots to choose from, from Pilates, martial arts and yoga, to tai-chi and aerobics. Choose two and design a 15-minute taster session for each. Start by finding out how to do the activities safely, and then try them out yourself until you’re confident. When you’re ready, find a group of friends to do the taster sessions with. Finish by reflecting on how you all feel about each of the sessions.


So the first thing I needed to do was choose what I wanted to do for my taster sessions. The first one was an easy choice: dancing. The second one I wanted to do was an ‘exercise extravaganza’ - I wanted to do lots of things, including star jumps, jogging on the spot, the plank and some push ups. First of all I needed to nail these moves, I couldn’t think of any on the spot so I had a dance session.

So it was easier when I did the sessions, I chose a video on YouTube called ‘ 'Taylor Swift- evermore dance workout (full body/no equipment)’ by MadFit. She has other videos such as Ariana Grande and One Direction. I kept doing it until I had the moves down and remembered.

Next I had to plan my exercise extravaganza. I decided to do 5 exercises, each for 3 minutes. The activities I chose were: star jumps, jog on the spot, plank, push ups and lunges. I had to make sure this was a good combination. The plank was the hardest to do, especially for 3 minutes. So it ended up being three 1 minute planks, which still worked, but if you can do one for 3 minutes you could do that instead. Now it's time to run my sessions, let’s get started!

I'm going to start with the dancing one. If you want to take part, find the video for the routine. Before you start, make sure you have appropriate clothing and shoes on for the activity and a drink. I'm starting mine now, see you soon!
And I’m back! How was the dance? I feel nice and relaxed. Although some of these moves tested my flexibility...

Are we ready fir the exercise extravaganza? I'm most excited to do this one with you. Once again make sure you have the right clothing and footwear on and grab a drink.

Let’s go! First step is to jog on the spot for 3 minutes. Okay, next up lunges, do 5 to the left and then 5 to the right and then carry on for 3 minutes. We’re nearly halfway through now! Let’s do some star-jumps next for 3 minutes. Let’s move on to push ups for another 3. Okay now final one, try to do plank for as long as possible. If you can’t make the 3 minutes, maybe try three one-minute ones.
Well done guys, that’s the end of our exercise extravaganza! I hope you all enjoyed it, I thought it went really well.

Introduce someone to your favourite sport

Think of an individual sport or physical activity you already know. You’re going to help someone who’s never tried it to take their first steps. Create a guide to show a beginner all the key moves or actions they need to know. You could do this as a chart, clearly showing the different motions, or film some short video clips or gifs.

I don't really have a favourite sport, the only one I do is dancing and even for that I only use 'Just Dance'. So to introduce you to my sport, I’m going to find my favourite dances. You can play them on the game or find a video of it. The ones I like are:

  • Adore you- Harry Styles
  • Feel special- TWICE
  • Ice cream - BLACKPINK x Selena Gomez
  • Georgia- Tiggs da Author
  • Juice- Lizzo
  • Rare- Selena Gomez
  • Senorita- Shaun Mendez and Camila Cabello

These are my favourite so feel free to give them a try!


Take up a new sport:

Your final challenge is to try something completely new! Choose an individual sport or activity you’ve never tried before… and give it a try! You could sign up to classes led by a tutor, follow an online video at home or use any other resources you can get hold of. Decide how many sessions you’re going to commit to. Be brave and challenge yourself, but know your limits. Keep a record of how many sessions you’re aiming for and how many you achieve.

The sport I wanted to learn was yoga. I decided to do this via YouTube videos. I chose my challenge and decided to do 10 videos. I wanted each to be between 10-20 minutes. I found a YouTube Chanel called ’SarahBethYoga’ and did the first 10 videos from her playlist ‘morning yoga’. I did two for these a day for five days. After doing these in the morning, I felt rather relaxed and refreshed! A great way to start a morning, and something I'd love to keep doing.

I had a lot if fun completing this badge and I hope you enjoyed completing it alongside me. Let us know if you complete your badge via our Facebook and Instagram channels

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