MORGANTOWN — Kids got to beat those winter blues at the annual Get Moving! Day of Play at the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility Saturday morning. This is the sixth year Get Moving! Inc. is hosting its Day of Play. The organization founded in 2014 by Dr. Elizabeth Oppe has hosted several events in Morgantown community.
Oppe said this year the stations have changed up a bit and she also worked to incorporate more women athletes into the event. She said the volleyball team and swimming teams from WVU also came out to inspire the kids to be active.
Jeff Hostetler, former WVU quarterback came out to enjoy the day of activites. He was all smiles coaching a team of kids during a game of touch football. Other notable athletes were Rasheed Marshall, Quincy Wilson, and Will Johnson.
“We have current WVU athletes and they really make the difference. We have more sponsors today, dealing with Mylan and dealing with traumatic brain injury. They’ve sponsored the brain the kids are going through,” she said.
The brain was an inflatable that kids could explore and learn different things about the brain. Participants also got a bag of healthy snacks and information about staying healthy.
The day always starts with a group photo, and ends with the singing of Country Roads. Oppe said the kids in the Mountain State really look up to these athletes at role models.
“We’re giving away six CrossFit memberships to six, eight, and ten year olds and that’s how the sustainability – and trying to do little mini Days of Plays throughout the year to try to get the physical activity going and going,” she said.
To Oppe, there are three reasons she holds keeping kids active so close to her heart. Childhood obesity, childhood diabetes and even heart disease. She said in the state of West Virginia we’re high for all these issues since since 2014.
“We’ve gotta change that. How else can we change it? We’ve gotta get out and get moving,” she said.
She said many of the kids are involved in after school activities or sports. She also said the Day of Play also helps get parents out, involved, and moving, too.
“Because they come and have such a good time they want to continue that and they remember this,” she said, “We get them started for the spring. Go through the summer. Go through the fall. Get active. Get moving,” she said.
