September, 2010www.leapstart.co.in

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LEAPSTART NEWSLETTER

(Dev Roy, Founder)

Dear Readers,

While the monsoon season bids adieu to the Indian peninsula, and the football season kicks off with the same excitement and fervour as before, Indian children have a lot to look forward to in the month of September. The mid-term examinations are also just around the corner and with the present level of competition, a lot of hours have to be put into the books so the coming month is brimming with activities.

Watching the children prepare diligently for their examinations reminds me of my days at school. While we prepared hard for our papers, we also kept a few hours aside every week for playing our favourite sports and games. It was a way to refresh, re-energize and recharge our batteries. I firmly believe that extra-curricular activities adds a lot of value to your resume, and one need not compromise on sports in order to succeed in the academic world.

When I was the Managing Director at Barclays Capital I got resumes from young people all over the world, alumni of Ivy leagues schools like Harvard and Wharton, all of them hoping to become investment bankers. I was confident that all of them were smart and capable academically, but life is more about handling successes with the inevitable failures that come along your way. Sports have always taught us that success and failure are a part of the journey, and we must take them in our stride. That invariably led me to the back of their resumes to see what sports they had played. This is something that recruiters from all the top companies look for, as people with an active background tend to think better on their feet and perform better in pressure situations.

I really do hope that all the children find a healthy balance between their books and the field, for this combination will make you irresistible in the corporate world one day.

Till next time. Keep reading

Dev!

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Mind Play

Partnership in PracticeSt. Joseph’s Boys High School:St. Joseph’s Boys High School is one of the oldest educational institutes in India, providing high quality student development for nearly 152 years. St. Joseph’s European High School as it was formerly known is run by the Priests of the Society of Jesus or simply called the Jesuits. The Jesuits are administrators of a number of educational institutes across the globe, with the hope of producing well rounded human beings who strive to reach great levels of success but at the same time uphold their character and respect for humanity. They coined the school motto “Fide Et Labore”which stands for faith and toil, a motto which resonates among all the students who have graduated from this prestigious institute.

St. Joseph’s is a premier institue in the country because it gives equal importance to education and sports, and provides their students with ample opportunities to succeed in both. St. Joseph’s sports teams have always dominated and have a reputation of being the front runners in almost all the competitions they take part in. With the likes of Rahul Dravid, Sandeep Somesh, Robin Uthappa, Anup Sridhar and a host of other prominent sports persons in the country graduating from St. Joseph’s, its no wonder then that the tag “Josephite” is one that is highly respected and cherished.

LeapStart is proud to be associated with an institute of the caliber of St. Joseph’s whose ideals and principles are trendsetters in the education-arena.

Rev Fr Celestine Sera SJ (Principle at St.Josephs):

The parents are very happy with the program and they can actually see that it is doing the children good. The program is well organized and the trainers are always well groomed and presentable. It is good to see that the children are enjoying themselves with the program and at the same time learning.”

LeapStart activities �ll the �elds at St. Joseph's!

Name that Athlete

Who was the only woman athlete to

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the Sydney Olympics?

Send in your answers to info@leapstart.co.in and stand a chance to win exciting LeapStart merchandise.

Mailing Address FitKids Education & Training Pvt. Ltd.SMR House, No. 5 Convent RoadBangalore 560025 Telephone: +91 80 41188934Email : info@leapstart.co.in

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Observing the Olympics

The Perfect Fit

PAGE 2/2LEAPSTART NEWSLETTER

Nisha Millet is an Olympic Swimmer from Bangalore, Karnataka and an Arjuna Award winner. Nisha who is a member of the LeapStart Advisory Panel has been swimming since the age of 9, she has won nearly 600 gold medals in all competitions and was the only woman swimmer to represent India at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. She holds the record for most gold medals at the national championships which is 14, and has won the Prime Minister’s Best Sports Woman award twice.

We sat down with Nisha whose career has spanned 12 years, for a candid interview.

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Q. Describe your first experience in the swimming pool? The first time I went swimming was back in 1991, I was 9 years old and my father took me to the local swimming club in Chennai. I was too tall to use the children’s pool so I had to enter the normal pool, and when I entered the water for the first time I was overcome with fear!

Q. When did you decide to take up swimming as a profession?A. I really owe it all to my parents, especially my father. When I first started learning to swim, the teacher would just throw a bunch of us into the pool till we picked up the skill, as is common practice, but this is a very primitive method to teaching. My father then decided to teach me himself, and after spending time with him I quickly took the sport. I was just 10 when I first took part in a competition and beat most of the boys. Within the next 3 months I knew I wanted to become a professional athlete.

Q. Which is your favourite sports film? Cool Runnings, it depicts the right attitude any sports person should have. Fight till the end and never give up!

Who is your favourite swimmer? Who is your favourite woman sportsperson? Ian Thorpe. My favourite woman athlete has to MC Mary Kom. She is a wonderful person and I was lucky enough to spar with her, she is an inspiration.

Q. Any other sport you would have liked to play? Gymnastics or Basketball.

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For the first time in the history of International Sports, the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) was held in Singapore from the 14th to the 26th of August 2010. This new venture by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was aimed at providing young athletes from around the world a platform to compete and hone their skills according to international standards. These games serve as the perfect barometer for each country to identify the potential Olympians of tomorrow.

The city-state of Singapore proved to be a successful venue for the inaugural Games, where athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 took part in the festivities which included 184 events in 26 sports. A staggering 3,531 young sportspersons representing 204 National Olympic Committees took part ensuring the quality of competition was of the highest level. The Games motto of “Blazing the trail” proved to be ideal as the young athletes set the stage alight with their skill, agility and fighting spirit.

While countries like China, Australia, Russia and the United States dominated the medal count, India had reason to celebrate with 7 medals proving that there is a wealth of talent in the Indian ranks. The Indian youngsters like Shiva Thapa, Yuki Bhambri, Prannoy HS and Pooja Dhanda have done the country proud and are the flag bearers for the next generation of Athletes.

The YOG winter games are scheduled for Innsbruck 2012, and we can expect the same level of competition and excitement. With these games coming once every four years, it won’t be surprising to see the champions of the YOG to become world beaters at the Olympics.

With mid-term examinations just a few weeks away, we decide to focus on different ways for children to stay healthy and fit during this hectic period. The level of pressure and expectations on youngsters these days can be quite over-whelming, and if the right steps are not taken to de-stress, they can have an adverse effect on a child’s health.

The simplest way to relax your body and stay fit while battling a heavy study load is to keep sometime aside every week for playing and interacting with friends. Running around, walking, playing a quick game of street football and even cycling can be a very healthy practice. Cycling especially on a daily basis for atleast ten minutes can help to maintain fitness levels and at the same time relaxes the mind. Interacting with friends can help to overcome the tension and nervousness that surrounds examinations.

One of the most sought after techniques of de-stressing is the art of yoga. It is never too early to start practicing this ancient fitness routine. Yoga or a simple 10 minute meditation for that fact can have a wonderful effect on a stressed out mind. These techniques can be easily done within the comforts of one’s home at any time of the day and it is a sure shot method of improving fitness and staying healthy.

Another simple trick towards staying fit is eating right and sleeping well. Children tend to eat and sleep at odd hours during examinations and this takes a toll on the body. Study stimulates intense brain activity which makes the body prone to dehydration. Always keep a bottle of water or some juice near your child’s study table to ensure they have a healthy intake of water.This helps improve the body metabolism and ensures that the child is recharged mentally and physically from time to time.