With Obesity on the Rise Local Middle Schools Incorporate 'The Wave' Into P.E. Classes as an Innovative Way to Keep Kids Interested in Staying Active

Inline Action Board Fuses Surfing, Skateboarding and Snowboarding Into the Sport of 'Street Surfing' - Working Core Muscles and Providing Hours of Exercise and Fun for Kids of All Ages

The Wave(R), the hottest action board in the nation and quickly becoming the street sport of preference for kids, is also helping them to get and stay in shape! An inline action board with two wheels that rotate 360 degrees, The Wave gives the rider the feeling and flexibility that is normally reserved for surfers and snowboarders, and is propelled by using core movements of the body, making for an excellent fitness regime on top of being just plain fun. The Wave is even being incorporated into middle school physical education classes as an innovative way for kids to stay physically active.

"Our students were really excited to adventure onto the Wave boards," says Sandy Kupchick, Head Coach at Brandywine Middle School in Delaware, Pennsylvania and President of the Delaware AHPERD -- the Delaware Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. "As we transform our Physical Education program into the new P.E. format, we want our students to learn activities that are new, fun and highly engaging." She added, "all of our students, non-athletic and athletic, had no problem learning how to use The Wave board. Within 10 minutes, practicing with a buddy, many of our students were off on their own around the gym. The Wave board was a breath of fresh air into our Physical Education program."

And keeping kids active is becoming even more important due to the extreme increase in child obesity over the past 20 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of overweight children ages 6 to 11 more than doubled, going from 7 percent in 1980 to an astonishing 18.8 percent in 2004. The rate among adolescents aged 12 to 19 more than tripled increasing from 5 to 17.1 percent. These extreme increases are mainly a result of caloric imbalance (too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed) and is mediated by genetics and health. The CDC stresses the need for children to learn and incorporate healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity in order to prevent becoming overweight and developing related diseases.

The Wave is also becoming popular with kids thanks to the board's ability to be ridden in small areas as well as do tricks, sharp turns and 360s, and the fact the rider's feet never have to touch the ground.

"I like riding The Wave because you can make up tricks that you can't do on a skateboard -- and it's a lot smoother because the wheels rotate all the way around, so it feels more like surfing," says 15-year-old Mike Wang from Carlsbad, California. Mike's little brother 11-year-old Chris concurs, "I like The Wave because you can ride it for a really long time without ever putting your feet down -- my friends and I have contests to see who can ride the longest."

In fact, kids who snowboard comment that they like riding The Wave during the off-season because it allows them to improve on their snowboarding skills. The same holds true for kids who surf when the weather turns cold or the waves are flat. The Wave provides a similar ride for both, only they "surf the street" -- and the good news is that riding The Wave does not require kids to have any surfing or snowboarding experience.

Street Surfing, LLC, the company behind The Wave, will release a smaller version of The Wave in mid-May, called The Ripple, for younger kids ages 6-10. This version of The Wave is perfect for keeping little rippers active.

The Wave is available at major sporting goods stores throughout the U.S. For more information about The Wave, log on to www.StreetSurfing.com.

About Street Surfing, LLC

Street Surfing, LLC is a sporting goods product and lifestyle company that manufacturers and distributes The Wave(R), the first in its line of Street Surfing(TM) boards designed to "surf the streets." The Wave(R) combines the motions of surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding to create the new sport of Street Surfing. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, Street Surfing, LLC is committed to delivering durable, high-quality Street Surfing equipment, accessories and apparel.

Source: Street Surfing, LLC

Web site:
http://www.thewave.com/
http://www.StreetSurfing.com