Kids enjoy fruits of their labour in Bidyadanga Lap Challenge
Bidyadanga Remote Aboriginal Swimming Pool’s latest Swim for Fruit Lap Challenge saw local kids racking up a total of 7,116 laps swum during the month of November. The Lap Challenge is part of the Go for 2 and 5 Regional and Remote Aboriginal Communities Swimming Program (or Swim for Fruit) and invites children to swim laps of the pool to earn pieces of fruit.
Each day during the month, children can swim 20 laps to earn a piece of fruit. Each child’s lap tally accumulates over the month, earning them tickets into a draw for weekly prizes of balls, yo-yos and frisbees. At the end of the month, five children earn the main prize of a Razor Scooter for swimming the most laps or most swims for their age group.
69 children registered laps on the tally board during November, earning 212 pieces of fruit and 55 prizes between them. Pool Manager Bernie Egan, who is now in her 5th season at Bidyadanga, has seen the Swim for Fruit program develop and thrive into a program that the kids are excited about and proactively ask to swim laps for fruit.
Nine-year-old Patrick Kitty, who is a Bidyadanga Swimming and Lifesaving Club member, took out the prize for Most Swims Under 10. He loves coming down to the pool, saying “I like getting up early and swimming before school. Bernie supports us and gives us a feed. It’s nice that you can come and swim with your family.”
The prize for Most Laps Under 6 went to Ezekiel Hicks-Wickham, five years old, who took home a scooter for completing 200 laps, as well as a Swim and Survive bag from the random prize draw.
Well done to all the kids who swam laps during the November challenge. The next challenge will be held in March 2019.
The State Government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and Healthway are major supporters of the Swim for Fruit program in Western Australia. Sport and recreation builds stronger, healthier, happier and safer communities.
Learn more about the Swim for Fruit program at the link below.
