Sydney Sachs: Bouncing Balls and Body Image
Sydney Sachs is a 17-year-old high school senior from Chicago, Illinois. A former member of the U.S. Rhythmic Gymnastics national team for six years, Sachs has since turned her attention toward academics and preparing for college. Not one to be away from physical activity for long, Sachs came to us and asked about running her own GoGirlGo! program for underserved girls in Chicago. In a new weekly blog series, guest-blogger Sachs will share her experience as she teaches our award-winning GoGirlGo! curriculum, with a focus on rhythmic gymnastics, of course, to a group of Chicago girls. Her fourth blog:
This week was more focused on the equipment aspect of the sport. The girls learned to roll the ball across their bodies, bounce the ball with both hands, and toss. It was incredible to see the progress in the girls' awareness of their bodies. They were able to toss and catch the correct way from the first time!
Their flexibility also improved. They have just begun to feel comfortable with the warm up and their muscle have adjusted well. It's so nice to see how much they're beginning to appreciate the sport and understand the hard work that comes a lot with it. The girls have also started to feel the music and put their new skills into the freeze dance that we play at the end of each session.
Today we talked about body image and what it means to be comfortable with the body we have. We also discussed how eating and exercising can change the way our body looks, as well as how we feel. The girls understand the importance of a healthy diet and are finding ways to eat healthy everyday.