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Kids camp encourages lifestyle of fitness, healthy eating

MORGANTOWN —Sunday definitely was not a day of rest at the Triune-Halleck Volunteer Fire Department.

Oh, there wasn’t a fire going on —  but lots of energy was being burned.

That came by way of all those sprinting and stretching drills.
They were done  by a group of youngsters taking part in a free fitness camp  its organizers said offers all the benefits of the high-priced ones.
Kids 2 Camp and Beyond Inc., is the name of the operation that has been meeting at the fire department on Halleck Road and other locations across the county over the last several months.
The idea, said Wayne Park, a parent of three young children who helped organize the camp, is the get kids away from the gaming console and back on their feet —  which, on this morning, never stopped moving at the VFD.
“We work on speed and agility,” Park said, “but, like the name says, we go beyond that.”
The camp, Park said, also fosters healthy eating habits.
In turn, healthy eating begets better sleep.
And better sleep means being more alert in the classroom.
Alertness, Park said, can easily translate to better grades.
“Everything ties in,” he said.
Almost as quick, he said, as all that stepping and dancing his daughter, Reese Park, was doing.
“It’s fun,” said the 8-year-old, whose natural prowess during agility exercises earned her a quick nickname.
“ ‘Sweet Feet,’ ” her dad said. “That’s what we call her.”
Karter Farley’s feet weren’t sweet, necessarily — just solid.
The 9-year-old methodically worked through one drill after the other, with nary a fuss.
“I’m gettin’ it done,” he said, grinning.