PUPILS at Kelvinside Academy in Glasgow will be clocking up thousands of miles during learn-from-home physical education (PE) classes to support motor neurone disease (MND) research inspired by rugby legend Doddie Weir.
The school has included the “The Doddie Gump” challenge – which calls on participants to log exercise miles to raise money for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation – into its online curriculum for all pupils for primary seven to S6.
The Doddie Active Inter-District (Aid) Challenge is the brainchild of Rob Wainwright, Doddie’s former Scotland and British & Irish Lions teammate, and sees rugby’s old Scottish inter-district championship dusted off and its five teams – the South, Edinburgh, Glasgow, North and Midlands, and the Scottish Exiles – resurrected to see which can clock up the most miles.
Thomas Davidson, a member of Kelvinside Academy’s PE department, said: “Celebrities like Joe Wicks have been excellent in encouraging the nation to keep active during lockdown, particularly at times when traditional forms of exercise have not been possible.
“However, as distance learning continues, it is vital for pupils to get away from screens and out of their homes to exercise and, by incorporating the Doddie Gump challenge into the Kelvinside Academy curriculum, we hope to introduce an element of fun and competition that will inspire pupils to go the extra miles.”
Former Scotland and Glasgow Warriors star Kelly Brown is a captain of the Glasgow inter-district effort, and joined S6 pupil and Kelvinside Academy hockey captain Ellie Rowand (17) for the launch of the school’s challenge.
Read more stories from Scotland’s schools on Scottish Field’s education pages.
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