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Local News Story
N.C. Students Practice Tai Chi During P.E.
Newton, N.C., 04.13.2009
AP
Sophomore Mindy Xiong calmly stretches her hands toward the space in front of her. Her pose slowly changes into an old man playing a guitar. She then changes to holding a teakettle.
Xiong is one of about 55 students at the Newton-Conover Health Science High School who is doing tai chi, an ancient and graceful form of exercise that has existed for some 2,000 years. The class is the freshmen and sophomores' P.E. class.
The Hickory Daily Record reported that the school offered traditional P.E. last year, but tried tai chi as a special, nine-week course through the NewArt School, said Jerry Willard, principal of the high school. He and the students liked it enough he decided to try it as the students' P.E. this year.
``Most kids have problems with focus,'' Willard said. ``I think this will help them with that. And some of our kids are doing projects on western and eastern medicines, and this is a nice connection to it.''
According to Webster's New World dictionary, tai chi is a series of postures and exercises as a system of self-defense and as an aid to meditation, characterized by slow, relaxed, circular movements. Each posture flows into the next without pausing.
JP Nelson, who taught the nine-week course, also is teaching the tai chi class this year. A martial arts instructor who specializes in Kempo Jitsu, he has practiced tai chi since 1987. Nelson said he is used to teaching adults privately. Teaching a class full of students is a big change.
``I initially planned to teach the art of tai chi, when I thought there would be a smaller class,'' Nelson said. ``Now, I want to teach the students self-awareness. My intent is to use this as a means of focus.''
Xiong said she likes tai chi because of the ``side effect,'' as Nelson calls the stress relief some gain from the exercise.
``It's the only time of the day I get to relax,'' she said. ``It's different from everything else around that I do.''
Xiong said her favorite pose is Repose Monkey, which she describes as similar to moon walking sliding your feet back while you walk.
Christopher Bare said having tai chi as his P.E. is better than more traditional activities because it serves a point. Bare said it has helped him concentrate in other areas.
Fellow sophomore Nat Glynn said he was pleasantly surprised when tai chi was offered at school.
``It was something I'd considered doing on my own,'' he said.
Glynn said doing tai chi in class has helped him in other areas.
``It relaxes me. It helps me slow down and think about my movements more when I'm playing soccer,'' he said. ``It also helps me breathe better. I do breathing exercises at home sometimes.''
Nelson said enough students are interested in tai chi that he's formed a tai chi demonstration team.
The group, which is comprised of about 12 students, meets after school on Thursdays. Nelson said he's able to do more with the group than he is in class.
``I'm able to teach them the actual art of tai chi the martial arts aspect of it, because it is an actual passive-aggressive self-defense art,'' he said.
Nelson said he's happy to watch the students grow both the demonstration team and the students in the P.E. class. As far as he knows, the Newton-Conover Health Science High School is the first school in North Carolina to offer tai chi in school.
``It's exciting to watch them take charge of it and do it on their own and be excited about it,'' Nelson said.
Comments
MamaRowe
Apr 13, 2009
I would love to learn Tai Chi! Great discipline and core strength training. I think if companies offered this health would improve for employees.
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