The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) will honor Rollerblade with the Ross Merrick National Recognition Award for its commitment to introducing children to fun, lifelong physical activity in physical education programs in schools across the country at the national convention of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) this month.
Rollerblade will be recognized at the NASPE Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, April 1, at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego. Other honorees that evening include the National Physical Education Teachers of the Year for Elementary, Middle and High School, the National Physical Education Administrator of the Year as well as the Athletic Director of the Year. Golf great Annika Sörenstam will be inducted that evening into the NASPE Hall of Fame. The banquet is sponsored by Playworld Systems, a leading manufacturer of imaginative playground equipment and the creator of ENERGI Total Body Fitness System.
According to NASPE President Lynn Couturier of State University of New York in Cortland, “The Ross Merrick National Recognition Award is given to an organization that has done exceptional work in supporting physical activity, physical education, or sport as it relates to NASPE's mission and has supported NASPE as an organization.”
Past inductees of the National Recognition Award include the American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC's) Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), Cooper Institute, Hershey Foods Corporation, Michigan State University's Youth Sports Institute, National Federation of State High School Associations, NFL Network, Polar USA, President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Project Adventure, Reebok International, and the United States Olympic Committee.
In conjunction with NASPE, the Rollerblade Skate in School program was developed in 1997 as a way to teach children in-line skating skills in a safe, effective way and get them moving for a lifetime. To jump start the program, Rollerblade donated skates, protective gear, helmets and lesson plans to about 100 schools nationwide. Skate in School is now being used by more than 1,100 schools and has introduced more than 3 million students to in-line skating. For more information, visit skateinschool.com
Stephen Charrier, co-president of Rollerblade, remarked, “Rollerblade is honored to receive this award. The research is clear that children who are active lead better lives. We are pleased to partner with NASPE to bring kids in physical education the benefits and pleasures of inline skating, an activity they can enjoy for a lifetime.”
According to physical education teacher Carol Ann Chiesa of Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Teaneck, NJ, “The Skate in School program has proven the test of time and continues to be one of our most popular units of students. Our students are getting a great aerobic workout and having fun doing it. Even our novice skaters enjoy the program. It is just amazing to witness their success and increased self-esteem.”
The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) is a non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. NASPE's 15,000 members include: K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, sport management professionals, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare physical activity professionals.
