Local schools may win fitness battle

Jake Steinfeld, chair of the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, has announced that Apollo High School in Simi Valley, Balboa Middle School in Ventura and University Preparation School in Camarillo are three of the 75 schools statewide that have been named finalists in the council's 2008 Governor's Challenge Competition.

The schools are under consideration for the competition's three grand prizes - new fitness centers valued at $100,000. Additionally, one of the three finalists will be named a regional award winner and receive $5,000 for new exercise equipment.

The Governor's Council will determine its awardees by reviewing how each finalist supported physical activity and good nutrition on their campus. Grand prize and regional award winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Capitol in September.

Finalists were chosen based on results of a statewide fitness contest among kindergarten-through-12th-grade schools. The contest promoted increased physical activity and better health among California's youth. More than 160,000 children participated.

Research shows that regular physical activity during childhood and adolescence helps build healthy bones and muscles, increases selfesteem and reduces the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Research also shows a connection between students' levels of physical fitness and their academic performance.