City students take on childhood obesity at Asphalt Green.
More than 200 students from elementary schools in East Harlem and Long Island City took part in the athletic center's Recess Enhancement Program Friday. It was created more than a decade ago to fight the growing rate of obesity among children, and a lack of physical activity in schools.
Children played football, soccer, and tackled obstacle courses.
"Kids don't get enough physical activity these days, especially in school," said program manager Gen Gologor. "There's not a lot of physical education that happens during the week, maybe once or twice a week, especially during the cold months."
"It's a great place to get fit, if you want to get active, if you want to do something like sports, I think this is a great place," said one student.
"It was very fun," said another. "I especially liked the obstacle course with the balloons and somersaulting. It was very fun."
The Recess Enhancement program serves more than 28,000 students from 60 public schools across the city.