The first activity of the WoW Europe project was held on a very beautiful, truly wintery day. As the schools are still closed for learners of grades 5 - 12, and the smalls pupils of grades 1- 4 still are on holidays that started before Christmas already, the project team decided to hold the activity in the open air, which is allowed for the vocational education learners under their sport teachers or coaches.

The activity covered grade 5 learners of both Limbazi General Education Schools - Limbazi State Gymnasium and Limbazi Secondary School, as well as three students of elder classes (grade 8) assisting their coach and our activity's "star" - an athlete, a kayaker, an Olympian Kristaps Zalupe who back in 2008 ranked 7th in the Olympic Games in Beijing covering the discipline of K-2 1000m in sprint kayaking with his partner Krists Straume. Kristaps Zalupe lives in Limbazi and the small town can boast of having its own Olympian who stayed in his native town after his active sports career. Now, Kristaps is a coach in basketball leding his teams among the best youth teams of Latvian basketball. Kristaps teaches sport in a kinder-garden, too, and thus he knows the best approaches towards small children, school children, teenagers and youth.

The activity was held in the town's Skating-rink, which this year is open only for children and youth of vocational oriented education implemented by the local municipal sports school. The Olympian Kristaps Zalupe narrated of his first steps in sport when he himself was of the age of the five-graders. Kristaps mentioned his point of view of doing physical activities on a daily basis and shared his own activities now at the age of 44. Kristaps is cycling in the discipline of mountain bikes and ranks in the top of the best cyclers of grassroots class. Now, in winter, Kristaps does cross-country skiing at least 3 times a week and in the rest of days he either does gymnastics or rides an exercise bike.

Kristaps lead the activity together with the sports teacher of Limbazi State Gymnasium and also a coach of athletics - Agris Kirsis.

After the "official part" our Olympian and the sports teacher took up several skating relays, and Kristaps helped each child by individually explaining how to overcome each obstacle in the relay, which you can well see in the video of the day.

It was a marvellous time for each participant and we are looking forward for holding the next activity in March! And by this video we also want to encourage everyone to keep doing physical activities even in this lock-down situation!

Watch our video HERE!