Officially, Rob Lamont is a Prince George RCMP constable.
But for one afternoon a few weeks ago at Van Bien elementary school, he took on the not-so-serious roll as drill sergeant for a group of about 50 girls, aged 10 to 15. Carrying a wood staff to attract attention, Lamont taught his young troops how to march, military-style; got them down for some push-ups on the hardwood floor; then put the girls through a series of mental and physical tests to show the value of teamwork.
It was all in the name of fun.
The girls are part Fitness For Fun, a free program of healthy fitness activities that involves Prince George Community Policing and the Prince George Victim Services and the RCMP.
Offering such activities as tae kwon-do, kickboxing, snowshoeing, yoga and zumba classes, the after-school program started Oct. 18 and will run twice each week on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons through to Nov. 24 at Van Bien school, as well as some outdoor venues in the city.
"It's about fitness, but it's also about something more than that; an opportunity to reach out to girls in a positive way and build relationships in the community," said Prince George RCMP Cpl. Carissa Hornoi.
Each girl will be tested before and after the six-week program to determine how much the program will improve their overall fitness. Volunteers from outside the police force will be leading the kids through their sporting activities.
"[RCMP Cst.] Amanda Stockdale came to Community Policing and Victim Services with this idea as a way to get out and interact with young girls to build up self-esteem," said Prince George RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Craig Douglass. "They really are quite enjoying it. It's fun for us too. Obviously there's a fitness component, but there's also an opportunity to work especially with high-risk or less fortunate youth to build up the program.
"What we get out of it as police officers are a lot of benefits in that the girls aren't fearful of us. Some of them may have us in their lives from time to time, with their parents or loved ones, and this looks at us in a positive light as opposed to a negative light. Part of it is to build up self-esteem to maybe break that cycle, so they grow up confident and healthy and they take part in the good things in life instead of the bad things."
Fitness For Fun is an offshoot of the 10-week Run For Fun program introduced last spring. Girls were taught how to train for a five-kilometre road race and the program was well-received, attracting more than 60 participants. On the final day, the girls ran a race and were all presented medals from RCMP inspector Keith Redl, who showed up dressed in traditional red serge for the race and the family picnic that followed.
Integris Credit Union has jumped on board as a community sponsor for the Run For Fun program, which will again be staged in the spring of 2012.
"We are absolutely thrilled with the amazing level of support we've received from the community of Prince George," said RCMP Victim Services co-ordinator Krista Levar.
It's not too late for girls to register for Fitness For Fun. For more information call 250-561-3319.
