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| Vol. 17, No. 9 | Oct. 30, 1997 |
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| Vol. 17, No. 9 | Oct. 30, 1997 |
The HEALTHSOUTH Roadshow, a high energy program of fitness, health and self-esteem aimed at elementary and middle school students, charged into the Bob Carpenter Center this month and more than lived up to its billing as "Not Your Average Field Trip!"
Only the most outgoing of teachers should consider taking youngsters to this wild and wacky show, complete with the strobe lights, lasers, pounding music, sports stars and energetic hosts popular with the Nickelodeon generation.
Stagehands hold signs that encourage students to clap, cheer and "make some noise" as teachers are pulled from the audience to dance, exercise and participate in outrageous games. Even Delaware Gov. Thomas Carper, beamed on stage in a haze of green strobe lights during the first of several shows, was persuaded to participate in the hand motions of the song, "YMCA." It's definitely not a field trip for the faint of heart.
Sports stars Jair Lynch, the first African-American male gymnast to medal in Olympic competition; Jennifer Chandler Jones, Olympic gold medalist in diving; Carol Lewis, former top-ranked American long-jumper; and Rowdy Gaines, three-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, spoke to the crowd.
Chandler Jones stressed the importance of education; Gaines, primed to compete in the 1980 Olympics which the U.S. boycotted, spoke of overcoming disappointment; Lewis, sister of Olympic star Carl Lewis, talked of the new possibilities present each day; and Lynch told the crowd to "never give up."
On the big screen TV, other sports stars, such as Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson and Kristi Yamaguchi, offered words of wisdom on everything from the dangers of chewing tobacco to the importance of warming up before exercise-their advice sometimes drowned out by the cheers of adoring fans.
The audience, divided into two teams, Purple Thunder and Green Lightning, competed for points in zany exercises and races and by answering questions from a televised segment called The Brain Train.
With more energy than 2-year-old twins on a sugar high, the show covered everything from sports medicine, injury prevention, nutrition, sports psychology, staying in school and the harmful effects of drugs.
HEALTHSOUTH Corp. is the nation's largest provider of outpatient surgical and rehabilitative healthcare services with more than 1,300 facilities in all 50 states and the United Kingdom. The company operates outpatient diagnostic centers, outpatient surgery centers, outpatient rehabilitation centers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, occupation medicine centers and medical centers.
In New Castle County, there are HEALTHSOUTH Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Centers in Newark, Glasgow, Wilmington, New Castle and Hockessin. In conjunction with Kent General Hospital in Dover, HEALTHSOUTH operates an outpatient surgical center. It also provides local medical coverage for several local youth soccer programs, the Blue-Gold football games, numerous other local sporting events and for 13 local high schools and high school athletic events.
The Roadshow, part of the HEALTHSOUTH Sports Medicine Council, is a nonprofit organization that partners with school systems across the country to provide an interactive and education program for students. More than 6 million children see the show each year.
