But
what if PT was fun? Sounds like an oxi-moron doesn’t it? The firefighters
at Station 43 can’t take credit for inventing this, but maybe they have
come up with a PT program that will work for the masses. Can you imagine
a program when personnel ask to exercise, look forward to working up a
sweat rather than sit around and watch television? Frisbee. That’s right,
that round disk that could be seen on ever beach and back yard back in
the 70’s! It started out as just a leisurely routine of toss the frisbee
around the ball field, but now a younger generation has looked to the “old
heads” to show them some tips and challenge them with an aggressive workout.
For those of you who have
not tossed a frisbee, it’s make take a few tries to get the hang of it.
But once you do, it almost becomes addictive. You want to throw it harder,
farther, make it hang in the air and even make the other guys run for it!
So what is happening here? You’re exercising. You’re stretching,
throwing, running, jumping, and sometimes diving to get or get rid of that
disk.It’s also a great exercise for hand and eye coordination. A Frisbee
works your upper back and arm muscles and can provide good cardiovascular
conditioning, if you have to run to catch it and get set to burn 250 calories
an hour!
General
frisbee tossing instills a team spirit, competition and even a bit of peer
pressure takes over. Those who come are curious to see what all the hub-bub
on the field start off as an observer on the side line but soon an errant
throw goes their way and slowly but surely they make their way to the field.
The neat
thing about frisbee is that is really doesn’t require any special skills.
It doesn’t matter how big you are or how strong you are. If you are somewhat
out of shape, it allows you to edge yourself into exercise at your own
pace.
 |
Lt. Bob Richards, who just
turned 50, joined the group on Thursday and after a few tosses started
to show his stuff. Bob, a Navy veteran, spent countless hours on Virginia
Beach in the 1970's when he was stationed there playing frisbee with his
friends.
The “Old Man” showed some
moves that left the younger generation asking for more. Catching the disc
behind his back, tossing it through his legs, spinning it on one finger
showed all he still has what it takes. |
While
he mentioned he would surely need Mortin the next day for the onset of
aches and pains, it didn’t deter him. Other “old heads” who joined in the
PT were Jim Richards, Pat Sherry, Bob “Popcorn” Yaklic and Ron Richards,
all who managed to keep up with many those half their age.
How
did it all start? “By accident,” said Josh Debevec, “The other day we started
tossing the frisbee and before we knew it we were on the ball field. A
few more guys showed up and they joined in. We lost track of time and before
we knew it we were there for five hours. It got dark and we didn’t want
to stop. I think we've got something here....”
