Valley Points Family YMCA found a way to combine the appeal of video games with the goal of fitness.
On Sunday, the YMCA's Kiski Valley branch in Allegheny Township unveiled Sportwall -- four 8-foot-high, sand-filled panels with seven lighted sensors on each. Children and adults can play numerous games by hitting, kicking, punching or throwing balls at the sensors.
As players hit the sensors, they accumulate points, which are displayed at the top of each panel.
Adam Shilling, the branch's program director, demonstrated the many uses for Sportwall for a half-dozen children and their families.
First, he pitted sisters Lexie and Kenzie Young of Leechburg against each other in whacking the wall with foam -- a necessary tool for 7-year-old Lexie, who couldn't quite reach the top sensors.
The girls then switched to pitching softballs at the wall -- an activity at which 12-year-old Kenzie, a softball player, excelled.
"She can throw harder than me," Shilling said.
Lexie wasn't as thrilled: "I'm not as good at this one."
The sisters soon were joined by the Davis brothers, Hunter, 7 and Cameron, 4, of Washington Township.
Shilling set up more games for the four youths, sometimes having them dribble basketballs and soccer balls down the gym floor toward the walls, sometimes having them toss bean bags at it.
Then the children's parents and other adults and children joined the four for relays. Half of the gym was full of activity, light and sound as team members ran back and forth and balls bounced across the floor.
"It's a fun way to exercise," branch executive Susie Toman said.
Toman said Sportwall incorporates the ever popular video game into an athletic activity.
"This is a video game where they're on their feet," she said.
Sportwall cost about $4,300 per panel. Toman said the YMCA will work with athletic directors and parent teacher organizations at local school districts to try to promote the activity and bring in field trips, parties and sports clinics.
The wall is open to YMCA members daily during specific times and will be incorporated into a weekly Sportwall class. Toman said it also will be available for birthday parties and other classes.
Shilling said the wall can be used as a training tool for all types of sports, including soccer, basketball, softball, tennis and volleyball. Depending on the games it's used for, many muscle groups can be exercised.
Because the sensors also are numbered and surrounded by different colors, Shilling said, Sportwall can incorporate educational games.
"We're hoping it will entice the youth into our building," Toman said.
Additional Information:
Sportwall hours
Sportwall is available to Valley Points Family YMCA members and class participants at these times:* 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
* 8 to 9 p.m. Thursday.
* 7:15 to 9 p.m. Friday.
* 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday.
* 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Members should call ahead on Saturdays to ensure the wall is not reserved for a birthday party or similar gathering.
The Sportwall Challenge instructor-led class will begin Thursday, meeting from 7:15 to 8 p.m. The class will meet every Thursday at a cost of $20 per session for members, $50 for nonmembers
For details, call the YMCA at 724-845-1968. Sportwall is available only at the Kiski Valley branch in Allegheny Township.
