Riding scooters may look like a lot of fun, but trust these MacArthur Middle School students: it’s hard work.
But it’s great for your legs. Not to mention your peace of mind.
The scooters are EZRoller ProRides, low-riding scooters that are basically a seat on a simple metal frame, with two wheels in back and one in front, and hand grips on either side of the seat. The most recent shipment came courtesy of a grant from the Lawton Public School Foundation, whose board liked gym teacher Amy Gilpen’s argument that the equipment increases the physical movement of her students.
They aren’t a new idea. Gilpen already had some ProRides, but only enough to allow half of her class to ride at the same time. She now has 30 and six more on order, giving her enough for everyone in her largest class to ride at the same time so they can experience a “Jello limbs leg day” Gilpen joked in her application.
The scooters are used by her gym and self-contained classes, and until the latest shipment, Gilpen had to split her students, half riding the scooters, half doing exercises in the upstairs workout room. In cooler months, they ride around the gym; since Southwest Oklahoma spring has sprung, the girls ride outside on the paved area on the gym’s south side.
The devices are so popular, Gilpen uses them as rewards on Fridays, when students who have accomplished a certain number of activities in the past week – running a specific number of laps, for example – earn time with the scooters. While the students do some serious exercise with them, there also is “fun time,” such as girls linking hands to ride in a chain.
It’s not only sixth, seventh and eighth grade students asking for rides. Gilpen said more than one adult has taken a spin on a ProRide, herself included. She’s been a fan since she saw her first scooter at her niece’s birthday party.
“They’re great for exercise,” she said.
Students like the equipment for different reasons.
“It’s a fun way to work out your legs,” said Jordan Bush, a sixth grader.
Bush said the scooter is helping her in other areas of her life.
“I play softball, and I run a little faster,” she said, crediting the workout her legs are getting from pumping the scooter pedals to increase her speed.
Gilpen found another benefit: a feeling of calmness. Gilpen said one student who has problems in other classes told her “this is my calm” when she rides.
“Then, I got off and found out I was exhausted,” Gilpen said, recounting the end of the story.
Gilpen, always the physical instructor, combines activities for a maximum workout. For example, she has the girls dribble basketballs while riding the scooters, which means a rider must coordinate her arms to dribble the ball while ensuring her legs are pressing the pedals properly to keep the scooter on a straight course. It’s a learning process in an era where many teens have never ridden a bike, Gilpen said.
The technique is easy to learn, but harder to put into practice, said eighth graders Chloe-Ann Campbell and Kayla Thomas about using their legs and feet to push the front bar, which connects to the front wheel and rotates it.
Thomas described the technique as a diagonal line between her feet, with each leg pushing the same distance as she rotates between the left and right foot rests. Thomas said pushing the same distance with each leg is important; otherwise, the scooter veers to one side.
“It’s not hard to learn,” she said.
Campbell demonstrated the technique, noting “The faster you push, the faster you go.”
But, there is a price to pay.
“I could tell my calves got a workout,” said one adult, explaining that not only do the legs propel and steer, the rider also must be careful – press too hard on the right pedal and the bike veers to the left. “You have to find the correct balance.”
Gilpen considers the ProRides another piece of equipment to add to her exercise regimen to tempt students to work their muscles in the fresh air and sunshine. But, she’s noticed another benefit: more interaction among students. Gilpen’s classes are mixed ages, and eighth graders typically don’t interact with sixth graders.
“It has built such a community here,” she said, of helpful advice older students give to younger ones. “It’s another way to get participation.”
“It’s addictive. I jump on it every time I can.”