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NMSU Program Aims To Boost Physical Activity By Las Cruces Elementary Students

A New Mexico State University professor has teamed up with the Las Cruces Public Schools to help get young girls more active. 

Dr. Philip Post, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Dance has created “Aggie Play.”   The program’s goal is to increase physical activity among third through fifth grade girls in Las Cruces.

It started when Post took the idea from another program he used to help run and turned it into a girls-only program, while incorporating the help of NMSU female student athletes.

“The whole purpose of doing this is that girls’ are generally less active than boys… It’s an afternoon program that is focusing on girls’ physical activity behaviors.”

Aggie Play runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Hillrise Elementary School in Las Cruces. The program has reached 80 girls, with roughly 65 girls attending each program session.

Post says there is more to the program than just having the girls come out and have fun and be active. He wants them to leave each session with knowledge of physical activity and hopes they use it each day.

“Essentially… hopefully the lessons they have learned from the activities that we do on those Tuesdays and Thursdays that they are doing those after school on other days of the week when Aggie Play is not taking place.”

Another goal Post has for Aggie Play is to grow it to other schools across Las Cruces. He says he wants to see the program create opportunities for young girls to incorporate sports into their lives.

“The goal would to be eventually to find ways to have our student athletes impact young girls to get them on the right path early on, to expose them to these activities, to associate them to a sport as a part of their identity.” 

NMSU’s female student athletes play a major role in the success of Aggie Play. Post says the girls really enjoy interacting with the student athletes.

More on that aspect of Aggie Play tomorrow.