Tough Kid idea looks big winner

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

Has Wanganui come up with another winner? I rather think we have ... Last Friday morning I stood at the top of the Cooks Gardens stand and watched 1400 schoolkids giving it heaps in the Tough Kid challenge.

What a sight; what fun ... and what a brilliantly simple concept from Sport Wanganui. I thought: "What a smart move by Mitre 10 Mega to get on board as naming sponsor of this spectacular event." My second thought was: "This could go nationwide."

From humble beginnings, Friday's was the biggest Tough Kid yet, embracing 28 schools. It has its own Rangitikei version to give valuable opportunities to rural kids, and it is being picked up by other regions.

Representatives from Southland and elsewhere were at Cooks Gardens on Friday seeing how the thing runs - and so were the TVNZ cameras.

Yes, this concoction of obstacles, water slides and pumped-up, energetic youngsters could take off across New Zealand. It deserves to.

The smart guys at Sport Wanganui have already registered the "Tough Kid" name to retain ownership of their marvellous innovation.

And in December we have the first regional competition with Taranaki, Manawatu and Hawke's Bay coming here to take on our best.

A lot of hard work must go into it - for example, every participant is fitted with an electronic timer so exact timings and placings can be made no matter where they start from. So well done to all involved, and that includes the support provided by police, the army, fire service and cadets.

Whisper it ... but Tough Kid is a backlash against some of the over-protective health-and-safety bureaucracy that now regulates kids' activities. It's old-school rough-and-tumble where the children test their physicality and learn their limitations - or, in many cases it seems, exceed them.