Gym Class

Teens work out hard during gym class at school and then ... grab an antibacterial wipe to clean up. Many students who work up a sweat are opting out of showers at school. "I wouldn't do it,"16-year-old Adrian Alequin says in a story by the Orlando Sentinel (" Do your kids shower after gym class? Tradition fading away for some "). "It's way too weird," he says. "I don't want to see another guy like that. " The story goes on to list some of the alternatives kids recommend.

Teens work out hard during gym class at school and then ... grab an antibacterial wipe to clean up. Many students who work up a sweat are opting out of showers at school. "I wouldn't do it,"16-year-old Adrian Alequin says in a story by the Orlando Sentinel (" Do your kids shower after gym class? Tradition fading away for some "). "It's way too weird," he says. "I don't want to see another guy like that. " The story goes on to list some of the alternatives kids recommend.

Greg Isaacs saw them day after day -- teenagers hanging out at the local coffeehouse after school, consuming lots of fat-laden pastries and sugary drinks. So when Isaacs, a well-known Los Angeles personal trainer, opened his own fitness studio, he decided to create a teen hangout of another sort. His new fitness club, Greg Isaacs 360 in Brentwood Village, is offering special classes for teens aimed at persuading them to get off the coffeehouse sofa and onto an exercise bike or dance floor.

People say it takes too much discipline to work out at home, but I think it takes more discipline to get myself to a gym. If I work out at home, I don't have to get in the car and drive somewhere. I commute only a few feet, which means I'm more likely to actually do the workout. I don't have to think about what to wear. At home, I put on my comfy old workout shorts instead of a leotard-type outfit that reveals every little bulge. And at home, no one else witnesses my lack of coordination.

An 11-year-old boy collapsed and died after running less than a lap during gym class at his Burbank middle school, authorities said Friday. Austin Anthony Cook, a sixth-grader at John Muir Middle School, was doing a standard fitness run on the outdoor track Thursday when he collapsed, said Joel Shapiro, a deputy superintendent for the Burbank Unified School District. Shapiro said Austin was known to be athletic and in "excellent physical condition."

The third-grade students in Meg Greiner's PE class at Independence Elementary School can barely contain themselves as they wait for the previous class to end. With limbs twitching in anticipation, eyes fixed on the gymnasium and the equipment inside, they bound into the room as if being set free in a theme park. "Miss Greiner?" they wail. "Can we use the unicycles? Can we climb the rock wall today? Pleeeeaaaaase??"

GYM Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy has Stockholm syndrome. No, not the clinical psychological response of a hostage sympathizing with his captor. His is the more common variety: "I've never seen more beautiful girls in my entire life," he exclaims on the phone from a tour stop in Sweden. "It's kind of surreal. I keep pinching myself." That's when he's not already pinching himself over the astonishing breakthrough of the band, which plays KIIS-FM's Wango Tango on Saturday.

It's another day, another gym class at Vasquez High School in Acton. Running. Calisthenics. Somebody constantly blowing a whistle. Seven miles away, just over the border in Palmdale, three Vasquez students are traveling their own trail to physical fitness. For this trio, gym class means driving half a mile down a rutted dirt road, past high-tension wires and tumbleweed, to perform handstands on top of a cantering horse named Belle.

A University High School student collapsed of an apparent heart attack as he played basketball in gym class Wednesday and died, officials said. Thomas Sunoo, a 16-year-old junior, suddenly fell at 11:50 a.m. and stopped breathing, Police Lt. Sam Allevato said. The physical education teacher, Steve Scoggin, immediately tried to revive Sunoo, students said. A second teacher arrived moments later and attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Willie Wallace was the kind of kid everyone liked. A big, open-faced, friendly boy who always had time to listen. The 14-year-old's good heart did not extend to his real heart, however, where a narrowing below his aortic valve sometimes left him short of breath. The condition--diagnosed by pediatric cardiologists when Willie was a kindergartner--was being monitored by his doctors; when it became severe enough, it would probably require surgery.

One of the largest studies of its kind shows just how sluggish American children become once they hit the teen years: While 90% of 9-year-olds get a couple of hours of exercise most days, fewer than 3% of 15-year-olds do. What's more, the study suggests that fewer than a third of teens that age get even the minimum recommended by the government -- an hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, like cycling, brisk walking, swimming or jogging. The sharp drop raises concerns about inactivity continuing into adulthood, which could endanger kids' health throughout their lives, the study's authors said.

An 11-year-old boy collapsed and died after running less than a lap during gym class at his Burbank middle school, authorities said Friday. Austin Anthony Cook, a sixth-grader at John Muir Middle School, was doing a standard fitness run on the outdoor track Thursday when he collapsed, said Joel Shapiro, a deputy superintendent for the Burbank Unified School District. Shapiro said Austin was known to be athletic and in "excellent physical condition."

GYM Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy has Stockholm syndrome. No, not the clinical psychological response of a hostage sympathizing with his captor. His is the more common variety: "I've never seen more beautiful girls in my entire life," he exclaims on the phone from a tour stop in Sweden. "It's kind of surreal. I keep pinching myself." That's when he's not already pinching himself over the astonishing breakthrough of the band, which plays KIIS-FM's Wango Tango on Saturday.

NEWS THAT A FORMER gym teacher in Florida has pleaded guilty to six counts of bribery for charging students $1 for the privilege of skipping gym class raises all the usual questions about corruption and dishonesty in high and low places -- plus one more: Only $1? He could have charged way more. According to Terence Braxton, he is not the only teacher at the Pensacola, Fla., middle school who saw all those gym-shy students as a possible revenue stream.

A Ventura seventh-grader collapsed Wednesday during a gym class run at De Anza Middle School and died shortly after at a hospital, school officials said. Ricardo Ramirez, 12, was an outstanding student who wanted to go to college and ran a nine-minute mile for the school's cross-country team, said Supt. Trudy Arriaga of the Ventura Unified School District. But as Ricardo and his classmates headed out for a warmup run at the start of their 10 a.m.

At a growing number of health clubs, gyms and YMCAs across the country, the treadmills and barbells aren't just for adults anymore. More teens and "tweens," or preteens, are hitting the workout circuit to get in shape. The trend is driven by parents worried about childhood obesity while schools cut physical education classes. And health clubs -- long considered adult-only zones that often barred youngsters -- see the potential for a new market.

A Ventura seventh-grader collapsed Wednesday during a gym class run at De Anza Middle School and died shortly after at a hospital, school officials said. Ricardo Ramirez, 12, was an outstanding student who wanted to go to college and ran a nine-minute mile for the school's cross-country team, said Supt. Trudy Arriaga of the Ventura Unified School District. But as Ricardo and his classmates headed out for a warmup run at the start of their 10 a.m.

Puberty is humiliating enough as it is, but as a gay person I can tell you that when you throw sexual orientation into the mix, you get "Lord of the Flies" in the locker room. Just ask Ashly Massey, 15, the Californian who last month filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Banning Unified School District. The suit claims that the district violated the equal protection clause of the Constitution when it expelled Ashly from her eighth-grade gym class for being a lesbian.

The third-grade students in Meg Greiner's PE class at Independence Elementary School can barely contain themselves as they wait for the previous class to end. With limbs twitching in anticipation, eyes fixed on the gymnasium and the equipment inside, they bound into the room as if being set free in a theme park. "Miss Greiner?" they wail. "Can we use the unicycles? Can we climb the rock wall today? Pleeeeaaaaase??"

Nothing against juice and granola bars, but health clubs across the country are hiring chefs, giving cooking classes and teaching nutrition to help their clients drop the weight and keep it off. "People want to see results when they join, and we have to teach them they're not going to get results if they don't have an eating strategy," said Nanette Pattee Francini, cofounder of the Sports Club/LA chain. The Sports Club hands out nutrition books to all new members.