Husky Sport - Sites

Anderson Recreational Center

Husky Sport runs a program specifically for girls ages 8-12 at the Kelvin D. Anderson Center. This after-school program meets twice a week and pairs girls with female UConn faculty, staff, and student mentors. The participants take part in an interactive nutrition lesson and snack with the help of the Husky Nutrition program. Next, they participate in a life skills lesson on topics such as community, leadership, and respect planned by the Husky Sport mentors. Lastly, the participants play a sport or are involved in a physical activity. The goal of this last segment of each day is to expose the girls to different sports (e.g. field hockey, swimming, lacrosse, rowing) that they typically do not see and to teach them games and activities they enjoy in order to encourage frequent physical activity.

In the fall of 2008, Husky Sport introduced a Boys’ Program at the Anderson Center as well. Modeled after the Girls’ Program, the boys, aged 8-14, take part in nutrition, life skills, and sports/physical activity sessions under the leadership of male faculty and both graduate and undergraduate students. The boys have previously focused on topics such as positive attitudes, respect, and sportsmanship while emphasizing the exposure to non-traditional sports like floor hockey and lacrosse. The boys have also enjoyed field trips to go bowling and to UConn for a men’s soccer game and a step show.

Husky Sport is grateful for the praise and support it is receiving from Hartford's Health and Human Services Division and the Parks and Recreation Department for its efforts at the Anderson Center.