While the term epidemic has been used to label everything from the gay pride epidemic, to the fashion epidemic of the 1980s, the word regains its meaning when in reference to childhood obesity. The prevalence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past 20 years, going from 7% in 1980 to 18.8% in 2004 and an estimated 61% of overweight young people have at least one additional risk factor for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The same statistics show how obesity levels increase as a family’s income and education level decrease across the board. The biggest challenge is getting our children to do the things that would reverse these effects, healthier lifestyle including physical activity and healthier eating; yet places such as Fulton Hill have tapped into the vein of recreation sports that may hold the solution.

Recreation sports have been around for decades, yet the helpful benefits they provide has become increasingly more important the last two decades. At the Powhatan Hill Community Center, located on Williamsburg Road, children are presented with myriad of sports that instill in them a sense of self as well as a healthier lifestyle than they are getting even at school. Included in the roster are football, basketball, baseball, softball, cheerleading, soccer, and swimming. More than 100 young people participate in the events, with many doing multiple sports through out the year. The success of these teams is in strict accordance with the dedication of the both the players and the coaches, such as Alvin Trent, Facility Manager at the Powhatan Hill pool has led the swim team to its 17^th consecutive win at the Yvonne Foster City Wide Championship Meet this year.

Shaina Taylor, a freshman at Armstrong High School, stated in reference to the recreation sports she’s participated in since the age of 7, “it keeps me active and gives me something to do. It makes me feel a little healthier during the week.” The neighborhood is much larger than the few hundred children who come through the center on a monthly basis, yet with the effort and opportunities presented here at the center, a difference is being made in the lives of those who really need it.