TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta-based aquarobic club Water Exercise Therapy (WET) Indonesia will host a world aquarobic marathon competition on November 11. Similar events will also be held simultaneously in 80 countries, involving 190 international instructors. WET Indonesia will be hosting the event for the third time in a row.
In Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore will hold the 5th Worldwide Aquathon Day 2017. To enhance public participation in aquarobic, WET Indonesia will also host the inaugural water-based health seminar.
Adopting the theme “Sehat dan Bahagia Bersama Air” (Healthy and Happy with Water), the seminar will discuss the relation between water and health—including how water sports boost toddlers development and creativity. WET Indonesia founder and aquarobic international instructor Damian “Dotty” Widowati, 51, came up with the idea to held the event after a long observation at swimming pools in the past year.
Dotty found out that a key behavioural aspect of most Indonesians are they the tendency to cure disease instead of preventing them. She said that to prevent health problems one must start early: babies and children. Therefore, WET Indonesia has now put more attention to child aquarobic, she asserted.
Scheduled for Saturday, November 11, at 9 am to 11 am in South Jakarta, the seminar will feature senior neurologist Dr. Andreas Harry and Adisti F Soegoto, M Psi, child psychologist and parenting expert. WET Indonesia members will share their experience about the benefit of aquarobic, including Swedish professional golfer Stephen Lindskog as well as Sofina Kyara Pradiono Krisna and Kamakyko Jana Krisna, a yoga teacher and mother to Kamakyko, 12).
The main issue to be discussed by Andreas Harry and Adisti F. Soegoto is the absolute relation between water and health. Andreas said that introduction to water sports, inlcuding aquarobic, in the first six months of a child, will affect 60 percent of their health in the future. “Water sports are one of the best ways to help train sensoric, motoric and cognitive ability,” Andreas said.
Adisti stressed that one of the merits of aqua sports is parent-baby bonding. Parents’ involvement plays a major role in child development on the water. The freedom, relaxed and challenging nature on the water creates not only motoric stimuli, but also triggers the five sense as well as emotional development,” Adisti said.
Some 200 participants from different backgrounds will be joining the 5th Worldwide Aquathon Day. For the first time, WET Indonesia members will perform water dancing as part of the world aquathon 2017 celebration.
To enhance public participation in water aquarobic, WET will offer trial sessions for participants wanting to try aquarobic moves. The session will be led by international instructor, WET founder Dotty Widowati.
FIRMAN MAULANA