The first rule for the Playstation once the novelty wore off was, only half an hour per day. I was concerned that sitting in front of the TV all day would not be good for his health, and that it’s a very unsociable device. This was where the motorbike came in. Josh had always loved Motorbikes from a very young age, and I have always loved MotoX since I was a young lad.

Josh raced his first MotoX when he had just turned Six. At the time it was just to see if he liked it. He came home buzzing about racing and meeting other kids whose parents also had given them bikes as well. From then on he wanted to ride seriously for points and trophies.

That was fine by his Mum and me. We figured that if he was out riding his bike then that was better than sitting in front of the TV getting a Playstation thumb. We decided that if he was to race competitively then he was to do it properly and not half heartedly.

We asked around a few senior riders how to go about getting him ready to race. Two important things kept coming up.

1/ Correct Diet.

2/ Fitness

With out these two important ingredients, Josh’s safety and well being could be compromised. Firstly poor diet would result in Josh suffering from fatigue, through lack of energy, which would result in poor reaction times, poor concentration etc.

Fitness would go hand in hand with the diet and both would compliment each other. Basically if he ate well his fitness shouldn’t be a problem to address. Now I don’t believe a six year old should be made to do a strict fitness program, and I think to even try to implement one would be unwise, but if they are encouraged to play outside, riding bicycles, running around the place with their friends then that should do the job. Needless to say the “Half an hour only” rule for the Playstation was enforced. We encouraged Josh to play more outside and he was often seen and heard riding his bicycle around the house accompanied with all manner of Motorbike noises coming out of his mouth. Friends often came to play and stayed outdoors as much as possible.

Josh still gets to eat all the other things that other kids love to eat, but we made sure that he never over indulged in junk food. To this day he very rarely eats chocolate and lollies. Not that we try and stop him, he just isn’t fussed.

Josh now plays Soccer and Rugby during the winter and Cricket over the summer and the MotoX season runs 9 months out of the year, but he also trains for MX most weeks, to keep him “bike fit”. He now has three regional MX titles to his credit and was ranked 6^th in New Zealand for his age group in his first year of riding and has just gained sponsorship from a very kind local Rotorua Business.

It seems to me that a lot of kids come home from school, have a snack, sit down in front of the TV, Playstation or computer and wait for dinner to be served. Their parents don’t encourage them to get outside and kick a ball around or ride a bike. It’s too easy to stick them in front of the TV with some junk food and not worry about them. Generally you will find that these parents are also not into sports, and /or, are overweight as well.

Child obesity is a problem that needs to be addressed and starts with the parents getting their Children off the couch. We chose Mini MotoX because that’s what interested Josh and me. It’s a great sport which is gaining recognition and now has a huge following in New Zealand.

I challenge any parent who wants their child to be involved in a sport to have a look at Mini Moto-X. It’s different from the other run of the mill sports and has great rewards for those who choose to take it further. If it’s not their cup of tea (or yours for that matter), then get them in any kind of sport. My 6 year old daughter plays Mini Ball (a small version of basketball) and has no interest in riding Motorbikes at all. I encourage her with her Mini Ball, just as much as I do with Josh’s MotoX. She’s not the world’s greatest Mini Ball player but she loves it and I enjoy watching her play. So come on parents, get your kids off the couch and into a sport.