Wall puts the 'active' in interactive

The Indian Boundary YMCA knows the trick to getting children to exercise: Give them something that doesn't seem like a workout. In the age of technology, using interactive video games such as Dance Dance Revolution is a great way to get kids and adults off the couch.

The Indian Boundary YMCA used that strategy in one of its newest additions to the facility, the Sportwall. The Sportwall is a blue panel with lights spread from top to bottom.  Hit a light when it turns on, and you earn points. Seems simple enough, but the possibilities are endless. The YMCA bought four of the panels for its Downers Grove facility in August. Karen Laio's fifth-grade class at El Sierra Elementary School in Downers Grove visited the YMCA for a day for a team-building field trip. During their time on the Sportwall, the 10- and 11-year-olds kicked, jumped at, swung on and swatted the wall to earn points for their teams. Faces were red and glistening with sweat, but the smiles stayed on their faces through the activity. High-fives were given all around, whether the team had earned the most points or not. "They don't realize they're working out," Laio said. The kids agreed. Asked if the Sportwall felt more like a workout or a video game, they answered in sync, "Video game!"

Shannon Peyton, senior program director for the Indian Boundary YMCA, said the wall isn't just for kids. It's also great for sports practice - for instance, dribbling a basketball and trying to hit the lights - and because of the different levels of difficulty, it's useful for people of all ages, she said. "It's for everyone from preschoolers to seniors," she said. The YMCA has incorporated the wall into its exercise games class, which also uses Dance Dance Revolution and the climbing wall. The Sportwall comes with the capability for updates as technology changes.  Soon, Peyton said, people will be able to plug their iPods into the wall and play the games to their own soundtrack. She said there are only a handful of local YMCAs with a Sportwall, which employees at Indian Boundary found out about at a sports equipment exposition.