Sticking it to them

Knowles knows best when it comes to getting fit for Games

MARK Knowles is relishing the idea that hockey’s resurgence at the Commonwealth Games can help improve the poor D-grade physical activity levels of young Australians.

The tunnel-vision of his youth has broadened now the 300-game Kookaburras captain has three kids and a fuller vision of the positive spin-offs from the 19-sport festival.

At 33, this old dog is also learning new tricks as part of hockey’s shake-up following last year’s disaster in Rio, when the Olympic gold medal favourites crashed in the quarter-finals.

“A real working-class culture has been bred into our group by the new coaches, and honest words about where we let ourselves down in Rio have been acted on,” Knowles said.

“You can sook or whinge about Rio or make critical changes, as we have, and chase something big like the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

“Winning the gold medal at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006 in my early years sparked a team back to life and I get the same sense about the Gold Coast.”

The 2016 Physical Activity Report Card on children ranked Australia 21st out of

38 nations and with a D- for overall physical activity levels. One of the concerning markers was only 14 per cent of kids aged 12-17 were meeting the screen time guidelines of less than two hours a day.

Kids outside organised sport were those who most needed a helping hand.

That’s why Knowles became an ambassador for Nature Play Qld’s partnership with the Commonwealth

Games’ Legacy Program – so more kids get involved in healthy outdoor play.

“I’m a country kid from the farm outside Rockhampton so playing tiggy and spotlighting through the bush were all natural activities growing up,” he said.

“More unstructured play is so important for city kids so things like hay bale hurdles and pine cone shotput are awesome in this program.”

Knowles sets the tone with two 20-minute iPad sessions a day and no phones for kids Flynn, 5, Luca, 2, and Frankie, 1. “I’m not pushing young boys and girls to hockey, just to any activity, and that should be a strong legacy of the role models from these Commonwealth Games,” he said.

Knowles has returned to his roots at the Easts club in Brisbane.

“For so long Australian hockey had a mindset of being more powerful and fitter as our edge but we have addressed more of the critical technical skills that have made European sides very good.”