An animation of a science beaker with a bubbling green liquid appears on screen with a title that reads "Sports Lab."

Now Nykeem appears on screen walking on a soccer field. Nykeem is in his thirties, has shaved black hair, is clean-shaven, and wears a blue long-sleeve shirt, black shorts, and black cleats with long black socks.

Nykeem says HEY EVERYONE,
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB,
WHERE WE FIND OUT HOW SPORTS
PLUS SCIENCE EQUALS FUN.

(Theme music plays)

The opening sequence begins.

Two light blue doors with a title that reads "Sports Lab" open where thousands of sports equipment encircle a classroom skeleton. The animated balls fly throughout the white room stopping at scenes of people playing different sports.

First Nykeem kicking a soccer ball, then a boy on a skateboard, then a tennis ball, then a hockey goalie, and lastly of a group of kids and Nykeem who break on a tennis court and say SPORTS LAB!

All the sports equipment turn into different colours and funnel into a science beaker with green liquid with a label that reads "Sports Lab."

(music plays)

Back on the field, Nykeem says MY NAME'S NYKEEM,
AND TODAY WE'RE AT THE HOME
OF GLEN SHIELDS FUTBOL CLUB!
(FANFARE)

In the white room, the science beaker with green liquid bursts with colours and balls and a title emerges that reads "Soccer."

Back on the field, Nykeem catches an oval-shaped brown football and catches a soccer ball.

A caption reads "Glen Shields Futbol Club, Vaughn, Ontario."

Nykeem says BUT IT'S NOT THIS FOOTBALL -
I MEAN THIS FOOTBALL.
FOOTBALL IS ANOTHER
NAME FOR SOCCER,
WHICH IS ONE OF THE MOST
POPULAR GAMES IN THE WORLD.
WHEN IT COMES TO SOCCER,
IT'S NO HANDS ALLOWED.

Nykeem kicks the ball.

Now Dr. Heather appears on screen with a caption that reads "Dr. Heather, Sports Scientist." She is in has straight, dark brown hair in a ponytail and wears a blue shirt. She stands at a white desk with books and science supplies around her.

Dr. Heather says RIGHT, NYKEEM.
BUT WE CAN USE OUT HEADS.
WATCH THE WAY A BALL BENDS
DURING A CORNER KICK,
AFFECTED BY THE AIR AROUND IT,
TO SEE THE WONDERS OF SCIENCE
IN SOCCER AT WORK.

Sophia appears on screen with long, wavy brown hair and a caption that reads "Sophia."

Sophia says HI, I'M SOPHIA.
I'M 11 AND A HALF YEARS OLD.

Shots of Sophia playing soccer appear on screen.

Sophia says I'VE BEEN PLAYING SOCCER
SINCE I WAS THREE.
I LOVE THE FAST MOTION
OF THE BALL.
I LOVE THE TEAMWORK.
AND I LOVE TO SCORE.

Now Nykeem and Sophia appear on the field together.

Nykeem says HI, SOPHIA.

Sophia says HI!

Nykeem says SO WE'RE AT GLEN SHIELDS,
WHICH IS YOUR HOME TURF.
SO WHAT IS SO SPECIAL
ABOUT THIS FIELD?

Sophia says WELL, I SCORED MY FIRST
GOAL THIS SEASON ON IT.
AFTER YOU SCORE A BIG GOAL,

Nykeem says HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE?

Sophia says WELL, I USUALLY JUMP UP
IN THE AIR WITH MY FISTS UP
AND SCREAM OUT,
"WOOHOO!"

Nykeem says VERY NICE.

Sophia says WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN
YOU SCORE A GOAL?

Nykeem says I'M NOT A GOOD DANCER,
BUT I LIKE TO DO
THE RUNNING MAN, LIKE THIS -
OR I TWIRL LIKE A BALLERINA,
AND WAVE LIKE THE QUEEN.
LET'S DO OUR CELEBRATIONS
AT THE SAME TIME.

Sophia says WOOHOO!

Nykeem says YEAH, SCORE!

Sophia says WOO!

Nykeem says IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD
LIKE TO LEARN ABOUT SOCCER?

Sophia says WELL, I REALLY
LOVE THE SPORT.
IT WOULD BE INTERESTING
TO KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM.
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION,
BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN STUDYING
SOCCER HISTORY ALL MORNING.
HERE WE GO!
(FANFARE)

Back in the lab, a book opens and a title flies out that reads "History of Soccer."

Nykeem says THE ORIGINS OF SOCCER
ARE A BIT OF A MYSTERY.
MANY CULTURES HISTORICALLY
PLAYED GAMES INVOLVING A BALL.
IN CHINA, THERE WAS
A GAME CALLED "TSU CHU."
PLAYED DURING
THE HAN DYNASTY.
THE GAME WAS USED
TO TRAIN SOLDIERS
AND FEATURED
A LEATHER BALL
STUFFED WITH
FEATHERS AND HAIR.
YOU WOULDN'T WANT
THAT BALL TO BURST!
IT WAS IN JOLLY OLD ENGLAND,
DURING THE 1800S,
WHEN SOCCER STARTED
TO REALLY GET COOKING.
DIFFERENT SETS OF RULES WERE
INVENTED TO ORGANIZE THE SPORT.
THE FIRST SET WAS CALLED
THE CAMBRIDGE RULES,
WHICH REMOVED USING
YOUR HANDS FROM THE GAME.
GIVE THEM A HAND!
IN 1904,
THE FEDERATION INTERNATIONAL
DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
WAS FORMED - OR FIFA,
FOR LESS OF A MOUTHFUL.
FIFA PLANNED
THE FIRST WORLD CUP,
PLAYED IN URUGUAY
IN 1930.
COUNTRIES ALL OVER THE WORLD
COULD FINALLY GET TOGETHER
AND PLAY THE SPORT THEY LOVE.

Back on the field, Nykeem says OKAY, SO WE GOT OUR CLEATS
AND OUR SHIN PADS ON.
I THINK IT'S TIME TO PLAY.

Nykeem and Sophia break and say SPORTS LAB!

Nykeem and Sophia dribble the ball around cones and Nykeem says LET'S GO!
LET'S GO, GUYS!
LET'S GO!
(KIDS CHEERING)

The female coach wears green and says GOOD!
ALRIGHT!
USE A DIFFERENT
MOVE THIS TIME!
ON YOUR TOES!
ON YOUR TOES!
OUR TOES ARE READY
FOR THAT PASS.

After the drill, they all say SPORTS LAB!
YEAH!

Nykeem and Sophia sit on bleachers on the field and Nykeem says SOPHIA, YOU WERE
AMAZING OUT THERE.
IS THERE ANYTHING
YOU WANT TO IMPROVE?

Sophia says MY SHOT.

Nykeem says I'M THINKING MAYBE WE CAN
USE THE SCIENCE OF SPORT
TO MAKE YOUR SHOT MORE
POWERFUL THAN EVER.

Sophia says THAT SOUNDS GOOD.

Nykeem says WE'RE GOING TO NEED OUR SPORTS
SCIENTIST, DOCTOR HEATHER.

Nykeem pulls out his phone and Dr. Heather appears on screen in the lab.

Dr. Heather says HEY THERE!
A POWERFUL SHOT CAN BE
YOUR FRIEND ON A PITCH
AND CAN REALLY
ENERGIZE A GAME.
I'M SENDING A HELPER
TO COLLECT SOME STATS -
AND HE PACKS A SHOT
YOU NEED TO SEE TO BELIEVE.

Nykeem says OKAY, THANKS DOC!
SOPHIA, LET'S GO.

Back in the lab, the science beaker with green liquid appears on screen with a label that reads "Pop Quiz." The bottle swirls and flies over to the blackboard with a question.

Nykeem says POP QUIZ TIME!
WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL
WORLD CUP TROPHY MADE OUT OF?
A) PAPER MACHE,
B) GOLD,
OR C) STEEL?
THE ANSWER IS A!

A skeleton with a red hat says PAPER MACHE.

Nykeem says BUT AFTER HEAVY RAINS
DURING A 1950S WORLD CUP,
OFFICIALS DECIDED THAT
A NEW DESIGN WAS IN ORDER.
TALK ABOUT WASHED UP!

Back in the lab, out of the science beaker launches white foam that turns into a slate that reads "Meet the Pro."

Back on the field, Dwayne says MY NAME IS DWAYNE DE ROSARIO.

A commentator at a soccer game says AND HE DOES IT!
DWAYNE DE ROSARIO...

Dwayne has dark, short curly hair, a thick dark beard, and wears a white shirt.

Dwayne says WHAT ATTRACTED
ME TO SOCCER?
WHEN I WAS YOUNG,
MY BROTHERS PLAYED IT,
EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY
PLAYED IT,
AND EVERYONE IN MY
COMMUNITY PLAYED SOCCER.
I LOVE PLAYING SOCCER
BECAUSE IT'S A TEAM SPORT.
YOU DON'T NEED MUCH
TO PLAY SOCCER.
YOU JUST NEED A BALL.

Nykeem and Sophia walk onto the field.

Nykeem says GREAT JOB OUT THERE.

Dwayne says THANK YOU.
HOW ARE GUYS DOIN'?

Nykeem says SOPHIA, THIS IS DWAYNE.
DWAYNE IS ONE OF
THE GREATEST SOCCER PLAYERS
TO COME OUT OF CANADA.
HE'S A LEGEND.
DO YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS FOR DWAYNE?

Sophia says HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU
FIRST STARTED PLAYING SOCCER?

Dwayne says I WAS ABOUT THREE.
I CAME OUT KICKING,
AND I HAVEN'T STOPPED.
SO WE WERE HOPING TO SHOW YOU
OUR CELEBRATION DANCE.
MAYBE YOU CAN GIVE
US A FEW POINTERS.

Dwayne says DEFINITELY.
I'D LOVE TO SEE IT.
LET ME SEE WHAT YOU HAVE.

Nykeem says I SCORED A GOOAALLL!

Dwayne says THAT'S PRETTY GOOD.
IT MIGHT BE BETTER THAN
MY GOAL CELEBRATION DANCE.
WHAT IS YOURS?
MY GOAL CELEBRATION DANCE
IS CALLED THE SHAKE 'N' BAKE.
IT'S SOMETHIN' I'VE BEEN
DOING SINCE I WAS A KID.

Dwayne dances and Sophia says WOO!
WOO!

Nykeem says SO WE'RE LOOKING
FOR A PRO
TO GIVE US A FEW EXAMPLES
OF A HARD KICK.

Dwayne says COOL, I THINK I'LL BE ABLE
TO HELP YOU WITH THAT.

Nykeem says DOCTOR HEATHER HAS
SENT US A SPECIAL RADAR GUN.
THE DATA IS GOING TO BE
SENT TO DOCTOR HEATHER
AND TO MY WATCH.
LET'S COUNT IT DOWN.

Sophia and Nykeem say THREE, TWO, ONE, GO!

Dwayne kicks the ball in front of the radar gun.

Nykeem says WOW, THAT WAS SO FAST!

Nykeem speaks to his watch and Dr. Heather appears on screen.

Nykeem says COME IN, DOC.

Dr. Heather says HEY THERE!
I FOUND JUST WHAT
I WAS LOOKING FOR.
IT TURNS OUT THAT KICKING
A SOCCER BALL WITH POWER
IS ALL ABOUT ENERGY.
WE USE ENERGY TO DO EVERYTHING -
WRITE A TEST,
DANCE TO MUSIC,
AND CLEAN OUR ROOMS.
WHEN AN OBJECT MOVES,
LIKE YOUR LEG,
IT HAS KINETIC ENERGY.
WHEN IT DOESN'T MOVE,
LIKE THE BALL,
IT HAS POTENTIAL ENERGY.
WHEN YOU KICK THE BALL,
YOU ARE TRANSFERRING THE KINETIC
ENERGY FROM YOUR FOOT
INTO THE BALL.
ONCE THE BALL HAS
YOUR KINETIC ENERGY,
IT CAN SAIL TOWARDS THE GOAL.
DWAYNE IS ABLE
TO KICK HARD
BECAUSE HE GIVES
AS MUCH ENERGY
TO THE BALL AS HE CAN.
TO DO THAT,
HE FOLLOWS THROUGH WITH HIS LEG.
THAT KEEPS HIS FOOT
ON THE BALL FOR LONGER,
WHICH MEANS MORE ENERGY.
DWAYNE ALSO SWINGS
HIS ARMS DURING THE KICK.
THAT CREATES EVEN MORE ENERGY,
WHICH TRAVELS ALL
THE WAY DOWN HIS BODY
AND INTO THE BALL.
FINALLY, DWAYNE MAKES SURE
TO KICK HIGH ON HIS FOOT.
THAT KEEPS HIS ANKLE LOCKED,
CREATING THE PERFECT
ENERGY SUPERHIGHWAY.
HAVING LONGER
OR SHORTER LEGS
IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS
HOW FAST YOUR LEG MOVES.
THE FASTER IT MOVES,
THE MORE ENERGY.
SO REMEMBER,
TRY TO PUT AS MUCH
ENERGY INTO THE BALL,
AND THE BALL WILL
DO THE REST.

Back on the field, Nykeem says THANKS, DOCTOR HEATHER.
OKAY SOPHIA,
IT'S ALL ABOUT ENERGY.
WE NEED TO CHARGE UP
THE BALL LIKE A BATTERY.

Sophia says DWAYNE, ARE THERE ANY OTHER
WAYS TO ENERGIZE THE BALL?

Dwayne says SURE.
A LOT OF YOUR ENERGY
COMES FROM YOUR CORE.
SO IT'S IMPORTANT
TO TIGHTEN YOUR ABS.
YOU CAN - (GRUNT) -
LIKE THAT.

Nykeem says OKAY, I THINK IT'S TIME TO
PRACTICE WHAT WE'VE LEARNED.
LET'S DO IT.
ALRIGHT, LET'S GO.

Sophia kicks the ball and Nykeem says WOW, GOOD ONE!
SOPHIA, GREAT JOB!
DOUBLE HIGH-FIVE.
THAT WAS AWESOME.
THAT WAS SO FAST!
(FANFARE)

Back in the lab, the green liquid in the science beaker spills and then dries up to reveal a title that reads "Fun Fact."

Nykeem appears on screen and says IF YOU LOVE SOCCER,
YOU'VE GOT YOUR HEART SET ON IT.
BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT SOCCER
CAN HELP SET YOUR HEART?
THAT'S BECAUSE REGULAR EXERCISE
IS GOOD FOR YOUR TICKER.
YOUR HEART'S JOB IS TO PUMP
BLOOD THROUGH YOUR BODY.
WHEN YOU'RE EXERCISING,
YOUR HEART PUMPS THAT
BLOOD FORCEFULLY,
WHICH MEANS YOUR
BLOOD FLOWS STRONGER.
IT MAKES YOUR
TICKER BE QUICKER.
THAT MAKES IT EASIER FOR
YOUR HEART TO PUMP BLOOD
WHEN YOU'RE
NOT EXERCISING,
WHICH LOWERS YOUR
BLOOD PRESSURE.
IT'S LIKE LIFTING WEIGHTS.
THE MORE YOU DO IT,
THE STRONGER YOUR MUSCLES GET.
THE MORE
YOU EXERCISE,
THE STRONGER YOUR
HEART GETS.
SO HAVE FUN ON THE PITCH
AND YOUR BODY WILL BE HAPPY.
AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT
TO HEART.

Back on the field, Nykeem stands in the goal and Sophia practices kicking the ball.

Nykeem says OKAY, REMEMBER,
TIGHTEN YOUR CORE!
NICE SHOT! NICE SHOT!
LET'S GET ANOTHER ONE!
KEEP YOUR ANKLE LOCKED!

Sophia knocks the ball in.

Nykeem says WHOA!
NOW THAT IS KINETIC ENERGY!
GOOD JOB!

Sophia runs and says GOOAALL!

Back in the lab, colours and balls fly out of the science beaker and a slate reads "Pro Tip."

Dwayne appears on screen and says ALRIGHT KIDS, THE PRO TIP
OF TODAY IS HYDRATION.
VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP
YOUR BODY HYDRATED
BEFORE AND DURING WORKOUT -
ESPECIALLY WHEN
THE SUN IS OUT.
AND WHEN YOU'RE PLAYING SOCCER,
YOU SWEAT A LOT.
SO YOU WANT TO
REPLENISH BACK THE BODY
WITH THE RIGHT LIQUIDS.
I LIKE TO DRINK COCONUT WATER,
BUT ANY KIND OF HYDRATION,
ANY KIND OF LIQUIDS,
IS GOOD FOR THE BODY.
MY NAME IS DWAYNE DE ROSARIO,
AND THAT'S MY PRO TIP.

Sophia appears on screen and says PLAYING WITH DWAYNE
WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE.

Dwayne says IT'S ALWAYS FUN
PLAYING WITH THE KIDS.
SOPHIA -
IT WAS GREAT PLAYING WITH HER
AND GIVING HER POINTERS.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING -
SHE WAS OPEN TO HEAR INFORMATION
AND SHE'S WILLING TO LEARN.

Sophia says I CAN'T WAIT TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF SOCCER.

Nykeem says TODAY WAS A BLAST.
WE LEARNED ALL ABOUT
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME
AND HOW BEING SMART
WITH OUR ENERGY
CAN HELP US KICK THE BALL
HARDER AND FASTER.
NOW I'VE GOT TO RUN,
BECAUSE IN THE SPORTS LAB,
THERE'S ALWAYS
MORE TO EXPLORE.
UNTIL THEN,
PLAY SAFE AND HAVE FUN.

The credits roll.

Written and directed by, Johnny Mitchell.
Host, Nykeem Provo.
Editor, David Mitchell.

Produced in association with TVO Kids for riverbank pictures, copyright 1919216 Ontario Inc.