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 in a gym. Nykeem is in his thirties, has shaved black hair, is clean-shaven, and wears a blue long-sleeve shirt.

Nykeem says HEY, EVERYONE,
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB,
WHERE WE LEARN SPORTS
AND PLAY SCIENCE,
OR LEARN SCIENCE
AND PLAY SPORTS.
EITHER WAY,
WE HAVE 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 encircles 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 turns into different colours and funnel into a science beaker with green liquid with a label that reads "Sports Lab."

(music plays)

Now Nykeem continues to walk around the gym.

Nykeem says MY NAME'S NYKEEM,
AND TODAY, A SPORT THAT WAS SAID
TO FEATURE MYTHICAL GREEK HEROES
DUKING IT OUT
IN EPIC CONTESTS
OF STRENGTH
AND SPEED.
YOU KNOW IT AS
TRACK AND FIELD.
(FANFARE)

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

Nykeem appears back on screen in the gym with a caption that reads "Canadian Sport Institute Ontario, Toronto, Ontario."

Nykeem says NOW, WE'RE NOT ATOP
MOUNT OLYMPUS,
AND YOU WON'T FIND ZEUS
LACING UP HIS SNEAKERS.
INSTEAD, WE'RE AT THE CANADIAN
SPORT INSTITUTE ONTARIO,
A SUPER-HIGH TECH
SPORTS SCIENCE FACILITY
WHERE SERIOUS ATHLETES
COME TO TRAIN.

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

Dr. Heather says INDEED IT IS, NYKEEM.
THAT SCIENTIFIC WONDERLAND
IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE
OF SPORTS AND SCIENCE
WORKING TOGETHER.
AND WITH
SO MANY EVENTS,
THE SCIENCE NEVER ENDS.
FROM THE SPEED AND
ANGLE OF THE SHOT-PUT
TO THE CENTRE OF PRESSURE
IN A JAVELIN THROW,
WHEN IT COMES TO TRACK,
THERE'S SOMETHIN'
FOR EVERYBODY.

Back in the gym, Nykeem prepares to run on the blue indoor track and says SO STAY ON TRACK,
BECAUSE SPORTS LAB
IS AHEAD OF THE FIELD.

Now Anjelina appears on screen with a caption that reads "Anjelina." She wears a pink sweatshirt and has straight brown hair pulled in a ponytail.

Anjelina says MY NAME
IS ANJELINA.
I'M NINE YEARS OLD,
AND I'VE BEEN RUNNING
IN TRACK FOR FOUR YEARS.
MY DAD'S BEEN DOING TRACK
FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
SO THAT'S WHAT MADE ME
WANT TO DO TRACK AND FIELD.

Scenes of Anjelina running track appear on screen.

Now in the gym, Nykeem says HEY, ANJELINA!
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB.

Anjelina says THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

Nykeem says OKAY, SO THIS PLACE
IS ALL ABOUT
TESTING AND ANALYZING
YOUR TRACK GAME.
AWESOME,
RIGHT?

Anjelina says COOL!
Nykeem says OKAY, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE
TRACK AND FIELD EVENT?

Anjelina says SPRINTING.

Nykeem says WHAT DO YOU LIKE
ABOUT IT SPRINTING?

Anjelina says I LIKE BEING ABLE TO GET ALL
MY ENERGY OUT VERY QUICKLY.

Nykeem says WOW, YES,
YOU ARE VERY EXPLOSIVE!
I LIKE IT.

Anjelina says YEAH!

Nykeem says OKAY, SO TRACK AND FIELD
HAS A FASCINATING HISTORY.
YOU WANT TO HEAR
MORE ABOUT IT?
YES, PLEASE
ALLOW ME TO RUN FULL-SPEED
INTO THE HISTORY
OF TRACK AND FIELD...
(FANFARE)

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

Nykeem says THE OLDEST RECORDED
ORGANIZED TRACK AND FIELD EVENT
TOOK PLACE IN GREECE
AT NONE OTHER THAN
THE VERY FIRST
ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES,
IN 776 BCE.
BACK THEN,
THE ONLY SPORT THEY PLAYED
WAS A 200 YARD FOOT RACE...
SLIM PICKIN'S!
COROEBUS,
A HUMBLE GREEK COOK
AND PART-TIME ATHLETE,
WON THE RACE.
EVER SINCE
THAT FATEFUL DAY,
THE ANCIENT OLYMPICS WERE
HELD EVERY FOUR YEARS
FOR ABOUT 1,200 YEARS.
IN THAT TIME,
OTHER EVENTS WERE ADDED,
SUCH A JUMPING EVENTS
LIKE HURDLES...
AND THROWING EVENTS
LIKE JAVELIN.
THE GAMES THEMSELVES WERE
A SALUTE TO THE GREEK GODS,
WHO GREEKS BELIEVED
PLAYED THE SPORTS.
NOW THAT'S STIFF
COMPETITION!
ALRIGHT, ANJELINA.
WE'RE AT THIS
AMAZING FACILITY
WITH SOME PRETTY FUN EQUIPMENT
DESIGNED TO HELP US GET BETTER
AT RUNNING AND JUMPING.
YOU WANT TO
TEST IT OUT?

Anjelina says YES!

Nykeem says ALRIGHT, LET'S RACE!

Nykeem and Anjelina appear on screen standing in front of two red bases to practice jumping. Devon appears on screen with a caption that reads "Devon, Sports Scientist." He stands next to them and directs them. Devon has short brown hair and wears a black shirt.

Devon says OKAY, NYKEEM AND ANJELINA,
THIS IS CALLED OPTOJUMP.
AND TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE
DOING DROP-JUMPS INTO IT.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE
OF HOW WE MEASURE
OUR ATHLETES' ABILITY
TO JUMP OFF THE GROUND QUICKLY
AND TO BE FAST.
SO ANJELINA,
I WANT YOU TO GO FIRST.
YOU'RE GOING TO STAND
ON THE BOXES...
HANDS ON HIPS...
YOU'RE GOING TO STEP OFF
AND JUMP AS HIGH
AND AS FAST AS YOU CAN, OKAY?
ALRIGHT!

Anjelina jumps and Devon records her.

Nykeem says GOOD JOB!

Devon says A SOLID 25 CENTIMETRES,
ANJELINA.
ALRIGHT, NYKEEM,
TRY TO BEAT THAT.

Nykeem jumps off the box.

Devon says WOW, ALMOST 50 CENTIMETRES.
THAT'S PRETTY GOOD.
SO THIS IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE
WHERE THE SPORT OF TRACK
MEETS THE SCIENCE.

Nykeem says ALRIGHT, DEVON,
CAN YOU MEASURE THIS?

Nykeem and Anjelina begin to dance.
(MAKING ROBOT NOISES)
(DEVON LAUGHS)

Devon says THERE'S NOT ENOUGH
TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORLD
TO MEASURE THE AWESOMENESS
OF THAT, GUYS.

Afterward, Nykeem and Anjelina ride stationary bikes in the gym and Nykeem says ANJELINA, THAT WAS SO AWESOME!
I FELT LIKE
A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE.

Anjelina says ME TOO!

Nykeem says HOW IMPORTANT IS TRAINING WHEN
IT COMES TO TRACK AND FIELD?

Anjelina says IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?

Nykeem says WHY?

Anjelina says THE MORE YOU TRAIN,
THE BETTER YOU GET,
THE FASTER YOU GET.

Nykeem says SO WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN
FOCUSING ON, LATELY?

Anjelina says TAKING OFF FAST,
RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE.

Nykeem says COOL! I KNOW WHO CAN POINT US
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

Nykeem looks at his watch and Dr. Heather appears on the face.

Nykeem says DOCTOR HEATHER!

Back in the lab, Dr. Heather says GREAT WORK,
TEAM.
I THINK THAT ONE OF THE MOST
POWERFUL FORCES ON EARTH
IS AT WORK HERE.
SO I'M SENDING SOMEONE
TO LEND A HAND -
OR RATHER,
HER FEET.
HEAD BACK TO THE TRACK.

Nykeem says OKAY, LET'S GO!
LET'S TRY TO BIKE THERE!
(FANFARE)

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 IT'S TIME FOR A QUIZ.
HOW MANY BONES ARE IN
ONE OF YOUR FEET?
A) 5...
B) 52...
OR C) 26?
THE ANSWER IS C!
TWENTY-SIX.
WITH SO MANY BONES,
IT'S IMPORTANT TO USE GOOD
RUNNING FORM TO KEEP THEM SAFE.

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

Ashlea appears on screen with a caption that reads "Ashlea."Ashlea has straight black hair, and wears a black hair band, and a black and white jacket with a Canadian flag on it.

Ashlea says MY NAME IS ASHLEA, AND I'VE BEEN
DOING TRACK FOR SEVEN YEARS.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT
SPRINTING IS
HOW I ACTUALLY GET TO
GO SO FAST ALL THE TIME.

Now Nykeem, Ashlea, and Anjelina appear on screen together in the gym.

Nykeem says ANJELINA,
THIS IS ASHLEY.

Anjelina says HI, NICE
TO MEET YOU!

Ashlea says NICE TO MEET
YOU, TOO.

Nykeem says ASHLEY, WHAT ADVICE
WOULD YOU HAVE
FOR A YOUNG, BUDDING
TRACK AND FIELD STAR
LIKE ANJELINA HERE?

Ashlea says YOU HAVE TO HAVE FUN.
THAT'S THE KEY THING IN TRACK.
IT DOESN'T MATTER
ABOUT TECHNIQUE,
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT
SHOES YOU'RE WEARING,
AS LONG AS YOU'RE
ENJOYING YOURSELF.

Anjelina says OKAY.

Nykeem says THAT'S AWESOME.

Anjelina says SEEMS EASY.

Nykeem says OKAY, ANJELINA.
WHAT ARE WE HERE AFTER?

Anjelina says WELL, I'M WORKING
ON MY ACCELERATION.
DO YOU MIND TELLING
US YOUR TECHNIQUE?

Ashlea says SURE, NO PROBLEM.

Nykeem says ALRIGHT, LET'S
CLEAR THE TRACK.

Ashlea says OKAY, SO WHAT YOU
HAVE TO REMEMBER...
EQUAL PRESSURE
ON THE BLOCKS.
THEN LOOK DOWN THE TRACK,
KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING,
AND REMEMBER TO LEAN FORWARD.
I'M GOING TO
SHOW YOU GUYS.
OKAY.

Ashlea sets up on the track.

(music plays)

Nykeem and Anjelina say ON YOUR MARKS...
GET SET...
GO!
WHOA!

Ashlea takes off.

Nykeem looks at his watch and says WHAT HAVE YOU GOT,
DOCTOR HEATHER?

Back in the lab, Dr. Heather says ALRIGHT, GET READY FOR
A CRASH COURSE IN GRAVITY,
BECAUSE ASHLEY'S TECHNIQUE
HAS ME FALLING FOR
THE PHYSICS OF SPRINTING.
GRAVITY IS AN INVISIBLE
FORCE OF ATTRACTION.
EVERYTHING THAT HAS MASS -
EVEN US -
HAS GRAVITY.
THE BIGGER THE MASS,
THE MORE GRAVITY.
THE EARTH IS BIG,
SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY BEING
PULLED TOWARDS ITS CENTRE.
THAT'S WHY WE STAY
ON THE GROUND
AND DON'T FLOAT AWAY.
WHEN YOU SPRINT,
GRAVITY CAN WORK AGAINST YOU.
THE STRAIGHTER YOU STAND,
THE MORE EFFECT
GRAVITY CAN HAVE.
WHEN ASHLEY
STARTS SPRINTING,
AND SHE KEEPS HER
BODY ANGLED LOW,
BENDING AT THE ANKLES,
SHE'S POSITIONED AT ABOUT
A 45-DEGREE ANGLE.
THAT HELPS HER USE HER CENTRE
OF GRAVITY TO HER ADVANTAGE.
LET ME EXPLAIN.
A CENTRE OF GRAVITY IS
THE POINT ON OUR BODIES
WHERE WEIGHT IS EVENLY
DISTRIBUTED OR SPREAD OUT,
AND WE ARE PERFECTLY BALANCED.
WHEN ASHLEY
LEANS FORWARD,
GRAVITY PULLS
ON HER CENTRE.
AS IT PULLS,
ASHLEY HAS TO ACCELERATE,
OR GO FASTER
JUST TO KEEP UP.
IF SHE DOESN'T,
SHE COULD TOPPLE OVER.
ASHLEY'S BODY
HAS NO CHOICE
BUT TO FEEL
THE NEED FOR SPEED.
SO REMEMBER,
MAKE GRAVITY YOUR TEAMMATE,
BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS
THERE FOR YOU.

Back in the gym, Nykeem says SO YOUR CENTRE
OF GRAVITY
HAS TO BE THE CENTRE
OF YOUR FOCUS.
ASHLEY,
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Ashlea says THAT MAKES
A LOT OF SENSE.
MY WHOLE LIFE
I'VE BEEN RUNNING TRACK
AND I DIDN'T KNOW
IT WAS GRAVITY.

Nykeem says WILL THAT HELP YOU
TEAR UP THE TRACK?

Anjelina says I THINK SO.
LET'S DO IT!

Nykeem says OKAY, THE TRACK
IS YOURS!

Anjelina positions herself on the track.

Both Nykeem and Ashlea say ON YOUR MARK...
GET SET...
GO!

(music plays)

Anjelina takes off.

Nykeem says SO FAST!

Anjelina comes back to high five Nykeem and Ashlea.

Nykeem says WOO! GOOD JOB!
HIGH FIVE!
HIGH FIVES
ALL AROUND.
(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 in the gym and says EVERYONE, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE
YOU TO YOUR NEW TEAMMATE,
BANANA.
BANANAS ARE LOADED WITH
THE RIGHT STUFF FOR A GOOD RACE.
CARBOHYDRATES,
WHICH GIVE YOU ENERGY,
ANTI-OXIDANTS,
WHICH CAN HELP YOU RECOVER,
AND POTASSIUM,
WHICH IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEART.
BANANAS AND ATHLETES
ARE A PERFECT FIT.
IN FACT,
JAMAICAN SPRINTER
YOHAN BLAKE
EATS 16 BANANAS A DAY!
I'LL START WITH JUST ONE...
MM!
IT'S WORKING!

Nykeem turns around and takes off running.

Back with Ashlea and Anjelina, Nykeem says THANKS FOR
SHOWING ME THE ROPES TODAY.
YOU STILL HAVE ENERGY
FOR ONE MORE RACE?

Anjelina says I ALWAYS HAVE ENERGY.

Nykeem says OH, OKAY!

Ashlea says REMEMBER TO
FOCUS ON...
CENTRE OF GRAVITY.
AND...?

Nykeem says LEANING FORWARD.

Ashlea says ALRIGHT!

Nykeem and Anjelina position themselves on the track and look at each other in slow motion.

(music plays)

Ashlea says SET...
GO!
(SQUEAL)

Nykeem and Anjelina take off toward the finish line.

Anjelina beats Nykeem and Ashlea says YEAH, AWESOME!

Nykeem says THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY
TO CELEBRATE...
(MAKES ROBOT NOISES)

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

Back in the gym, Ashlea appears on screen and says WHEN YOU'RE IN TRACK,
YOU JUST HAVE TO REMEMBER
TO FOCUS ON YOURSELF.
YOU MAY SEE A BUNCH
OF PEOPLE -
YOUR COMPETITORS,
YOUR FRIENDS, WHATEVER.
JUST BLOCK EVERYONE OUT.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY
ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING,
WHAT THEY'RE THINKING.
YOU'RE THERE TO PERFORM
THE BEST THAT YOU CAN.
FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING...
(TAKES A DEEP BREATH)...YOUR FEET,
YOUR TECHNIQUE.
MOST IMPORTANTLY,
REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN.
MY NAME IS ASHLEY,
AND THAT'S MY PRO TIP.

Anjelina appears on screen and says THIS IS WHAT I'D SAY TO
SOMEONE THAT IS
THINKING ABOUT
RUNNING ON A TRACK -
COME ON!
YOU CAN DO IT!

Back in the gym, Nykeem says NOW THAT I'VE CAUGHT MY BREATH,
I CAN TELL YOU THAT
TRACK AND FIELD IS A GAS -
EVEN WHEN YOU'RE
RUNNING ON EMPTY.
WE EXPERIENCED SOME
AMAZING TECHNOLOGY
AND THE THRILL OF
SPENDING THE DAY
AT THE TRACK
WITH YOUR FRIENDS.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE HAD THE
MOST FUN STAYING THE MOST FIT.
I'M RUNNING OUT,
BUT NOT FOR LONG.
IN THE SPORTS LAB,
WE'RE NEVER DONE
BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS FUN!

The credits roll scenes of kids playing sports appear on screen.

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.