Over the coming weeks the First year classes in Presentation College, Carlow and across the country will work on increasing their fitness levels to beat their personal and class average Bleep Test fitness scores. Their aim is to win 1000 euro towards their Physical Education programme and a place on a three day live in sports and activity camp at DCU.

The bleep test involves continuous running between two lines 20m apart in time to recorded beeps. The running speed is increased at approximately one minute intervals. Participants attempt to complete as many runs (shuttles) as possible while keeping up with the bleeps.

Beat the bleep is about participation and getting the unfittest involved, so prizes are going to be awarded, not to the fittest schools, but to the classes who improve the most-who work hard to basically beat their own bleep test scores. This challenge is been extended to Presentation College staff also.

For the six weeks leading up to the Easter holidays the Physical education Department are putting all First Year students through a training programme to help them improve their fitness levels and then they will retake their Bleep Tests prior to the Easter holidays. Professor Niall Moyna,fitness advisor to the Dublin footballers and a Professor at DCU’s School of Health and Human Performance believes that First year girls should be able to run around level 7.0(50 shuttles) and boys level 9.0(73 shuttles).