SCHOOLS in Evesham have been invited to join the 2006-7 Concept2 Schools Indoor Rowing League.

The all-inclusive national tournament involves boys and girls racing for their schools in year group teams, in relay format, on one Concept2 Indoor Rower.

The league was launched last year but this time round the organisers expect ten times as many schools to take part.

Last year there were 325 teams, without any promotion, but this year the tournament is being directly marketed to every state and independent secondary school throughout the country and it is thought up to 3,000 teams may enter.

The big advantage of the league is that it does not involve any travel.

By having just one machine, school pupils can compete not just with other teams in their school but other teams across the country.

By registering free online, results can be regularly uploaded by the teacher or PE instructor and compared with other teams to check progress.

The tournament consists of six rounds, three in the winter term and three in the spring.

Each round has a different race format and each challenge can be completed within the time allocated for a lesson.

Team personnel can change from round to round, to cover for injuries or absentees, and the challenges can be completed at any time during the month.

At the end of the tournament, the winning team in each category will win the league trophy and the top three teams will win gold, silver and bronze medals.

Concept2 marketing manager Jon Wilson said: "The problem of childhood obesity, partly due to a lack of participation in sports, is common knowledge.

"What's great about the Schools' Indoor Rowing League is that it introduces children to exercising on a regular basis in a fun and competitive environment."