South Florida Museum looks at the science of sports

It’s designed primarily to be fun for the kids. But along the way, they might just learn something.

A new exhibition at the South Florida Museum is called “Sportsology,” and it features seven stations with different types of sports-related activities. You throw a ball at a target and get a readout of your pitching speed. You hang from a bar to see how long you can hang on, which would be a useful thing to know if you’re considering taking up rock-climbing. There’s a display with flashing lights that tests your reaction time. Some of them are competitive, including one called Wheel Chair Racers in which you and a friend sit in stationary wheelchairs and try to outpace each other.

All through the exhibition is information that discusses the physiology that goes into the various activities.

“At each exhibit there’s some really interesting information about maybe how if you stretched a little bit first that might affect your performance or how if you change the way you’re breathing that could affect your performance,” said Matt Woodside, the museum’s director of exhibitions and chief curator. “So we’re trying not only to have some fun, but to get across some good scientific information.”

The exhibit, which is touring the United States after originating at ScienceWorks Museum in Ashland, Ore., is designed to be family friendly, so all the activities are going to be fun for kids (it’s recommended for about age 5 and older) and interesting for adults.

Details: May 19-Aug. 14, South Florida Museum, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. Museum admission $19 adults, $17 seniors, $14 children 4-12, free for children 3 and younger. 941-746-4131, southfloridamuseum.org.

This story was originally published May 17, 2017 at 4:23 PM with the headline "South Florida Museum looks at the science of sports."