LOCAL taught me how to talk, listen and wait, all over again. Girls on the Run is such a beneficial commodity and program.” GOTR volunteer and Spring 2014 coach Nori Connor agrees that GOTR is an important community resource. “The program is about so much more than running,” she explains. “Running the 5K is the result of all the lessons combined. By the end of the season, the girls really believe in themselves and understand that with work and determination, they can accomplish anything.” The distinct thing about this program is that it encourages cooperation, rather than competition, as the girls work together to achieve their running goals. The curriculum also fosters collegiality. For 75 minutes twice a week, girls discuss age-specific lessons like “Gossiping is a Bad Habit,’’ or “Bullying is for the Birds,” or “Community Begins with Me,” and then complete a running exercise together. This helps develop an all-encompassing healthy lifestyle while developing mutual respect. At the end of the ten week season, they run a 5K together, cheering each other on to finish the race. This deviates from the usual competitive nature of many athletic programs, and helps foster the notion that girls can work together and support one another, which is contrary to messages about girls having gossipy, catty or bullying behavior.
To register or learn more, visit www.alachuagotr.org Get involved! Read about the adult charity running component of GOTR, Solemates via www.alachuagotr.org Note: Nooriel Nolan is a Board Member of GOTRAC
Where do your dreams take you?
Lindsay, a 5th grader at Talbot Elementary, just completed the Spring season. She says she would tell other girls to join the program because, “you have a good time doing it, you get exercise, you get new friends and the coaches are really nice.” When asked if it helped her self-esteem, she smiled shyly and uttered, “Mhmmm.” Mia Jones, University of Florida track team member, GOTR Intern and Spring 2014 coach at PK Young, coached one of the largest groups this season, with 20 members. To demonstrate how the program impacted the girls in her care, she quoted one who said, “I used to think some of the other girls were mean…but now I see them differently – they are different and kind.” This gave Mia chills.
YOUR VACATION STARTS HERE LEE BYRNE 352-529-7898 | lee@bookurcruise.com
“I’ve learned a lot about the human condition from [those] nine-year olds,” Mia said. “They TheVillageJournal.com | 31 31