Girls prepare to run in the 5K race. (Photo: Michelle Flude/Girls On The Run International)
FLAGSTAFF (NAZ Today) – By: LeeDa Miller – After 12 weeks of physical training and mental preparation, around 90 girls from the Flagstaff community in grades 3 through 8 will be participating in the noncompetitive New Balance Girls on the Run 5K race on Nov. 21.
The program, affiliated with Girls on the Run International, was started in Flagstaff in July of 2008 by Stephanie Ludwig, the organization’s executive director. Ludwig’s experience working as a crisis counselor in domestic violence shelters gave her the motivation she needed to start a program that focused on building healthy tools for girls and their future, attracting a broad group of girls who all come from different backgrounds.
Girls on the Run helps girls “build positive peer support to address the issues that they are facing,” said Ludwig. “The heart of the program is teaching girls to celebrate who they are.”
There are two age groups for the program. Girls on the Run include those from the third through fifth grade and Girls on Track include girls from the sixth through eighth grade. Both participate twice a week, 75 minutes each time over a 12 week period, participating in running and personal growth exercises. At the end of the 12 weeks, the girls participate in The New Balance Girls on the Run 5K, a 3.1 mile run that takes place twice a year.
As a curriculum-based program, Girls on the Run is broken into three parts: developing personal self-esteem, becoming a collaborative member of a team, contributing to the community. Each level addresses specific topics that are incorporated into physical activity. “The coaches’ use running activities to explore that particular topic,” said Ludwig. “They’re running with the tools to really integrate the learning.” Each stage of the program allows the girls to work through issues while focusing on themselves, the community and what they have to offer the world.
Learning in combination with exercise becomes powerful tools for physical growth through stretching and processing afterwards. “You make sure that you have that processing time so the girls understand what they’re taking out of the program,” said Michelle Flude, public relations intern for Girls on the Run. In youth, girls are naturally active and the program “encourage[s] them to continue being active as they go through adolescence and struggle with their identity and their body,” said Ludwig. The program is building on a natural strength that girls already have at that age but in a noncompetitive environment.
Volunteers for the program enjoy being able to “reach these girls before they [fall] into that cycle” that leads them into adulthood feeling uncertain of themselves, said Flude. The volunteers focus on “working with girls when they’re young to help them discover what they already have inside of them,” said Ludwig.
Families working with the program express incredible gratitude towards volunteers who are willing to give their time to others and address issues that girls face during adolescence. Trisha Garcia, homemaker and mom to four kids, has two girls who have participated in the program and Kayleia, who is 9 years old, is currently in Girls on the Run. “I think [Kayleia's] attitude has changed in a positive manner,” Garcia said.
“The coaches are marvelous…I don’t think they know what kind of an impact they have [on the girls],” said Garcia.
During the 5K, each girl is paired with a running buddy-a female volunteer from the community who commits to running the 5k with the girls. The coaches and running buddies who work with the program are positive adult role models who volunteer their time to support girls in the community. The purpose of the running buddy is to give the girls support throughout the entire run whether it is walking or running, “letting her know that every step she takes is a step towards her goal,” said Flude. The running buddy is there to keep the girls motivated and to keep cheering them on.
Garcia will be running with her daughter in the 5K this year for the first time. “I was so honored that she asked me to run with her…it’s such a great experience,” Garcia said.
Flude started working with the program last spring as part of a capstone project. Being involved with Girls on the Run has made her realize how powerful it is to have “a group of girls around you who encourage you…and let you know that being healthy in body…mind and spirit is so much more important than wearing the right clothes.” At a practice this year, she saw one girl struggle with running-a bunch of the girls stayed back with her even though they could have kept going-they stayed to make sure she had company and wasn’t doing the run alone. “It was amazing to see these girls at such a young age are already realizing the power of affection and the bond that they can create,” said Flude.
There are many opportunities for people in the community to volunteer at the New Balance Girls on the Run 5K that takes place on Nov. 21 at 10 a.m. in Buffalo Park. To qualify to become a running buddy for future events, you have to be female, over the age of 18 and go through an application process. Deadlines are the month prior to the run. Anyone interested in becoming a running buddy or volunteering for the program can fill out an application at http://www.gotrcoconino.org/
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