Fri, Sept 26: Promises

Once again, we had a great lesson with the girls. Eleven of our twelve participants were there to learn about the Girls on the Run promises. Coach Tanya explained each of the promises that we make to ourselves and to others. The group joined in on the discussion and helped give context to the promises by providing examples of each in their lives.

We then did an energetic game where we split into 2 groups. Each group was assigned one of the sets of promises. Coach Tanya read the promises, and the group with that particular promise made a cheer to let everyone know what category the promise was in. The first few times, the group just cheered. But soon the crazy coaches joined the teams and the element of creativity entered. Coach Connie and Coach Bill replaced the group cheering with other expressive ways, such as arm flapping, eye lashes batting, and monkey screeching! There was lots of laughter to validate the fun that was abundant!

We were fortunate that the weather held out, and we could get in some running. The girls partnered up with each other and made a commitment to run a total of 12 laps between them. So long as the total laps ran was 12, it didn't matter how many each person did. Let us tell you....we have a running bunch of girls this season! 12 laps was nothing for this bunch. They seem to love the running part, and immediately took to the field.

As we cooled down, Coach Tanya presented each girl with their own GOTR journal. They also snacked on cheese crackers to replenish their energy level from all that running.

We hope you enjoy these photos. Remember that there isn't a GOTR session this Tuesday due to the holiday. When schools are closed, we won't have Girls on the Run. However, don't let that stop you from getting out there with your daughter and doing an evening walk (or even a trot.) Show them your support by asking them about the promises also.

We'll see everyone on Friday afternoon in front of the main office!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Darn weather forecast! They are predicting a wet afternoon for our second Girls on the Run session. But never fear. We have an indoor location that we can use in the school. Let your daughters know we will still meet in front of the office. However, if it is raining when you pick up your daughter at 4:45, you can find us in Room #5. If you don’t know where that is at, it’s between Room 4 and Room 6! (grin)

So, you may be curious how we coordinate a running program inside....we are too! We have a game plan though. Our discussion for this lesson revolves around the promises we make to ourselves (like “I promise to always trying my best”) and those that we make to others (like “I promise to do my homework”). Since the remainder of the program builds on these promises, we want to ensure every girl understands the commitment they are making. To help with this, we may take a bit more time to discuss them in the group.

As far our aerobic portion of our session, here’s where we will be extra creative. We may not run, but we are pretty sure our girls will break a sweat while they do various in-place exercises. Our focus at this point is to build their endurance so that they have the stamina to eventual continue running for 35-45 minutes (that's the average time for most of the girls to complete a 5k).

It should prove to be an interesting afternoon. As always, parents are welcome to join us. Don a pair of athletic shoes and come on out.

Hope to see you there!

Descriptor Deception (and other parental feedback)

The word from the GOTR parents is they got a good giggle from the girls' descriptors...and a couple of them may not be accurate, huh? We don't have quiet girls? We don't have monkey-like daughters? LOL... Well, that ok because it was all a part of the game!

Those that responded to the email status reported that the girls had a great time. We were told things like "She (Shannon) loved it" and "She (Erin) had a blast." That's great feedback, and makes us coaches beam. When girls love this program, we know we are headed in the right direction to make a difference in their lives. Continue sending those comments; it's always good to know where we stand and what the girls liked and didn't!

Speaking of likes ... Julia (the jumper!) unknowingly create a new group cheer for us. At GOTR, we have what we call energy cheers. These crazy quick clips are expressions of our joy and help us celebrate our accomplishments. In the past we have done silly things like the "Superstar" or the "Shopping Cart". We have even done the crazy "Sprinkler" cheer. But little Julia gave us the best facial expression when Coach Tanya said "I like pasta" during our warm up game on Tuesday. Coach Bill buckled over with laughter, and before we knew it, "PASTA!" was adopted as our new energy cheer! We know, We know. It's silly and nonsensical...but it sure is fun to express ourselves in ways that make us happy!

We recommend that when work gets old and boring for you, just throw your hands up in the air and yell "PASTA!" Your co-workers won't know what hit them!

What is this GOTR thing?

What's Girls on the Run all about? Better to let the founder, Molly Barker, tell you in her own words!

Tues, Sept 23: What a way to start

WOW! What an fantastic group we have for Girls on the Run! Our first session was by all accounts a huge success! We started right on time – a big kudo’s to our parents for getting the sleepy heads out of bed and to school earlier than normal!

We spent the first part of our session introducing ourselves using a descriptor that matched our personalities. Want to know who is with us this season? Let’s see if I can recall of our names:

• Brianna, the entertainer
• Mercedes, the marvelous
• Martina, the magnificent
• Halley, the horse freak
• Julia, the jumper
• Erin, the quiet
• Samantha, the smiley
• Carolyn, the cat
• Kylin, the Kangaroo
• Madison, the monkey
• Shannon, the sweetheart
• Coach Connie, the clown
• Coach Tanya, the terrific
• Coach Bill, the bombastic

After introductins, we warmed up a bit with a game. If the girls agreed with statements made by Coach Tanya, they ran all the way to Coach Bill and back to the line. We found out who had pets, who had siblings, who liked the Redskins, who liked the Steelers (we have a lot of Steeler fans), who liked to run, who liked basketball, who liked Hanna Montana, who liked the Jonas Brothers, who liked chocolate chip cookies, who like to clean their room, as well as a bunch of other likes/dislikes. The girls had a lot of fun expressing their interests, and even offered their own statements (like who likes pasta!)

After some dynamic stretching, we played yet another running game. Earlier during introductions, the girls wrote the name of each girl on a separate label. While we ran our laps, the girls chased each other to place the labels on their new friends’ backs. This reinforced everyone’s names while taking their mind off of running. Without knowing it, our girls ran about ½ mile while they sped around the blacktop.

If the laughter level was any indication, today was a bit hit!