It's been a quick summer for me and I am sorry I haven't posted a new entry in a while. I have been up to some fun stuff lately.
My son is on the Middle School Cross Country team this year. It started out as him just wanting to run with the team in the summer for their conditioning. He wanted to get in shape for the soccer season. He found that he really likes running and let us know that he wanted to join the team.
I believe that we have close to 45 kids on the Middle School team. I say because I got involved with the team too. I work for myself so I have the luxury of being able to somewhat control my schedule. During the summer I ran with the kids in the mornings before I started my day. I really enjoyed running with them and watching the kids get stronger each week. My wife and I are friends with the Head Coach and his wife an
d I asked him if I could volunteer to assist him with the team. He said "Of course, I would love the help". So I help out any way I can. I try to go to most practices and run with the kids to keep them motivated and provide any assistance and help coaching I can. I also am at each meet since my son runs so I help out there too. I enjoy ge
tting the kids warmed up before their respective races and cheer them on wildly when there are competing. I help out getting their tags on their singlets too. They tear these off when the kids finish to keep the finish order of the runners.
Both our girls and boys teams are good and usually place very high in every competition we got to. Our girls team is especially strong and we stand a very good chance of doing quite well at our district meet in October.
Canal Winchester meet - First Place
Here is a fun picture of the start of the girls' race at Granville recently. We are the blue team, Bexley.
I can't tell you how much enjoyment I get out of helping with the team. I love passing on my running knowledge and the kids are like sponges that absorb everything you tell them. They are genuinely interested in learning more about running and hearing about the running that I have done. The satisfaction I get out of watching a group of kids participate in the sport I love and grow in that is HUGE.
THANKS!
I want to give a special thanks to Head Coach Dave Valentine, Coach Carla Barno, and Coach Jack Tapee. They have welcomed me as one of their own and I am just a volunteer. I truly appreciate them allowing me to help with the team and I have learned much from all of them as well.
Mostly, I want to say "Thank You" to the kids. I have learned so much from them and they have given me a chance to pass on my skill and knowledge of running. Thank you for putting up with my loud and enthusiastic cheering and blue and white flag waving.
I will post additional entries about the team soon but I wanted to get this out there.
If you have a child that is in Cross Country, get involved. If you don't, you can still get involved in helping your local Cross Country team. Contact the Coach or Athletic Director of the school and ask how you can help. Perhaps supply some fluid replacement such as Gatorade for the team or provide a bag or two of oranges for them to eat after they race. Nothing much tastes better than a fresh orange piece after a hard race. Perhaps you can even help out on a race day. They always need help directing cars to park, being stationed at the finish line to help with the finish order, being stationed at the mile markers to shout out times. Just get involved. The kids will appreciate it and you will feel great.
Thanks for reading and RUN ON!
