thousand

we are closing in on 1000 kids in year 1. with several sites starting this june, we should exceed the number. and it's way past our original goal.  numbers aren't everything, but they sure get me excited. this mix of 1000 kids includes some running enthusiasts who set out to beat their past running goals. it also includes kids who were disenchanted to other sports, for whatever reason, and found a home within the running program... just as they are. it also includes some special needs kids, a kid with a hurt collar bone who was unable to play other sports, and so many more unique individuals and circumstances. this mix of 1000 kids accomplished their running goals this year.

as we begin planning for next year, i'm hungry. i'm hungry for more kids to get involved. more WHOLE communities touched by observing the determination, dedication, and FUN had by the kids. one of my favorite all time stories is a site in franklin park borough, pa. they held a special run just for the kids. not only were kids involved, but parents joined in on the run. not only were families involved, but a high school football team practicing nearby, stopped to clap & cheer on the runners. not only were numerous people encouraged & active, but when the last kid was finishing, the rest of the team ran out to him and completed the last couple hundred yards with him. unprompted. gives me chills.

are you a coordinator or a parent interested in making this happen in your community? let's talk, please. i'd love to get to know you and see if we could work something out.

press on

Great perspective from our VP of communications at NAYS. Great example of a mom sticking up for her son and for others who may come across similar obstacles.

Youth league drops ball with absurd decision

View All Blogs Share on bloggerShare on facebookShare on emailShare on twitterMore Sharing Services0 By: Greg Bach, VP, Communications, National Alliance for Youth Sports Gas prices got you ticked off? Idiots thinking they can text and drive at the same time have you spewing obscenities? Well, here’s something else sure to shove your blood pressure into the triple digits. Get this: In Pennsylvania a 7-year-old boy wanted to play in his local youth football program. Now, the child has ocular albinism, a rare condition – it affects 1 in 60,000 males – that renders him blind in direct sunlight and requires the use of tinted eye protection whenever he steps outside. His parents informed the league that he just needed to use a tinted visor on his helmet to shield his eyes from all sides. A simple solution, right? Well, believe it or not, the league slammed the door on that, saying they weren’t going to allow him to use a visor. Really. Now, I’m pretty sure that tinted visors don’t provide unfair advantages and enable players – 7-year-olds – to run faster or hit harder. The league said they would permit sunglasses or goggles – because that’s what the rules they were following allowed – though the boy’s parents were rightly concerned those could be knocked off, putting their son in danger. Apparently the league didn’t have specific rules in place regarding protective eyewear, so in those instances it uses the rules of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletics Association. The PIAA uses that rule because when a player at the middle school, junior high or high school level suffers a concussion medical responders need to be able to see a player’s eyes without removing the helmet. And that makes a lot of sense at those levels, but not so much at age 7. Plus, think about this: on the rare chance this youngster did suffer a concussion medical people would not be allowed to remove his sunglasses or goggles on the field anyway to examine him because his eyes can’t be exposed to sunlight. So why didn’t the visor get the league’s stamp of approval from the beginning? Thankfully, the child’s mom didn’t give up and went in search of others with a few more working brain cells than this league’s hierarchy. She found them at the Justice Department, which ruled that the league violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to make a reasonable modification of its policies, practices and procedures to permit the boy to use a tinted visor. I’m happy this youngster is taking the field and also thrilled that part of the settlement requires the league to develop and implement a disability rights policy, but it’s so far beyond ridiculous that it ever reached this point. And it’s unthinkable how no one overseeing this program had a shred of common sense to recognize that this 7-year-old boy wasn’t in search of an unfair advantage. He was simply asking for a chance to play. Isn’t that what every child deserves?

Posted:4/12/2012

running store sponsorship

one of our sites in riverton city, utah found a creative, community-building way to get their kids involved in ready, set, run! by partnering with their local running store, they have expanded the reach of the program as well as providing additional resources for the participants. many of our sites could benefit from partnerships like this!

Kids: get “Ready, Set, Run” in Riverton

By Kari Merrill Kenner4 days ago

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  Graphic courtesy of Riverton City

Riverton youth should lace up their shoes for the first annual “Ready, Set, Run” youth run training program.

The program started out as an idea of Riverton city employee Marci McClement, and, according to Assistant City Manager Jeff Hawker, encourages youth fitness.

“Basically, it’s a physical fitness education program designed to encourage physical fitness in the youth,” he said. “It’s a self-funding program, where registration fees cover the cost of the program, so there isn’t any cost to the city.”

“Ready, Set, Run” is a youth 5K training program for youth ages 8 to 13. It began Tuesday, March 27, and will run every Tuesday and Thursday through May 17.

The program takes place at the C.R. Hamilton Family Sports Complex located at 13800 South 3700 West from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The cost is $50 per child, which includes two days of instruction per week, a T-shirt, runner handbook, drawstring backpack, and participation award.

The program and lessons will guide the youth through warm-ups, running exercises, cool-down periods, and goal setting, as well as emphasize teaching and discussing character building topics such as nutrition, self-esteem and personal image.

At the end of the eight weeks of training, youth will be prepared and registered to participate in the Running with Angels 5K at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, at no extra charge.

The program is sponsored by Running Gr8, a local fitness store, which is providing items such as bottles and backpacks.

the bully project

really excited about this. hoping many get out there & commit to making a difference. being different.

the bully project.

contagious excitement!

pardon my hiatus, i was on vacation with my family. and i tell you what, disney world truly is a magical place for kids and adults. watching my 2 1/2 year old's googly eyes & shy smile as she waved to characters, hi-fived goofy, and did all other things disney, was amazing. AND as an adult, watching a crowd of kids chant "dream, dream, dream!" with mickey, minnie, donald & goofy was pretty tear-jerking as well. you see, the evil queen was trying to overtake disney and the only way to keep it alive was for all of the people there to believe in the power of dreams. i'm pretty sure it was impossible to NOT catch the 'dream' bug.

kids encouraged to dream, strive, and not stop believing that they can achieve it? yup, that's pretty much what we are trying to accomplish with ready, set, run. if we could bottle up the excitement that our kids feel at the end when they accomplish the 5k and allow them to carry it around with them at all times, i would.

disney delivered on every count, including fanning the flame in my gut to get as many kids as possible in ready, set, run! our spring/summer sites are starting to register. we are closing in on 75 registered sites in 5 different countries, 20+ states, and all sorts of city types. please contact me to find out how: klake (at) nays.org

"hiiiiiii mickey!"

refreshingly honest

runner's world. great magazine. i thoroughly enjoy their insight and articles and recommendations on everything from shoes to training plans to post-run meals. this week they released a very honest perspective on something that you don't hear about very often: disordered eating in runners. to boot, from a MALE perspective. kudos, runner's world, for putting yourselves out there on an uncomfortable topic. check the article out here.

got me thinking. teaching kids about nutrition is a sensitive topic. something i've been careful about since the very beginning. our curriculum teaches kids about making good choices, not going on a diet. it teaches kids to feel good about themselves and to learn about fueling their bodies, not try to look like the people they see on tv. i am thankful for articles like this that remind us that BALANCE is the key in empowering our kids. allowing them to come as they are and encouraging them to feel better about themselves, running & eating well being one way to do that.

common question

an answer that i find myself saying often is: "yes, that's a great idea to meet the needs in your particular community." one of the pillars in the establishment of ready, set, run was to create a program that ALL kids could participate in: at every agency in every community in every state in every country. and our coordinator list is expansive: big town usa, little town usa, japan, portugal, korea, germany, private agency, public agency, and a lot in between. each one unique, each one fantastic.

another pillar was to make it as user-friendly as possible for the hard-working youth sport coordinators that we work with. one of the greatest bits of feedback we get back from our sites is that it was a positive experience from top to bottom- coordinators were efficient, coaches were empowered, kids had a blast, and parents were thrilled with the outcome.

so, while our curriculum lends itself to be absolutely turn-key (read: easy to use) there is an adaptability component based on your needs. i.e., one of our stand-out sites in georgia adapted the program to include 2 special needs participants. or another awesome site in new york city is looking to work with a different time frame that will meet the needs of his busy clientele.

my favorite challenge is figuring out how to make it work for a coordinator. i assure you, there IS a way to get kids in your community setting goals & running!