STRIDES sessions started on September 13 at Olympic High School! We met with OHS students during their health class on Monday and Wednesday this week, and will continue meeting with the students on Mondays and Wednesdays until the STRIDES 5k Run/Walk on Sunday, November 21.
It felt so great to finally meet the students and start doing what we have been planning for so long! We had anticipated having to win the students over and really having to motivate them to participate in physical activity. However, our first day of STRIDES found us with a few students who were totally excited to get outside for some fresh air and physical activity. They could NOT get over the fancy water bottles from Title Nine that were donated for them! We went for a group walk and took the time to get to know each other and learn about their interests.
Our second STRIDES session presented us with two very real challenges. First, a lack of consistent attendance means that we had 4 new participants for Session 2 and only one participant from Session 1. We had to spend a good deal of time reviewing what STRIDES is about and the group rules. Thankfully, most of the lessons can be beneficial as individual sessions, without needing to be built upon another lesson. However, Ashley and I will need to be really strategic in keeping students up to date on what we have been learning while still having time to focus on the day's lesson.
Secondly, this session's students acted more as we had expected students to act about the program. It took them some time to warm up to the idea of running or walking during our sessions, but everyone gave it a shot and some who said they wouldn't run were actually running by the end! It was really important for Ashley and I to stay positive and encourage everyone to just try it out at whatever pace feels comfortable for them. This program is about setting a goal and achieving it with the help of your peers and the coaches, but the student is the person in charge of setting a comfortable goal....be it walk a 5k, run some of a 5k, or run the whole thing.
We were so impressed by the students we met this week. Even if they tested us out a bit a first, they all participated with very little resistance. They all have goals they want to achieve outside of STRIDES and varying interests and experiences that will make for great discussions during STRIDES sessions. We can't wait for next week!
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