Little Tykes Track

How did you first get into running? It's a pretty innocuous question, but it's one that every runner gets asked at some point in his/her career. And, if you really take the time to think about, it's a really interesting question. How did you get into running? Out of all the sports there are to choose from -- basketball, baseball, football, soccer, etc. -- why did you end up just running?

For me, I was always running. Both my dad and uncles were runners; competitive in high school and college, but also age-group competitive once us kids came around. I grew up with runners are role models, so the sport was something I was drawn to.

But I was also a bit lucky: Mariemont had a recreational track program for elementary kids. Just like everyone played SAY soccer, little league baseball, or rec basketball growing up (I did all those things, too) my neighborhood also had a youth track team. So every spring we would "practice" one evening per week and then spend all day Saturday at interminable track festivals at various places around the city. (I put "practice" in quotes because these weren't practices in the traditional structured sense, but instead more of an introduction to the fundamentals of the sport: how to run, jump, and throw in a track & field setting.)

So how did I get into running? I was introduced to the sport at a young age, and fell in love with it. I always knew I was a distance runner -- especially when everyone else grew and I didn't -- but that didn't stop me from having fun in the other events. At each meet, we could pick three events to do. One was always the longest distance offered (by 5th and 6th grade, that was an 800, where I threw down a blazing 3:03), but for my other events I would consistently bounce around between the 75m dash, the long or high jump, or the softball throw (in lieu of the shot put). My personal second-favorite was the long jump...there's just something about leaping as far as possible against gravity before crash landing into a spray of sand that was irresistible to elementary-school-me. Heck, still is irresistible for the kid in me.

I remember practicing at the Mariemont track every week. I remember the time my friend threw up Cheerios in the high jump pit because he ate too close to practice. I remember the Saturday meets at Mariemont, LaSalle, and some of the other track around town. Even when I was in high school, we were asked to work at the youth track meet -- hand out finisher's ribbons, measure distances, etc.

Which brings me to two weekends ago: my fiancee found out that her niece had joined her school's rec track team, and that they had a meet at Mariemont. The same meet I went to every year, still going strong. As I had the morning off work, we went down to check it out. As it turns out, my friend and former college teammate is her team's coach, as he also has a kid on the team. We stayed for the Kindergarten-2nd grade 75 meter dash and 4 x 100 relay (watching elementary kids hand off the baton is fantastic) before I had to go in to work.

Endless heats of the 75m dash. Parents waiting for their kids at the finish line, and (you can't see it in the picture, so just take my word for it) the softball throw in the infield.

So why am I posting about this? It was so cool to see kids (and their parents) introduced to the sport. More neighborhoods -- more school districts -- need youth track programs like this. Kids have so many sporting opportunities as they're growing up that track & field is typically left behind others which have more robust rec programs. Too many athletes join track in junior high or high school, and don't have the time to develop a love for the sport in a fun yet competitive atmosphere.

The great thing about track is that you don't need any real special equipment -- you don't need a ball, or pads, or cleats, or bats and gloves; none of that stuff. All you need are your legs and arms. That makes this sport, more than any other at the youth level, extremely democratic. Go to one of these meets and you'll see wealthier suburban families mingling with poorer urban and rural families; you'll see kids from every racial and ethnic group out there having fun together. In what other youth sport does that kind of diversity exist?

Most of you reading are probably more familiar with the program Girls on the Run, which has the stated mission to "inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running." Basically, they are trying to instill a healthy lifestyle and confident self-image through running. And you know what, that's great. That's a really noble goal. But...

...but youth track programs accomplish the same mission, with the added benefit of introducing girls (and boys!) to jumping and throwing in addition to just running. Girls on the Run introduces girls to the activity of running, while rec track introduces everyone to the sport of Track & Field (which may include running, but it also includes jumping and throwing). It teaches kids to embrace their athletic abilities. Look at, for example, the bigger girl: she may struggle with running, but excel at throwing. She's strong, and she's a natural thrower; track teaches her to embrace and be proud of that, Girls on the Run never introduces her to that option.

I'm not saying that GotR is a bad program; I'm saying that youth track programs can better accomplish the same goals in a more inclusive atmosphere. Youth track accepts all body types and encourages young athletes to find their niche. It introduces them to the fundamentals of every sport. It introduces them to the aspects of a fit, healthy lifestyle. It introduces them to the competitive side of the sport, which they can embrace if they want to -- or not. And if they choose not to be competitive, that's fine; they can still have fun and develop confidence and a healthy lifestyle. 

If you have the opportunity, I'd encourage you to check out a local youth track meet. Feel the excitement of the activity, see how much fun everyone has participating in the fundamental elements of sport -- how fast can you run, how far can you throw, how high or how long can you jump?  

We need more youth track and less Girls on the Run. If we did, the sport -- Track & Field specifically, but also running as a whole -- would be better for it.