Sara Stadem |Editor
For their ninth year in a row, Tri-Valley girls grades 5-8 and their coaches laced up their shoes to train and run their 5K for the Girls on the Run (GOTR) program.
Tri-Valley teacher and GOTR coach Teresa Hillberg explained the program started at Tri-Valley in the fall of 2012 after a mother of a 5th grader asked the school if they would be willing to start the program.
GOTR is a program sponsored through EmBe which is a non-profit organization that was started in 1996, according to Hillberg. She further explained the GOTR have lessons that are designed for girls to give them tools to empower them and help them to navigate real life situations with grace and confidence as well as promoting health and fitness.
Hillberg and Tri-Valley 3rd grade teacher Marcia Berkness have helped with the program from the beginning. “We are both avid runners and were excited to get this started at Tri-Valley,” Hillberg said.
This year, there were 11 girls total that participated in the GOTR program with eight of the girls participating in the 5K. They also added another coach to help with the program, Tri-Valley Reading Specialist Morgan Hoglund. The girls also had a volunteer “running buddy”, Brooke Rollinger, who would run along with the girls during their sessions, according to Hillberg.
Hoglund, who previously helped coach GOTR at her last school, said, “Running buddies are another person for the girls to get to connect with! We are very thankful for Brooke and the girls were, too.”
The program consists of 10 weeks of practices which started on Tuesday, September 14 with the girls meeting every Tuesday and Thursday after school. Hoglund explained each practice consists of a lesson and then a workout. During the workout, the girls make a lap goal and run laps trying to meet that goal.
On Sunday, November 14, the girls participated in their 5K and ended their season on Monday with a community impact project, Hillberg explained. The girls made banners for the teachers to show their appreciation during American Education Week.
Hoglund said, “I love the GOTR. I think it is a really cool program and a fun way to get girls talking and thinking about things like what makes them unique, how to be a good friend, how to deal with all emotions and more.” She continued, “The curriculum switches up from year to year, so girls can take part more than once and learn something new each time.”
Hillberg concluded, “We really love the program and its message of empowerment for young girls.”