You Don't Need To Play A School Sport To Be Fit | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Friendships

I Might Not Do a School Sport, But I Am Part Of The Fit Girls Run Club, Which Might Even Be Better

I see strong women in the making, and it's the most powerful thing you could ever witness.

103
I Might Not Do a School Sport, But I Am Part Of The Fit Girls Run Club, Which Might Even Be Better
Pixabay

On October 11th, I celebrated The Day of The Girl the best way I know how; coaching for Fit Girls. The Fit Girls Run Club Program is a running program for girls in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade that focuses on building self-esteem, friendships, and a love of running, as well as giving back to the community. The club takes place twice a week where non-competitive workouts take place to prepare the girls for a local 5k race.

I participated in this club when I was younger, and this year, I became a coach.

I've always struggled with running; I was never the fastest, I never won any races, but I loved it and I loved the friendships it allowed me to form. Fit Girls has allowed me to stay active, but it's way more than that.

For most of the girls, this is their first experience with running. There's always plenty of complaining, but on every single run, I get to witness amazing levels of perseverance and kindness. These girls come each day ready to go with their neon sneakers, high ponytails, and huge smiles.

Every time I go I see them push through and go just a little further than they thought they could. I see young girls, cheering each other on and building each other up, rather than knocking each other down.

I see strong women in the making, and it's the most powerful thing you could ever witness.

So on October 11th, it was the day of the girl. We went on our usual 45-minute run, and then came back together as a group. The woman who founded Fit Girls stood up and told the group that because October 11th is so special, she had two activities planned before our time was up.

First, a 4th grader was introduced, who had brought in a book called That's What She Said, which contained short biographies of important women, and she read about Oprah Winfrey. I could see the other girls were intrigued, and excited. The looks on their faces just screamed "a successful woman? How awesome!" I loved watching a 4th grader use her voice to share the story of an amazing woman to the group.

Next, a question was posed to the group.

"What is something that you've heard or been told that you can't do, because you're a girl?"

The girls immediately wrote their answers on their scraps of paper.

Then, one by one, each girl was asked to stand up, scream what they wrote as loud as they could, rip it up, and slam it into the trash can.

"Girls can't play football!"

"Girls can't drive!"

"Girls can't be president!"

The list goes on.

By the time that we had to leave, I was left speechless. These little girls are empowered. These girls have seen the injustice that women face today, and by the looks of it, they're ready to one day put a stop to it. My generation is right there with them, ready to make that change. I find it so inspiring and uplifting to see that girls today are being raised to refuse to have their voices silenced. We refuse to be inequal any longer.

So yes, there are days when I have a million other things that I could be doing. But I show up each week, ready to run, sweat, cheer, and laugh. I show up for the girls because the truth it, I get as much out of being there as they do.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

1681
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments