NEWS LETTER

Paige Cardiff
Kingman, Arizona
Exercise Science
Leadership

Ready, Set, Run!
For my EDGE project I was the director of a track camp in my home town of Kingman, Arizona. The camp began on Monday June 6, 2016 and ended on Friday July 22, 2016. I worked with the Parks and Recreation department and they provided the necessary equipment to run a track camp. This equipment included batons for relays, a soft ball for the soft ball throw, a long jump pit, and timers for the track meet. I was assisted by one of my high school friends who ran track with me and he helped create some work outs and taught the kids about a few of the events. This camp took place at one of the high schools in Kingman.
It was a 5 week program meeting 2 days out of the week for 2 hours. The program actually was extended for another 3 weeks because the parents and kids loved it a lot. The age of the children participating in this program was originally ages 7-12 however, due to the small amount of kids in the beginning I extended the age from 6 to 14. I held one track meet instead of two due to the decrease in participants for the second half of the camp. I designed practices which included a warm up/stretches, a work out session, and a cool down. For each work out session I taught the kids about the basics of each track and field event to see which ones interested them.

The inspiration for my EDGE project came from one of the bosses I had last summer. I worked at a summer camp program under the direction of the Parks and Recreation department. My boss was also in charge of all of the summer programs that would be offered for the Kingman area. Last summer she asked me if I would be interested in doing a track program for the youth in the area. I was really excited for this opportunity because the previous summer I was also a track coach for kids however, I was not the head coach.

When I first started to plan for my project the hardest part was beginning where to start. I had no idea how in shape these kids were or where their desire to work hard was at. I started by planning simple workouts that were not too hard but not too easy. I had a hard time finding a balance between pushing the kids to do better and letting them have fun. The whole goal of a coach is to push their athletes but not to the point where they dislike the sport. I over came this challenge by designing different types of workouts and including a game at the end of each practice.

Another challenged that I faced was being able to explain the different strategies, techniques, and running terms to kids. Since I have been involved with track and field my whole life, it was hard for me to go back to the basic principles that I first learned as a kid about running. The terms and techniques that I taught them I use on a daily basis during practice and racing. I had to be able to explain to these kids to pump your arms while you run, pace yourself, practice surging, keep your head up, do not look back, kick it in the last 100 meters, and many more. It taught me that as a coach you need to take the time to thoroughly explain whatever it is you are trying to teach someone and take the time to listen to them. These kids were not just kids that were helping me with my EDGE project, they were my team.

This project benefited a variety of people. First, the Parks and Recreation program because it helped add another summer camp for children to participate in and help promote track and field in the community. Second, it helped the parents of the kids in the program have an opportunity to watch their children excel in a sport that they could come and support their kids. Finally, it helped the kids become more confident in themselves and be who they wanted to be. In my program there was no bullying or teasing of any kind. These kids became really good friends and learned the value of working hard.

This project helped become more responsible. I was over a particular group of people who had the expectation that I would be able to provide a fun yet educational environment for their children. I was held to a higher standard to be more professional however, at the same time have fun. These are both colliding concepts but it made me realize that they both can exist at the same time. I had to be willing to talk with parents about concerns that I had with their child and sometimes this was scary but every parent was very supportive of our program and thanked us constantly for putting it on.