Winter Grand Prix is one of Club Northwest’s go=to events for youth!
Members of Club Northwest’s Youth Team have looked to running during the pandemic as a means of staying active, engaged, and grounded. This most recent addition to the blog features the voices of CNW’s youngest athletes. Thank you, Coach Deb Fletcher, for supporting their running goals and encouraging them to share their experiences.
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River, Age 10
Youth athletes at Winter Grand Prix!
I like running because it gives me a chance to be outside, be active, it gets me fresh air and lets me get away from my computer. It also gives me a good way to STAY active, outdoors, because my other sports are mostly indoors. It also gets me motivated, and after every practice, I feel GOOD! Having a fun sport like Running makes me happy to have in hard time like COVID. Even if I did not want to go to practice at first, right when I got there, I could get super happy and excited to be there and the feeling of doubt just went away. Running is one of my favorite sports and it just makes me happy to be there.
Running in the age of COVID is kind of hard, because you have to wear a mask, (which makes it harder to breath) and social distance from other people so you won't really be able to meet anyone new. It also keeps people from doing other fun events that were planned before COVID, but now that COVID is getting worse, those things might not happen.
What I liked about running with the CNW youth team was getting to see my friends, running with them, and always trying to beat my last record in the races, which was lots of fun.
It always made me feel able to push myself further, even when I thought I couldn't push myself another step further towards my goal. Also building my strength and growth mindset, made it a fun place to be.
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Willow, Age 9
Why I like running?
I like running because it is fun and exercising gets my heart pumping and going. i also like running because it is challenging and i get better at running every time i run.
What is it like running in COVID - 19?
Running in COVID-19 is kind of weird and interesting and kind of fun. One weird thing about running in COVED-19 is wearing a mask while running. When i run with a mask on it is hard to breath but i got better at running with a mask on.
What do i like about running with club north west?
The coaches are nice. i like the way we pace ourself. My favorite work out are intervals and long runs. I like how my coaches push me to run my best.
What Running with Club Northwest Has Meant to Me
Grace, age 9
I had to ask my dad when I started running because it seems like I have been running since I was a baby. He said that I really started running when I was 3 because a friend invited us to a Club Northwest All-Comers meet. I loved that you got a ribbon every time that you finished a race. I got to try a lot of different events like the 50, 100, 200, turbojav and long jump. I got so many ribbons! I remember that I really wanted to run the mile when I first went to the All Comers meet but my dad said no because he thought it was too far for me and I wouldn’t make it. But, I kept pestering him and he finally let me do it later that year and I ran the whole way without stopping. My dad showed me my time and it was really slow but I was really proud that I did it.
When I got a little older, I started doing 5Ks with my dad. I really liked running longer distances. A few years later we heard about the CNW youth team and I was really excited to join it. At the first cross country practice there was just me and one other teammate on my team. I had seen her at races and she was REALLY good! My coaches, Rod and Deb, were really nice and funny. The first meet of the year was actually at the school where we practiced. I guess this was kind of a middle and high-school race but I had a lot of fun. Then, I started racing against people more my size. One of the last races of the year was Regionals. That year it was held in Yakima. I just remember Coach Deb was there and cheering me on. That day I was really happy to get 13th place.
Putting ng in the work on her treadmill!
That summer I ran track (personally, I like cross country better than track!). I was coached by Coach Rod. I was 8 years old and I won the 800 and 1500 at regionals and the next season when I ran cross country I won a lot of races. That season the last race that I ran was regionals. This was held way down in Eugene, Oregon. Coach Deb couldn’t make it because she had her own race but Coach Rick went all the way down to coach us. I remember I won regionals that year and I was SO happy! I am so glad that the CNW youth team gave me all of these opportunities to run and compete.
I am so glad that CNW has a youth team. I love racing and being a part of a team. It is fun to cheer on my teammates and hear them yelling when I am racing. I am now in my third year on the team and there are a whole bunch of runners now. We had three coaches this year, Coach Deb, Coach Rick and Coach Gail. Running this year has been weird with masks and all of the normal races were cancelled. But, it has been a great way to get out and meet new people and see friends that are on my team. The coaches also keep things fun. Around Halloween we ran in costumes and we earned some treats. We also ran a couple of races just with CNW people. In one race I raced with Coach Gail – she is really fast! I am really glad that I joined the CNW youth team and really hope that next year we still have a big team and get to do all of the regular races again.