Girls on the Run program helps preteens boost self-esteem, get physically active

By Stephanie Dunnewind
Seattle Times staff reporter

BRIAN CASSELLA / THE SEATTLE TIMES Kimmy Elias, 10, turns her head to look at her mentor and running buddy, Christel Elliott, and joins other members of Girls on the Run in a pre-race cheer before a 5K race at Seward Park. The program tries to help girls 8 to 11 get physically active and feel good about themselves.

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Kimmy Elias, 10, is flagging, her feet dragging up the hill about halfway through the Furry 5K run at Seward Park. "I can't go any farther," she pants.

Her running buddy, Christel Elliott, stretches her hand out behind her. "C'mon," she says, "I'll pull you up the hill."

That hand, reaching from woman to girl, is what Girls on the Run of Puget Sound is about: a little boost to help preteen girls tackle both physical and mental challenges as they grow up.

The after-school program, which jumped from serving nine girls its first 2002 season to 80 this spring, combines running and games with self-awareness and empowerment lessons. Some of the girls, ages 8 to 11, couldn't even run a lap around the park when they started; by the end of the 12-week session, they're partnered with a buddy for a 5-kilometer fun run.

"It's a mixture of support group and learning as well as exercise," explained Kelly Christensen, whose 11-year-old daughter, Taylor, has attended four sessions, offered in the fall and spring. "It's good for moms because this positive message for girls wasn't around when I was 10 or 11."

	Leiah Rasmussen's headband sums up what the Girls on the Run program is all about: girl power.

It's a sentiment repeated by volunteers and moms, explaining why they want to give girls a shot of self-esteem before middle school. "The most common comment I get from women is 'I wish they'd had something like this when I was that age,' " said executive director Jeanne Higgins, a longtime runner who started the Seattle chapter. She coaches cross-country at the Seattle Girls' School but likes GOTR's emphasis on fitness, rather than competition.

The program targets reluctant runners like Kimmy, with games and chat sessions to balance the jogging. The focus is on doing one's best, not coming in first. "She complains that it wears her out, but she also feels good because she's challenging herself to do something she doesn't think she's good at," said Kimmy's mother, Kathy Elias.

Julie Iverson signed her bookish, 9-year-old daughter, Silke Bachhuber, up for the exercise but found the girl-power component appealed to Silke.

"I would have thought she didn't need it," said Iverson, whose daughter joined both the fall and spring programs this year. "As a parent, you think, 'Not my daughter, it won't impact her.' But of course it does. And this is when it starts."

When Silke comes home with stories about school friends, "I'll ask, 'Were you nice?' Then I think to myself, 'What a stupid thing to say,' " Iverson said. "This (program) isn't teaching her to be rebellious but that girls can value themselves and stand up for themselves. Too often, they're expected to be nice and studious, not assertive and independent."

Out of the "girl box"

It's what Molly Barker, who founded the national Girls on the Run program, dubs the "girl box." Working as a teacher, social worker, counselor and coach, Barker, a four-time Ironman triathlete, saw too many girls go through negative changes in about the fifth grade.

Girls on the Run For: Seattle girls ages 8 to 11. Summer camp: Two "Girls on the Run with Nature" camps are scheduled for July 20-24 and Aug. 10-14. Check Web site for details. Fall program: Sessions run 3:30-5 p.m. (except as noted) two afternoons a week from late September to early December. Sandpoint Community Center, Tuesdays and Thursdays; Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club, Mondays and Wednesdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; Boys & Girls Club Southwest Branch, 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also offers a spring program. Cost: $130 includes 24 sessions, snacks, T-shirt, water bottle and race-entry fee. Scholarships available. Volunteers: The program is looking for volunteers to serve as coaches, running buddies or event helpers. More information: www.girlsrun.org or 206-528-2118. Other active-girl programs: GoGirlGo.com (www.gogirlgo.com), a Women Sports Foundation initiative encouraging girls to be physically active. Chicks Play Hard (www.chicksplayhard.org), annual spring workshop in Seattle for girls ages 9 to 13.

"I would watch formerly confident, self-assured girls take on a more depressed posture, defer to boys in the classroom, be flirty instead of smart, complain of weight problems where there were none, or feel left out because they couldn't afford the 'right' outfit," writes Barker, also a mom of a young girl.

The issue isn't new — see the books "Reviving Ophelia," "Queen Bees and Wannabes" and "Odd Girl Out" — but Girls on the Run hopes to tackle some of the causes, not just highlight the problems. The organization now has nearly 100 chapters across the U.S. and Canada, serving about 14,000 girls in 2003.

Iverson has no illusions that a few classes will buffer her daughter from teasing at school or the pressures to be thin and pretty. But it can't hurt, she figures. "This is one more place where she is loved for exactly who she is."

Iverson displays a picture of Silke finishing her first 5K on the refrigerator door. "On her face, you can just see the incredible excitement when she was done," she said.

At the Furry 5K, Kimmy isn't too thrilled at the start, though Elliot assures her an organized race is fun. "It's easier to run with lots of people," she says. "You get lots of energy."

After a burst of speed at the start of the race, Kimmy slows to a walk. "You've gotten so strong since the last time we ran," Elliott tells her. "You're doing awesome."

Most girls take 45 minutes to an hour to run/walk the 5K, but one 9-year-old finished in 26 minutes, Higgins said. "For most of them, just being out and moving is a big thing."

Elliot offers tips on curing side aches and bolsters Kimmy's waning enthusiasm. "I used to have to make myself run," says Elliot, who drove from Tacoma for this event and an earlier practice 5K run. "The more you do it, the easier it gets. If you keep doing it, you'll love it."

Kimmy doesn't seem convinced but she breaks into a run anytime she passes Girls on the Run cheerleaders along the trail. When Elliott tries to spur Kimmy to jog to the second-mile mark, Kimmy finds her own motivation. "Juice stop!" she shouts, then sprints off, leaving Elliott to catch up.

Positive messages

	BRIAN CASSELLA / THE SEATTLE TIMES Kimmy Elias, 10, and her mentor and running buddy, Christel Elliott, lean on each other while stretching before a race.

At one GOTR after-school session in Genesee, the 15 girls play a running-relay game to pick what elements a particular advertisement is trying to play on, such as sex appeal. "You want to think in your mind, 'What is this billboard trying to sell me?' " coach Amy McClellan tells the girls.

It's part of a lesson on media awareness; other topics covered during the program include body image, healthful eating, gossip, peer pressure and community service. "We talk about teamwork and feeling good about the way you are," explained Taylor Christensen, who attends a North Seattle alumni group.

Later at Genesee, the girls run or power walk around the park — totaling about a mile or mile and a half — and stop at a table each lap to write a positive word about themselves: confident, physical, unique, healthy, nice, friendly, considerate, sassy, fast.

If it sounds a little naive, well, that's why they start with younger girls. It's easier to build rapport before girls hit the teens and stakes rise, Higgins said. She hopes to launch Girls on Track, a program for girls ages 12 to 14, next spring but notes that age group is a "different dynamic."

When Taylor and her mom attended a school program about moving on to middle school next year, attendees broke into small groups to discuss concerns. Christensen was pleased to hear Taylor assure her group that "just because there are problems out there, it doesn't mean you have to follow that path."

"This has been a real nurturing experience," Christensen said. "They really recruit great women role models."

At the Furry 5K, Kimmy is whining: "I'm tiiiired." "The faster you walk, the faster we get done," Elliott reminds her. Sure enough, they turn a corner and the finish line is almost visible. Kimmy waits until she's almost there and then takes off with her sprint.

Earlier, she'd complained that when she tells boys she ran a practice 5K, "They don't believe it. They don't think girls can do anything."

Now, after she crosses the line, it's all triumph. "You did it," Elliott says. "That's a big accomplishment."

Stephanie Dunnewind: 206-464-2091 or sdunnewind@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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