Photo courtesy of Lori Smith.
Mountain Brook students meet for regular summer running practices with training from high school seniors on the cross-country team.
Despite their busy summer training schedule, rising seniors on the Mountain Brook cross-country team found time to share their passion for running with children in the community.
For the months of June and July, they led practices on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for Crestline, Cherokee Bend and Mountain Brook Elementary schools, respectively.
“It’s a great way for us to make a little money doing what we love,” said Tate Record, the senior who started the program, “but we also see it as an opportunity to inspire the next generation of Mountain Brook runners.” The program ends Aug. 2, but runners can still join for $10 per practice. One of Record’s fellow leaders, Jessica Brouilette, added, “Our main goal has always been that the kids enjoy running, regardless of their ability. Some of them could run a 5K the first week, and others are still working toward a mile, but all of them have great attitudes and even better senses of humor, which are how good runners become great.”
Lower Crestline, Jemison Trail and even the Botanical Gardens are where the group does its “fun runs,” but the kids’ favorite days are their workouts on Cherokee Bend’s track.
“The kids love them because they feel like real track runners,” Record said, “but us seniors probably enjoy the workouts more because we just sit on the sidelines and cheer them on."
The seniors agreed that the key to inspiring new runners is finding abalance between running and having fun.
Record admitted, “The two are mutually exclusive. The actual activity of running is difficult for everyone. But, the kids have come to love the sport like we did because of people who encouraged them to be their best. The almost daily popsicle bribes have helped too.”
Submitted by Lori Smith.
