15 New Girls on the Run

This week marks the start of Girls on the Run San Diego's Fall season. I will be returning for my third season as Head Coach for Carmel Valley, a role that I have truly loved! The program has grown from 8 to 14 sites this season and this past weekend I helped out with coaches training. Its crazy to think that just one year ago I was being trained myself. Looking back, this past year has been a whirlwind of change!

GOTR Shirts for the Volunteers 

 

To prepare for the season, a team of volunteers helped put together the materials that support each of the 14 sites. You'd be amazed if you saw everything that was used during the 24-lesson season in one room.  The materials for just one site fill up an entire storage tub and a reusable grocery bag! In addition to the lesson materials, each site receives a supply of dry snacks to give the girls at the end of each lesson. That means a tub of pretzels, a tub of animal crackers, a box of goldfish crackers, and a box of fruit snacks. My trunk looks like I just raided Target!

 Collection of Coach Boxes

 

For those who like numbers, these stats will knock your socks off! Coach box preparation took 9 volunteers who worked for 37 hours during 4 supply prep sessions. The 14 sites can accommodate 210 girls, and have 74 volunteer coaches running the programs. It took 3 trips to Costco to buy supplies for the 24 lessons per season.

In total, the supplies needed for Fall 2010 were:

• 14 tubs of animal crackers
• 28 tubs of pretzels
• 28 boxes of gold fish
• 42 tennis balls
• 56 orange cones
• 280 markers
• 630 Ziploc bags
• 3440 index cards
• 7000 stickers
• 13000 beads

 

Amazing isn't it? During coach training this past weekend and a few weeks ago we passed out the supplies to each of the head coaches, and spent half a day walking them through the Girls on the Run program's mission and core values, had them practice leading a few lessons, showed them examples of energy awards that they'll help teach the girls, and explained how to run a smooth and successful program.

 

My favorite energy award by far is the BANANA cheer! I'm totally going to teach my girls this cheer!

  

Banana Cheer - GO BANANAS!

I'm about nervous about the time I'm about to give up again from my evenings to coach, but know that every moment sacrificed is worth it. (We'll see how I feel about that tomorrow when I leave for work at 6:30am so I can leave early to go coach. :oP ha!)  The time I've spent with the girls is a lot of fun, it's really rewarding, and it has helped me grow as a person as I've learned to do something totally new and different.

 

Practicing a Lesson

 

And ... let's not pass up the chance for me to toot my own horn, but think I'm actually really good at being a head coach. (Part of the reason why I enjoy it so much.) As I've said before, we all like things that we're good at. I attribute most of this skill to my psychotic need for order and organization, and my desire to have fun and make sure others around me are having fun as well. Who knew those two things could go together so well?

  

Circle of Celebration of Positive Attributes

 

The Carmel Valley site has had an amazing retention rate. (Had to throw some work speak in here!) For this coming season there will be two groups, one on Mon/Wed and one on Tues/Thurs. I was amazed to see that 13 of the 30 girls registered at Carmel Valley have been in the program before! Across the other 12 sites there are only 9 other girls who have been in the program before. If only I could get customers of my product to be this loyal! Hmm...

Anyways, I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the start of a new season. Go Girls on the Run! You're so much fun!