OXFORD – What would you say to a program that would help preteen girls to see through sexist advertising, make them feel good about themselves and be more health conscious, both physically and emotionally? Too good to be true? Well, it exists. It’s called “Girls On The Run,” and it’s now being offered in the Oxford Middle School.
Alicia Lobdell heard about the non-profit program “Girls On The Run” (GOTR) in Otsego County. She felt so passionate about it that she contacted the GOTR council director Paula Huntsman so that she could start up her own program in Oxford. Alicia, the volunteer coach, is the driving force of the Oxford GOTR. She sold the idea to the school and to the Middle School’s physical education teacher and JV/Varsity track coach, Irene DeJager. Together, they started the 10-week, after-school prevention program in April. Alicia followed guidelines that encourage her fifth through eighth grade girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through activities such as running, playing games and discussing important issues. Some of the emphasis is on being a girl of your word, understanding positive/negative behaviors, and healthy eating (not dieting). Three key points of the curriculum are: To get to know each other, to come together as a team and for the girls to understand their place in the community. The girls talk about the concept of the different communities they are a part of and also design their own community service project. The girls will be challenged and encouraged as they prepare for an end-of-season 5K run/walk event.
Girls On The Run is a national program which was started in 1996 in Charlotte, NC, by Molly Barker, a four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete. With only 13 girls at first, Molly used her expertise in counseling and teaching along with research on adolescent issues.
In 2000, Girls on the Run International, a 501c-3 organization was born. Today, tens of thousands of girls and women are participating from 160 councils in the US and Canada. GOTR follows a research based curriculum that encourages positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development. The goal is fewer adolescent pregnancies and eating disorders, less depression and suicide attempts, as well as fewer substance/alcohol abuse problems and confrontations with the juvenile justice system.
Paula Huntsman started GOTR in Cooperstown in 2001 with 21 girls. Now in Otsego County there are 360 girls participating and 25 groups in and around Otsego County. Paula explained that a substantial grant from the Rural Health Education Network of Delaware, Otsego, Madison and Schoharie is helping the program expand. Luckily for Oxford, they also received approval to expand into Chenango County. It’s important to Paula that the program is kept affordable. Thanks to several national and local sponsors, if money is a problem, scholarships have been made possible.
The Oxford GOTR members are preparing for the Seventh annual New Balance Girls on the Run 5K Event, scheduled for 2 p.m. on June 7 at the Clark Sports Center, 124 Susquehanna Ave., Cooperstown. This is a non-competitive, non-timed 5k and 1 mile run/walk for the whole family.
To join the 5K run or make a donation, contact Paula Huntsman at 435-5298 or email phunts@mac.com . To read about GOTR, visit www.otsegocountygotr.org . To get info on the GOTR-Oxford, contact Alicia Lobdell at 843-7190 or email ALLobdell@gmail.com.