By Susan Shinn
sshinn@salisburypost.com
GRANITE QUARRY ó If these young runners at Granite Quarry Elementary School look enthusiastic, it’s because they are.
The kids in the East Rowan Y’s afterschool program here are headed all the way to Key West, Florida!
At least on paper.
The East Y is sponsoring a fitness program, “Walking with Key West, Florida On Our Minds.”
Running is not mandatory, although most of the kids seem to prefer it.
The East Y runs its afterschool programs at all East Rowan elementary schools ó Granite Quarry, Rockwell, Faith, Morgan, Shive.
“This school in particular is very enthusiastic about the Key West program,” says Sarah Zander, the East Y’s family services director.
It helps that their counselors, Austin Verrick and Genelia Kluttz, have bought into the program.David Freeze, property manager at East Y and a member of the Salisbury-Rowan Runners Club, visits each site twice a month to help the students with their running and makes it fun with games, activities and snacks.Don’t forget the snacks.
The students ó there are 147 at all five sites ó begin their run with a series of stretches, then start running laps around the gym. Students at Morgan have been using their outdoor trail, but mostly the kids run in the gyms.
Zander has plotted out the students’ course to Key West using Mapquest. It’s 931 miles from the East area to Key West. Thus far, the Granite Quarry kids have almost reached Kannapolis. The program will continue through April, so they’ve got a lot of miles to cover between now and then.
Thrivent Financial has donated 180 pedometers for the program. Freeze also brought each child a water bottle.
“We want to keep the kids properly hydrated,” Zander says.
Freeze is like the Pied Piper, leading the students around the gym.
“Shoe!” one of the students hollers.
Sure enough, someone lost a shoe.
Whoops!
There goes another one.
Jonathan Keaton-El and Johnny Romero retrieve their lost shoes and join their friends for more stretching.
In a few minutes, Freeze divides the children into two lines and they run some relays back and forth in the gym. The boys seem to have just as much fun slamming into the pads at either end of the gym as they do running.
“You can tell they’re getting tired,” Zander says. “It’s getting quieter.”
One of the kids has a meltdown when he loses his part of the relay, but Kluttz signals students close by, and his teammates immediately cluster around to console him.
The trip to Key West is not about speed, Zander points out. “Slow and steady wins every time.”
Freeze then leads the students through a series of cool-down stretches and deep breathing, then passes out bananas. He explains that bananas, which have potassium, help the muscles recover after exercise.
A banana, he says, helps you stay energized much better than, say, a candy bar which provides a quick sugar rush.Fourth-grader Ashlyn Mills thinks she’ll make it at least halfway to Florida. “It’s all right,” she says of the program. “It’s a good workout.”
Ashlyn has also run 5Ks, she says. She’ll probably make it all the way to Key West with ease.
Fourth-grader Devin Mervine likes all the running they do in the games. His brother, Trevor, who’s in first grade, is also in the afterschool program. He knows running helps you get stronger. Kindergartener Devon Watson just likes to run. His classmate Dezirae Lakey thinks it’s fun, as does Brennen Wise.
Jonathan Keaton-El, who threw the shoe earlier, says running makes your legs strong. His twin brother Tyler also likes riding bikes.
“Could you write down that I like running and I’m good at it?” asks fourth-grader Nate Brink.
As part of the program, students will learn trivia facts about each state they’ll past through on their virtual trip. They’ve even picked out a hotel at which to stay once they reach Key West.
Everyone seems to be enjoying the trek, even the counselors.
“I love this program,” Kluttz says. “I believe in this program wholeheartedly.”Kluttz says she worked a desk job for 10 years. “Now I’m moving. I see kids headed for the same pattern. For me, it’s a wonderful opportunity to be a part of children’s lives and help them with an accomplishment.”