Girls On The Run has been one of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit’s most popular and fastest-growing programs. As it increased in popularity and expanded to dozens of sites, boys and their families started to ask if something similar was available for them.
As it turns out, there was, and it was developed by the YMCA in Brandywine, Pa. The STRIDE (Success, Teamwork, Respect, Inspiration, Determination and Excellence in character) program was launched as a pilot program at the South Oakland branch in 2013 and expanded throughout the association this year.
Last year, there were less than ten boys who ran the Girls On The Run/STRIDE 5K. This year, 300 boys will take the 3.1 mile course through downtown Ferndale after the Girls on The Run program completes their race. It’s gone from one site to around 16, says Antonio Doutet, sports specialist at the South Oakland YMCA.
It’s similar to Girls On The Run in that it builds character and shows young people how to be good friends against the backdrop of training for a 5K. The lessons are structured and presented in a way that appeals to boys in the targeted age range of 3rd through 5th grade, Antonio says.
“It’s effective because it is accepting they are boys, and they like to roughhouse and try to be competitive,” he says. “We find ways to make them better themselves as they do that and learn to push each other as well.”
For example, one exercise had the boys running and looking out for teammates who might be struggling a little. Every time they encouraged someone else, the boys got a rubber band from the coaches, and at the end of the session the boy with the most rubber bands won. If they exemplify the STRIDE values throughout the season, they earn a STRIDE dog tag.
STRIDE is popular both with boys who are athletic and also those who don’t feel comfortable with team sports. It’s those boys who can benefit from the STRIDE ideal of encouraging each other, Antonio says, but the athletes also learn to cheer on others.
“It’s a great way to build your confidence,”he says. “If you are not the most athletic or most sociable, you learn how to be sociable and confident in yourself — because running 3.1 miles is not that easy to do and knowing that you went from maybe only being able to sprint for five minutes to running 3.1 miles will help you for a long time.”
Another key to the program is the adult coaches. A survey of the boys in the program taken near the end of this season mentioned the coaching relationship was very important to them. “They said they truly believe the coaches cared for them,” Antonio says. “If you don’t believe we care for you, you don’t take to heart what we teach you.” Because all but one of the coaches are male, they are able to relate to the boys and share experiences they have had that are similar to what the boys have experienced.
The Girls on The Run/STRIDE 5K is this Sunday, May 18, in downtown Ferndale. More than 4000 girls and 1000 adult volunteers will take the course, followed by the STRIDE graduates at around 10:30. The run represents the culmination of months of training for both boys and girls.