Young Tritons: Zombie Edition
On October 29th, 15 of our Village boys will run 3.2 miles (or 5 kilometers) through Kelley Park in San Jose dressed as zombies. Why you ask? This 5k fun run is the culmination of nearly 8 weeks of training, both physically and mentally, with Village School’s Young Tritons Running Club.
For those of you unfamiliar with Young Tritons, it is an after-school running and self-development program for boys. The Village club – only one year old – is open to 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders and coached by Village dads Mike K., parent of First Grade Firecracker Conrad, and Cameron B., Parent of Courageous Cat Eli.
At morning practices, twice a week, the boys run laps adding notches to the ‘zombie stitches’ on their arm for each lap they complete. They also play zombie-inspired games designed to encourage teamwork and self-reflection.
But this running club is about far more than physical performance. “It’s about redefining strength,” says Coach Mike, “and presenting an alternative to the usual definition of masculinity that we grew up with.” This year’s curriculum, in particular, is about the ‘Power of Voice’. Among other lessons, runners learn that:
Words are powerful and we should think carefully before using them.
Our voices convey both empathy and strength when we stand up with and for each other.
Our voices can be agents of change — impacting how we feel about ourselves, and motivating us to do better.
Coach Mike likes to call this ‘channeling our inner coach’. He talks to the boys about how to manage the voice in their head that is telling them something is too hard or they can’t do it. Instead, “channel your inner coach – it tells you to keep trying; it reminds you that success comes with practice and that you can do anything you set your mind to.” He also encourages the boys to be that voice for their teammates, to motivate each other.
“Self-motivation, teamwork, grit, stamina, supporting a team, pacing and focus on the long goal … These are skills that are important in life, not just running,” Coach Mike explains.
The zombies… Well, those are just for fun.
The Young Tritons practice twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, from 7:15-8:25am. If you are interested in being a coach or enrolling your son for the next session, please contact Mike Kaspar at mkaspar [at] gmail.com ().
For more information about the Young Tritons Running Club organization and curriculum, visit the Young Tritons Running Club Website.
Running with the Zombies 5k is open to the public. For more information about this event, or to register to run, visit http://dreamteamevents.org.
