Fundamentals, Foundation
and Fun
By: Michael Hollingsworth
My wife and I have
tried to expose our kids to a variety of healthy activities,
including team sports and outdoor pursuits. At eleven, my oldest
son, Asa, has participated in soccer, basketball, baseball, track,
triathlons and now, thanks to Salisbury Parks and Recreation,
cross-country. Despite the fact that his Pop-Pop has taught him how
to throw a mean spiral, I was secretly glad when Asa chose the
Salisbury Parks and Recreation cross country program over football
this fall. Asa’s a big boy and he may eventually succumb to the
draw of playing football with his school chums but he certainly had
fun running cross-country.
The Salisbury Parks
and Recreation cross country team built upon Asa’s prior running
experience and introduced him to the fun and camaraderie of
cross-country. Thanks to coach Leslie Messisco, an accomplished
marathoner and mother of some of Asa’s team members, Asa and the
rest his team learned about basic running fundamentals and built a
foundation of training while having fun together. The program was
designed to benefit first time runners and kids with a little
experience alike and coach Leslie made sure it went heavy on the
fun.
On Saturday,
October 25, Asa and his teammates concluded their season by
participating in a two-mile cross-country race at a beautiful park
in Concord. They were each given a sporty team singlet to wear,
displaying the words: Salisbury Cross Country. The team’s fine
finish in the event, including numerous first place age group
awards, was exciting to watch and encouraged Asa and his teammates
to continue with an activity they can pursue, to the benefit of
their health, for most of their lives.
Asa was so
psyched-up after his effort in the two-mile event that he asked to
run the 5K that followed it. I was surprised but agreed to run it
along with him as I had the two-mile open event. By the time Asa
was finished with his warm-up and two races, he was pretty proud of
his mileage and performance that day and he was reluctant to take
off his Salisbury Cross Country singlet. “I feel like I really
accomplished something today, dad,” Asa said as we headed for our
minivan with his award in hand. “And so you should, son. And so
should you all,” I replied.
Thank you to
Salisbury Parks and Recreation for offering a variety of programs
emphasizing fundamentals, foundation and fun! |
