Great Lakes Track & Field Club HISTORY Great Lakes Track & Field was formed in 1992 as an extension of the Environmental Change Community Outreach Program. The E.C.C.O.P. was established and has been developing community outreach and sports programs for youth since 1979. Throughout the past 20 years Great Lakes Track &Field has produced a host of state, regional and national champions and medalist. Great Lakes Track & Field resume consists of but is not limited to: 59-AAU Junior Olympic National Champions. 100's-Junior Olympic Medalist. 98% of GLT&F participants are college graduates. PROGRAM OUTLINE PURPOSE: To provide a structured and comprehensive program for youth and young adults ranging in ages 6-19. This program is coupled with skill building, life learning education, along with health and fitness activities? OBJECTIVES: Through the means of track & field as an incentive: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Learn how to build positive relationships. Gain positive conflict resolution skills. Build individual self-esteem and confidence. Understand the importance of good health and fitness. Provide supplemental at-risk programming. Learn life skills through modeling. PROGRAM NARRATIVE Track & Field as an Incentive: The Great Lakes Track & Field Program provides many opportunities for the advanced runner as well as the beginner. Youth are exposed to an Olympic styleconditioning program, which prepares them to compete on a local, regional and national level. As runners develop through the program, many contestants look forward to competing on the college stage and beyond. In addition, the winter and summer long programs include regular travel and overnight stays. a. Learning to Build Positive Relationships: GLT&F is comprised of youth throughout Greater Lansing and the surrounding counties. The program attracts youth from all walks of both ethnic and social/economic backgrounds. In many instances our youth experience a close interaction through club association that they may not otherwise have. Runners practice 5 days a week during the summer months and 3 days per week during the winter. Competitions for each session are at least once per week. Winter meets last 4-6 hours. Summer meets are all day events. Most qualifying and championship meets range 2-7 days requiring overnight stays. It is amazing to watch barriers go down as relationships develop. From this continued close association, individuals who are unlike in appearance, culture and environment, come to understand and except each other and their differences. b. Gain Positive Conflict Resolution Skills: Conflicts between peers are inevitable, especially with the hours spent practicing, traveling, and competing together. All of the youth are informed at the beginning of program that disrespect and insubordination with school, family and club rules will not be tolerated. However, issues and conflicts will arise. Peer and family conflicts are addressed through mediation. Youth are encouraged and guided to resolution as well as exploring solutions for prevention. c. Build Individual Self-Esteem and Confidence: The beginner as well as the veteran learns techniques, strategies, styles, and training regimens that propel them into an elite level of personal performance. Participants are encouraged to do their personal best and are never pressured if they cannot complete a task. Runners are pushed only by their ability to perform. This approach helps to maintain member enthusiasm as well as encouraged the youth to persevere towards accomplishing their personal and club goals. Through this persistent and “stick with it” attitude, runners began to develop both mentally and physically ultimately enduring the conditioning program. In-turn, this experience can be applied to other “life hurdles” which are destine to arise. I experienced this first hand when a 9-year-old boy who struggled academically, he approached me after he had qualified for the national championships. “You know, he said, I am good in the shot put, I realize that if I work hard I can become better in school and other things just like I the shot put. Just like people that are not good in the shot put, if they work hard then they will be good too.” All I could say to this was, “Uh…right!” As I absorbed what I had just been reminded. d. Understanding the Importance of Good Health and Fitness: At the beginning of each season athletics are lectured and given educational materials on nutrition and conditioning. Runners are encouraged to make healthy meals, snacks and life choices that could affect performance, health and growth. e. Supplemental At-Risk Programming: At least 90% of the youth that participate in the Great Lakes program are considered at-risk by state and federal guidelines. See www.michigan.gov i.e. “atrisk”. Personally, I consider all youth to be at-risk for social, emotional, and/or academic failure. Remember the Columbine High incident and the troubled teens, Klebold and Harris. They may have been excelled in the classroom but were unsuccessful in life. My question is, did they fail or did we fail them. As a former school administrator, I made it a point to get to know my students. Nevertheless, I found that those who were less likely to be a discipline or academic problem received less attention; in most cases they received none at all. I believe this is what happened to Klebold and Harris. They were left to themselves, seen but not seen. Present, but not present. And in-turn, without intervention or mentoring from adults; they developed their own ideas and perspectives of life and failed. And there failure, disastrous enough, spilled out into the community. However, according to government criteria, there are certain factors that put some youth at a higher risk for failure than others. According to federal guidelines, students must meet at least two risk factors to be considered at-risk. These factors are, but are not limited to: -Single parent homes -Family history of substance abuse -Foster children -Family history of academic failure -Adopted children -In an alternative education program -Personal abuse -homeless -Failure in 2 or more core classes -School expulsion -on parole or incarcerated -A student who is pregnant or has a child In my nearly 30 years of organizing youth programs, I’ve found that the majority of at-risk youth, although willing, find it difficult to participate in extracurricular activities. This is primarily due to the lack of resources within the at-risk families. This fact is true, not only for Great Lakes Track & Field, but for numerous community based programs. If a program doesn’t provide and implement outreach for at-risk youth, then many simply will not participate that otherwise would. During the winter and summer programs, I use my personal resources to reach the at-risk community. One example is, I use my personal vehicle averaging 15,000 miles per year to pick up and drop off our youth for practice daily. I also provide transportation for as many as possible to and from other program functions. Cost wise, I disburse approximately $4,100 per year to pay for individual fees, equipment, food, lodging, travel and other miscellaneous expenses. To no one’s surprise, statistics show that the youth who participate in after school activities are less likely to become involved in unproductive practices and more likely to achieve positive objectives and goals. Until the early 1980’s, the junior high schools (Middle Schools) in the Lansing Schools District had a thriving after school sports program for both boys and girls. These programs facilitated over 8,000 students throughout Lansing. As an active participant in after school sports, I was involved year-round programs such as, track, wrestling, basketball, and football. From 3-6pm my whereabouts were always known. Through these programs, I developed a great respect and admiration for my body, community, humanity, and myself. In 1980 the Lansing School district eliminated sports form its middle school programs. From that time there was a direct correlation to the immediate increase of teen-age: crime and incarceration, pregnancy and dropout rate. Our local government spent more money dealing with these types of issues than it would had if the after school programs remained operational. f. Learn Life Skills Through Modeling: As coach, my interaction with our youth and parents is to be a positive role model. The role I play, as mentor and coach is the catalyst for meeting both the purpose and objectives of this program. My sole endeavor is to provide the tools to empower club members with practical life skills and abilities through the discipline of track & field, and that these lessons will empower each student to become themselves; responsible, productive leaders. Coach Robert Hollingsworth