T R I D I N G L O N G - Gate City Striders

CLUB NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS
It’s difficult to choose the best part about Fitness
University Finals Day 2007, held July 21 st at
Nashua High School South and hosted by The
Gate City Striders. Some would say it was the
near perfect weather. Temperatures in the mid-
70’s and a cool breeze made this Finals Day one
of the most pleasant in recent years. Others
might say it was the variety of fun activities- including
crafts, face paint, and games- that the
kids enjoyed while they waited for their events to
begin. Perhaps it was the support of the 70 volunteers
who turned out to help deliver yet another
successful Finals Day. More than likely
though, the best part of Fitness University Finals
Day was seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces as
they completed their events and proudly crossed
the awards platform to receive their medals!
This year 373 kids participated in their Finals
Day event- ranging from a “mini-marathon” (100
yards) for the 3 and 4-year olds up to a 1¼ mile
run for the 11 to 13-year olds. Some kids ran the
entire distance; others needed to slow down or
walk to complete their events. But, as announcer
John Collins pointed out, walking and running at
any pace burns calories and is good for your
health.
Sponsored by Southern NH Medical Center once
again, Fitness University aims to educate kids
about the positive benefits of good nutrition and
August—September 2007
Fitness University
exercise, and to demonstrate that exercise can be
fun. From May to July, kids are invited to attend
8 weekly clinics where they spend 1 ½ hours
playing a wide variety of running games such as
relay races, tag runs, red light/green light, dodge
ball, and the always popular obstacle course to
name a few. This year an average of 150 kids
attended each of the 8 clinics, which were held at
different schools in Nashua and neighboring
towns. The secret to success at these clinics is
having enough volunteers. This year an impressive
number of volunteers answered the call for
help, with an average of 31 Striders participating
at each clinic!
While on maternity leave this spring, Director
Tammy Gaffey delegated additional responsibilities
to Leeann and Trevor Ward who, in their
second consecutive year as Clinic Coordinators,
took the reins and not only managed all 8 clinics,
but also played an integral role in planning the
Fitness University Finals Day. Leeann was a
natural at recruiting and motivating volunteers
and all who have worked with her can attest to
her incredible attention to detail. Together,
Tammy, Leeann, and Trevor provided excellent
leadership for an outstanding corps of volunteers.
With a strong effort from them and participating
members, Fitness University 2007 was a huge
success. The smiles on the kids’ faces were all
the proof you needed.—Michele Poublon
Striding Along 6