Program gets kids on feet
Last Updated on 3/16/2010
Published on 11/30/2008
Georgetown County Parks and Recreation's Program Specialist, Ron Wofford built a partnership with Robin Lindsey's GO FAR program that got them off the couch and on their feet.
GO FAR, a nonprofit organization, sponsors a 10-week fitness and nutrition program for elementary school students. "My whole goal is to get more kids active, to combat the rising childhood obesity epidemic," Lindsay says.
According to Lindsay former student health director of High Point University, two of every 10 children today are considered obese and have an increased risk of health-related complications including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
GO FAR, an acronym for Go Out For A Run, teaches boys and girls about healthy eating, physical activity and self-discipline while they train for the culmination of the program, the 5K race. The goal, though, is not so much to get the kids running, but to get them active, so speed-walking is encouraged for those who don't want to run, Lindsay says.
"The kids meet after school twice a week for a little over an hour, and they have a different topic every time -- nutrition, cross-training, why physical fitness is good for you, injury prevention," she says.
"We also introduce character-building skills -- self-discipline, perseverance, good sportsmanship, responsibility -- so they're not only learning about running and taking care of their body, but also learning things that will help them be successful in life."
This program began in North Carolina in 2003.
"Once I learned about the program I new I would need a quality individual to make it work," said Wofford. It was an easy decision when he thought about Randy Melko of Surfside to run the program. Randy has been involved in youth sports for several years as a volunteer coach and parent for his twin boys, Devin and Finn, 12. Randy coaches the Hershey's Track and Field Program for the Waccamaw Neck area. He is also involved as an organizer and administrator for the Grand Strand Running Club. He knows a lot about the importance of running, fitness, nutrition and health.
"With the instructor set all we needed was an eager group of kids," Wofford said. "The target group used in North Carolina was 3rd- through 5th-graders. At this point Dr. Tim Carnahan came to mind. Tim was an outstanding principal at Pleasant Hill Elementary for several years and had recently been appointed principal at the newly formed Waccamaw Intermediate School for 4th- through 6th-graders.
"Dr. Carnahan is an avid runner and was immediately sold on the GO FAR program. He visualized GO FAR as a great non competitive athletic activity. He also felt it would provide a vehicle that all type of students could buy into that would aid in producing a well rounded student.
Dr. Carnahan said, "This is a good fit for what the staff and teachers are all about at Waccamaw Intermediate." The new program was approved by the the Georgetown County School District as a pilot program to be run at the new intermediate school during its first year of operation.
Not only was this the first program in Georgetown County, it is also the first time GO FAR has been tried in South Carolina.
The program started on Sept. 15 and met every Monday and Wednesday for 10 weeks. Melko met each Monday and Wednesday with the 100 plus students to share with them character building skills and great tips on running, nutrition and self-discipline.
Each individual participant set a goal to learn and condition to run a 5K Race. Seventh-one of the original 100 plus students finished the program on Saturday, Nov. 22, at Brookgreen Gardens.
They completed the 5K Turkey Trot provided by HealthPoint of Georgetown Memorial Hospital and Brookgreen Gardens.
Each participant received a GO FAR shirt and ribbon medal.
