January Newsletter
This is a text-only version of SRO's email newsletter. Subscribe to the email version, which includes photos, by using the subscribe button on the home page.
Message from Executive Director Spencer Hooper
I have always found the start of a new year to be energizing. It gives us the opportunity to reflect and focus on what we want to improve upon in the upcoming year. It is about deciding on our resolutions--our goals. This is true personally and it is true for SRO.
For our students, they have signed up for an audacious goal: the completion of a marathon. More important, our young people have signed up to become better students, peers, teammates, and contributors to society by adhering to SRO's code of conduct and achieving or exceeding SRO's GPA requirement.
It would be great if I could say that all have completely committed to the program. If this were the case, I don't think we would truly be delivering on SRO's mission of serving those young people that need some extra support, motivation, and an occasional push. Some of our students have fully committed to all aspects of the program and are well on their way to participate and complete the March 2nd LA Marathon. For some, the journey is yet to unfold--some will make it to LA, and some will not. The new year is also an opportunity to give those who need it a fresh start after the school holiday break. And, it's during January and February where there will be the separation of those students who have committed and those who have not.
These upcoming weeks will be challenging. We are much stricter in enforcing all of the requirements, as there is no cushion remaining. We have better visibility into the grades and realize that there will be students who are too far below the GPA requirement to meet it. Unfortunately, there will be others who will not be able to overcome the mental barriers. This can be a difficult time for our volunteers and staff as they will see some students who they have gotten attached to not complete the program. Hopefully, this will be a very small group.
But, what is most exciting about the upcoming weeks is that we also see the most growth and the greatest transformation. The least athletic kids run significant miles. Those students who were struggling to meet the GPA requirement make material improvement in their grades. Some of those young people with bad attitudes become much more respectful. And, our more motivated students become stronger leaders by helping their peers make it to the finish line. We witness our students successfully complete the big goal they set out to accomplish.
I came across the following quote and thought that I would share it with you: "A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." (author unknown) So, as the new year also gets a bad reputation for being the time when people make resolutions that they do not keep, this may be the opportunity for us adults to get our inspiration from the youth to stick with our goals and achieve what we started.
Happy New Year!
- Spencer Hooper
Student Q&A: Esaul Diaz
Esaul Diaz, 17, is a senior at Castlemont High. He answered these questions after a 9-mile run along the Alameda waterfront in December.
Q: What did you like most about the run today?
A: It was long and relaxing and not hilly. It made me feel good and was not as bad as last week.
Q: What has been the hardest thing about the training so far?
A: The mileage as it increases.
Q: Why did you enroll in SRO?
A: For baseball preparation and to get in shape.
Q: How has the program affected you?
A: It helps me mentally because after a run, it makes me feel good that I actually finished it. It's a good feeling of accomplishment.
Q: Have you learned anything from the training so far?
A: Yes, "Don't give up." When we did the hills last week [at Inspiration Point in Berkeley's Tilden Park], I wanted to give up, but one of the volunteers kept me motivated. Now I reflect on that moment and say, "I'm not going to give up."
Q: What would you be doing this Saturday morning if you weren't here with SRO?
A: Sleeping or sitting at home watching TV.
Q: What are your plans after you graduate from Castlemont?
A: I want to go to a four-year college. Somehow I'm going to get to it.
Q: What would you like to do after college?
A: I'm thinking of joining the police department ... but also, I like to draw a lot.
Volunteer Q&A: Yoga Instructor Laurence Korth
SRO's program includes cross-training at the YMCA to build strength, improve flexibility, and help prevent injury. Part of that cross-training is yoga. What follows is a conversation with professional yoga instructor and volunteer Laurence Korth, who is in her third season teaching yoga to SRO students. Laurence has been practicing yoga daily since 2000 and is a graduate of the Piedmont Yoga Studio's Advanced Studies Program.
Q: What is the purpose of integrating yoga into marathon training?
A: Yoga is not about competition or comparison; it's about helping students learn how to know themselves so that when they run they can center themselves and find their focus and determination. Yoga gives them a connection to themselves--to their mind, body, and heart--so they can find their own strength and can keep going, and so they can relax even when it's stressful.
Q: What happens during a typical yoga session with the SRO students?
A: It depends on their energy and the "emotional weather," but generally I propose different poses. Most of the poses are meant to center themselves and surrender to the moment, and to relax. ... We do a lot of balance poses because that's most beneficial to them; they realize it's hard to balance if they don't concentrate and if they get distracted. It's not so much the quantity of what we do but the quality of how they relate to themselves.
Q: How do the students respond to the yoga instruction?
A: They respond very well and understand the connection between practicing yoga and applying that to the marathon preparation. It's about quieting the mind ... so they can calm down and center themselves.
Q: Do any students start laughing or complaining, and what do you do if they act disrespectful?
A: Not in my class. When I introduce them to yoga, I ask them to sustain their attention through the practice, and to notice when they feel like looking at their friend or talking, and to notice that moment when the mind is wandering around. I say, "Practice noticing when you not are paying attention; what is happening?" I ask them to be in charge of themselves.
Q: Why do you volunteer your time to teach yoga to SRO's participants?
A: It's "karma yoga"--yoga of action where service is given without the expectation of reward. For me, it's more rewarding than teaching for money; it has a sense of purity of giving from my heart.
Thanks and Links
Thanks to the generosity of Bay Area running stores and clubs, SRO students have participated in several races for free or a reduced entry fee: a 5K in San Francisco, a 5K and 10K around Lake Merritt, and a two-person relay (4.45 miles each) around Lake Merced. SRO thanks Brett Lamb of Fleet Feet San Francisco and Ryan Dawkins, director of the US Half Marathon race series, for sponsoring the students' participation in the 5K race in San Francisco, which was part of the US Half Marathon in November. Fleet Feet also generously donated T-shirts and socks to the students. Thanks to Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders for the students' participation in the club's 5K and 10K races around Lake Merritt in November and December, and to Tony Fong and the West Valley Track Club for the students' entry into the Christmas Relays event at Lake Merced.
Many thanks to Transports and New Balance for fitting the students with new, proper running shoes. SRO covers the remaining cost, so shoes and other gear are free to the students.
A sincere thank you to all who made an end-of-year charitable contribution to SRO. Many of our volunteers reached out to their friends and family, asking them to support SRO, and the early response has been very positive. As the campaign comes to an end, thank-you letters will be forthcoming.
Editor’s Note: Mental Toughness
Winter marathon training inevitably involves running in bad weather. For SRO's first Saturday run of the new year, we thought we had gotten lucky and hit a dry, calm window between the back-to-back storms battering Northern California, but raindrops started coming down as several dozen volunteers and students stood shivering and stretching during the "warm up" to a 9-mile run between Point Isabel and Point Richmond. Few complained, however, because as Spencer said, we have to put in the miles no matter what.
A half hour into the run, the winds began to blow furiously and made the flat terrain mimic a steady uphill as we leaned into headwinds that felt as though they could turn us inside-out like a flimsy umbrella. The drizzle soon strengthened to a cold, piercing sideways rain. The students ran in packs with volunteers, aided by waterstop volunteers who were unfailingly cheerful in spite of standing in a downpour with their cups on card tables blowing away. After the halfway point, as I ran past those students who were still approaching the turnaround, I witnessed the same thing repeatedly: a grin-and-bear-it look of determination. The students, whose hair and clothing were drenched, were suffering through a test of nature and of endurance that few if any of them had ever experienced, and they were passing that test with bravery.
The following weekend, students were required to complete four laps around Lake Merritt, known as "the mental toughness run" because of the distance (approx. 13 miles) and the monotony of running repeat laps. That rainy new year's run, though miserable at times, definitely helped cultivate the mental and physical strength needed for all the training miles in the weeks to come.
- Sarah Lavender Smith, newsletter editor
Send your comments on the newsletter to sro_newsletter@sbcglobal.net.
Message from Executive Director Spencer Hooper
I have always found the start of a new year to be energizing. It gives us the opportunity to reflect and focus on what we want to improve upon in the upcoming year. It is about deciding on our resolutions--our goals. This is true personally and it is true for SRO.
For our students, they have signed up for an audacious goal: the completion of a marathon. More important, our young people have signed up to become better students, peers, teammates, and contributors to society by adhering to SRO's code of conduct and achieving or exceeding SRO's GPA requirement.
It would be great if I could say that all have completely committed to the program. If this were the case, I don't think we would truly be delivering on SRO's mission of serving those young people that need some extra support, motivation, and an occasional push. Some of our students have fully committed to all aspects of the program and are well on their way to participate and complete the March 2nd LA Marathon. For some, the journey is yet to unfold--some will make it to LA, and some will not. The new year is also an opportunity to give those who need it a fresh start after the school holiday break. And, it's during January and February where there will be the separation of those students who have committed and those who have not.
These upcoming weeks will be challenging. We are much stricter in enforcing all of the requirements, as there is no cushion remaining. We have better visibility into the grades and realize that there will be students who are too far below the GPA requirement to meet it. Unfortunately, there will be others who will not be able to overcome the mental barriers. This can be a difficult time for our volunteers and staff as they will see some students who they have gotten attached to not complete the program. Hopefully, this will be a very small group.
But, what is most exciting about the upcoming weeks is that we also see the most growth and the greatest transformation. The least athletic kids run significant miles. Those students who were struggling to meet the GPA requirement make material improvement in their grades. Some of those young people with bad attitudes become much more respectful. And, our more motivated students become stronger leaders by helping their peers make it to the finish line. We witness our students successfully complete the big goal they set out to accomplish.
I came across the following quote and thought that I would share it with you: "A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." (author unknown) So, as the new year also gets a bad reputation for being the time when people make resolutions that they do not keep, this may be the opportunity for us adults to get our inspiration from the youth to stick with our goals and achieve what we started.
Happy New Year!
- Spencer Hooper
Student Q&A: Esaul Diaz
Esaul Diaz, 17, is a senior at Castlemont High. He answered these questions after a 9-mile run along the Alameda waterfront in December.
Q: What did you like most about the run today?
A: It was long and relaxing and not hilly. It made me feel good and was not as bad as last week.
Q: What has been the hardest thing about the training so far?
A: The mileage as it increases.
Q: Why did you enroll in SRO?
A: For baseball preparation and to get in shape.
Q: How has the program affected you?
A: It helps me mentally because after a run, it makes me feel good that I actually finished it. It's a good feeling of accomplishment.
Q: Have you learned anything from the training so far?
A: Yes, "Don't give up." When we did the hills last week [at Inspiration Point in Berkeley's Tilden Park], I wanted to give up, but one of the volunteers kept me motivated. Now I reflect on that moment and say, "I'm not going to give up."
Q: What would you be doing this Saturday morning if you weren't here with SRO?
A: Sleeping or sitting at home watching TV.
Q: What are your plans after you graduate from Castlemont?
A: I want to go to a four-year college. Somehow I'm going to get to it.
Q: What would you like to do after college?
A: I'm thinking of joining the police department ... but also, I like to draw a lot.
Volunteer Q&A: Yoga Instructor Laurence Korth
SRO's program includes cross-training at the YMCA to build strength, improve flexibility, and help prevent injury. Part of that cross-training is yoga. What follows is a conversation with professional yoga instructor and volunteer Laurence Korth, who is in her third season teaching yoga to SRO students. Laurence has been practicing yoga daily since 2000 and is a graduate of the Piedmont Yoga Studio's Advanced Studies Program.
Q: What is the purpose of integrating yoga into marathon training?
A: Yoga is not about competition or comparison; it's about helping students learn how to know themselves so that when they run they can center themselves and find their focus and determination. Yoga gives them a connection to themselves--to their mind, body, and heart--so they can find their own strength and can keep going, and so they can relax even when it's stressful.
Q: What happens during a typical yoga session with the SRO students?
A: It depends on their energy and the "emotional weather," but generally I propose different poses. Most of the poses are meant to center themselves and surrender to the moment, and to relax. ... We do a lot of balance poses because that's most beneficial to them; they realize it's hard to balance if they don't concentrate and if they get distracted. It's not so much the quantity of what we do but the quality of how they relate to themselves.
Q: How do the students respond to the yoga instruction?
A: They respond very well and understand the connection between practicing yoga and applying that to the marathon preparation. It's about quieting the mind ... so they can calm down and center themselves.
Q: Do any students start laughing or complaining, and what do you do if they act disrespectful?
A: Not in my class. When I introduce them to yoga, I ask them to sustain their attention through the practice, and to notice when they feel like looking at their friend or talking, and to notice that moment when the mind is wandering around. I say, "Practice noticing when you not are paying attention; what is happening?" I ask them to be in charge of themselves.
Q: Why do you volunteer your time to teach yoga to SRO's participants?
A: It's "karma yoga"--yoga of action where service is given without the expectation of reward. For me, it's more rewarding than teaching for money; it has a sense of purity of giving from my heart.
Thanks and Links
Thanks to the generosity of Bay Area running stores and clubs, SRO students have participated in several races for free or a reduced entry fee: a 5K in San Francisco, a 5K and 10K around Lake Merritt, and a two-person relay (4.45 miles each) around Lake Merced. SRO thanks Brett Lamb of Fleet Feet San Francisco and Ryan Dawkins, director of the US Half Marathon race series, for sponsoring the students' participation in the 5K race in San Francisco, which was part of the US Half Marathon in November. Fleet Feet also generously donated T-shirts and socks to the students. Thanks to Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders for the students' participation in the club's 5K and 10K races around Lake Merritt in November and December, and to Tony Fong and the West Valley Track Club for the students' entry into the Christmas Relays event at Lake Merced.
Many thanks to Transports and New Balance for fitting the students with new, proper running shoes. SRO covers the remaining cost, so shoes and other gear are free to the students.
A sincere thank you to all who made an end-of-year charitable contribution to SRO. Many of our volunteers reached out to their friends and family, asking them to support SRO, and the early response has been very positive. As the campaign comes to an end, thank-you letters will be forthcoming.
Editor’s Note: Mental Toughness
Winter marathon training inevitably involves running in bad weather. For SRO's first Saturday run of the new year, we thought we had gotten lucky and hit a dry, calm window between the back-to-back storms battering Northern California, but raindrops started coming down as several dozen volunteers and students stood shivering and stretching during the "warm up" to a 9-mile run between Point Isabel and Point Richmond. Few complained, however, because as Spencer said, we have to put in the miles no matter what.
A half hour into the run, the winds began to blow furiously and made the flat terrain mimic a steady uphill as we leaned into headwinds that felt as though they could turn us inside-out like a flimsy umbrella. The drizzle soon strengthened to a cold, piercing sideways rain. The students ran in packs with volunteers, aided by waterstop volunteers who were unfailingly cheerful in spite of standing in a downpour with their cups on card tables blowing away. After the halfway point, as I ran past those students who were still approaching the turnaround, I witnessed the same thing repeatedly: a grin-and-bear-it look of determination. The students, whose hair and clothing were drenched, were suffering through a test of nature and of endurance that few if any of them had ever experienced, and they were passing that test with bravery.
The following weekend, students were required to complete four laps around Lake Merritt, known as "the mental toughness run" because of the distance (approx. 13 miles) and the monotony of running repeat laps. That rainy new year's run, though miserable at times, definitely helped cultivate the mental and physical strength needed for all the training miles in the weeks to come.
- Sarah Lavender Smith, newsletter editor
Send your comments on the newsletter to sro_newsletter@sbcglobal.net.
posted by Unknown at 5:37 AM
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