Posted in News and Press
Girls run for fitness, confidence
By Nicole Young
THE TENNESSEAN
Vicki Palmer-Magsby was trying to help her mother meet other senior citizens when she found Girls on the Run, a program that would change her daughter’s life.
“At first I was fixated on weight loss for my daughter, but now we see that as a bonus,” Palmer-Magsby said. “The real prize is the inner change I see in her. She’s gained so much self-confidence.”
Camryn running strong!
At 9 years old, Camryn weighed 185 pounds and suffered knee pain and dizziness after heat exposure, her mom said.
“When she first started middle school, she was so intimidated,” Parker-Magsby said. “On her first progress report, she had every letter of the alphabet. She’s always made straight As.”
Camryn, now 10, said other kids would stare at her in the hallways and talk about her height and weight.
“In class, I knew the answers, but I was afraid to speak up,” she said. “I’m so sensitive. I can break out and cry, and I would when other kids called me ‘big’ or ‘fat’.”
Three months into the Girls on the Run program, Camryn is 10 pounds lighter and has dropped from a size 18 to a 14/16.
She is an honor roll student at Meigs and has big plans for the future.
“I want to go to Harvard Law,” Camryn said. “I want to be a lawyer, a Supreme Court justice or maybe a fashion designer.”
12-week program
Girls on the Run Nashville is a 12-week running program that teaches girls about physical fitness and healthy lifestyles.
Since its start in 2007, the program has expanded from one elementary school, Percy Priest, to four venues – University School, East Park Community Center, which Camryn attends, J.T. Moore Middle School and Priest.
The program, aimed at third, fourth and fifth grade girls, is planning to expand into Williamson County next year, officials say.
Twice a week, the girls meet with a female coach and their volunteer running buddies to run, play games and talk about self-esteem, body image and other issues, such as bullying, drugs or community service.
“We incorporate the learning into the exercising,” said Misty Adfield, head coach of the East Park Community Center program.
“Honestly, they have so much fun that they sometimes don’t even realize they are exercising.”
Jacklyn Johnson, a volunteer with the program, works with Adfield.
“I’m kind of like a big sister,” she said. “I run with the girls and encourage them.”
Both women say the program teaches them as much as it teaches the girls.
“When I run, it’s to relieve stress,” Adfield says. “But now I find myself thinking about learning and how you never stop.
“Everything we talk about in here, whether it be bullying or whatever, goes back to everyday life and dealing with the public.”
For Parker-Magsby, her daughter’s experience in the program has been a godsend.
“I can tell her all day that she’s smart, she’s pretty and she’s blessed, but I’m her mom. It’s kind of a job requirement. Here it seems to sink in more.”
Contact Nicole Young at 615-259-8091 or nyoung@tennessean.com
