By Jacquelyn Walsh   jwalsh@dnronline.com

Fifth-graders in the GoGirlGo! program run on the track at the Cecil F. Gilkerson Community Activity Center. Photo by Michael Reilly

At Westover Park, fifth grade girls gather inside the Cecil F. Wilkerson Community Activities Center after school. They giggle and joke with one another, eager to catch up on the day’s events as most fifth grade girls are apt to do. But these girls are gathered for more than a social hour. They are training, physically and mentally, for a 5K run in less than two months.

Using the curriculum of the national GoGirlGo! program, fifth-grade girls from Thomas Harrison Middle School, Skyline Middle School and Mountain View Elementary School meet twice a week to run and write. Although it seems like an unlikely combination, the girls explore their strengths and weaknesses as athletes and get creative with journal entries, says Kati Derrick, who co-founded the local program with Diane Haldane. The GoGirlGo! program strives to use physical activity to support girls’ health and wellness. Both Derrick and Haldane have daughters in the program.

The moms met at a swim meet and realized they were both interested in forming a group dedicated to getting fifth-grade girls involved with sports. Fifth-grade girls in Harrisonburg City middle schools are unable to participate in middle school sports because Rockingham County middle schools start with sixth grade, not fifth.

With about 25 girls in the program, the pair was glad to get as many girls involved as they could. Although they discussed other programs, GoGirlGo! was the easiest and quickest to get started, says Derrick, a personal trainer and triathlon coach.

By adding a journaling component, Haldane, a resume writer and corporate trainer, brought her expertise to the program as well. “It just worked out beautifully,” says Haldane.

The program addresses major issues that girls face at this age, especially body image, says Haldane, adding that it’s important to build positive self-esteem and confidence before the girls move on to sixth grade.

Each girl was given a journal for creative writing assignments. Upon completion, the girls can volunteer to share their thoughts and journal entries.

“They’re very open to presenting. It gives them the opportunity to be really creative and explore their feelings and thoughts on paper,” says Haldane. “It shows them that they’re all feeling the same thing.”

The running component of the program is done gradually, says Derrick. The girls started by running and walking intervals of 10 minutes and worked up to running a mile. They’ve continued to add distance. As their final run, the girls will run 3.2 miles in the Generations Crossing First Night 5K on New Year’s Eve. They track their runs in their journals, noting how many laps they ran and how they felt afterward.

The group also plans to do a service project with Generations Crossing. The girls are going to come up with the service project idea with some help from Generations Crossing directors, says Derrick.

Anna Derrick, the daughter of Kati and Paul Derrick, has been running 5K races since she was just 7 years old. “We try to push harder by keeping a running log and working to beat our own time,” she says. “I feel good about the 5K. I’m working towards 32 minutes.”

The program also helps to develop friendships with girls from other schools. “I like getting to see some friends that don’t go to my school,” says Anna Derrick. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

Sarah Propst, the daughter of Jill and Larry Propst, from Mountain View Elementary has never done a 5K. “This will be my first 5K but I want to be able to run and I wanted to meet people,” she says.

Some girls have set fitness goals for themselves, such as joining the middle school team.

“It’s really fun because you can prepare for track and cross country,” says Abigail Hissong, the daughter of Regina Hissong and a Thomas Harrison student.

Makayla Shifflett, the granddaughter of Vickie Shifflett and a Thomas Harrison student, is looking forward to running on New Year’s Eve. “I do get really tired at running sometimes and I thought this would improve my skills,” says Shifflett. “I thought it would be a good opportunity and I wanted to do the 5K.”

The program also enhances their socialization skills, says Haldane. “We see a real progress in their mingling and they’re much more open,” she says.

Both Haldane and Derrick will run alongside the girls, as well as many of the parents, says Derrick. “They challenge themselves, and we can’t wait to see them cross the finish line at the 5K,” says Kati Derrick.