Be Great for a Great Cause

Run the Boys and Girls Club's Be Great 5K and help change a child's life.

There is a special place in my heart for the Boys and Girls Club. Because my parents were constantly struggling to make ends meet, they both worked full-time jobs as I was growing up. In addition, my mom was struggling with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, which manifested itself most often in fits of rage directed at me. Life at home was not easy. Though my parents originally registered me with the club as a form of day care, it became much more than that to me. It became my safe haven and eventually became a place that shaped my attitude and outlook. My introduction into an athletic life came during my summers at the club. I learned to play basketball, softball, roller skate, and swim through the club. I was first introduced to proper …

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The Athletic Annapolitan

Finding the Runner Within

Rosie Kreiger and Carrye Massey had no idea how far they could go until they took that first step on the road to becoming a runner.

I am often approached by nonrunners who lament the fact that they don’t run. Whether it is the stress relief, the healthier lifestyle or just the opportunity to spend some time alone, they can see the benefits of being a runner. They tell me how much they wish they could run. They explain how they are just not built for it or how they are too old to start running now. For these nonrunners I have a story to share. It is a story of two local women who discovered the runners within. Rosie Kreiger and Carrye Massey were not runners. Massey had attempted a 5k in 2009 with her sister. Though she completed the distance she said she walked much more than she ran. Kreiger had not even done that. “I had never even run a mile,” she said. “I was not a…

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The Athletic Annapolitan

Rolling Knolls Gets Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run programs throughout the county provide young girls a strength that is hard to come by.

I spoke with Olympic athlete and running coach, Jeff Galloway recently and asked him what running has added to his life. He didn’t have to think about it long. He answered with one simple word. “Empowerment.” As a runner, I would have to agree. The strength I have gained through running helps me every day. Whether it is a physical test such as walking miles through New York City on vacation, a mental challenge such as the seven deadlines that seem to make their way to my desk all too quickly or an emotional challenge such as the scary day and night I spent in the hospital with my youngest child, I am more capable of taking it on because I am a runner. This simple premise is behind the creation of Girls on the Run (GOTR), a running program …

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The Athletic Annapolitan

America's VetDogs 5k Run/Walk

Families and their dogs invited to join in the fun at Quiet Waters Park.

Since I was a child I have loved World War II history. While the politics and battles still hold interest for me, I was always pulled to the culture surrounding the war. It was a time when heroes walked among us, but better than that it was a time when our country recognized and appreciated those heroes. Today, we are still surrounded by heroes, but I am not sure how often we recognize them and appreciate what they have sacrificed for us. On April 3 at Quiet Waters Park we have an opportunity to do both. Midshipman Ari Schiff, the youngest member of the Board of Benefactors for America's VetDogs, and Chelsea Tafarella are working together to present the First Annual America's VetDogs 5k Run/Walk. The event is to benefit our soldiers who …

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Having Your Cake and Eating It Too

This St. Patrick's Day, Slainte

Slainte is a drinking term in Ireland, similar to "Cheers." This St. Patrick's Day, celebrate the Irish in you and slainte.

This Thursday everybody is a little Irish. On St. Patrick’s Day, my completely Irish mother refers to our family as the "O’Webers." My completely German father knows not to challenge her. He even helps her prepare the corned beef and cabbage in the morning. It cooks all day and in the evening, our family sits down to a traditional Irish feast of potatoes, carrots, soda bread with Irish butter, and, of course, very tender corned beef and cabbage. For dessert, always Irish coffee with brown sugar and homemade whipped cream. But, the best part is the entire “O’Weber” family sitting down to dinner together for the first time since Christmas. We sit down and enjoy a meal that celebrates our heritage. This year, my 91-year-old Irish grandmother …

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Girls Run for Fun at Annapolis Middle

Girls on the Run offers a program that helps middle school girls ‘relax and find inner peace.’

Aries Ramirez flipped her long hair over her shoulder and spoke with enthusiasm about the Girls on Track program at Annapolis Middle and how she's learning valuable skills. "It teaches us how to go through life," said Aries. "It helps me relax and find inner peace so I feel like a totally different person after practice." Although she sounded like a commercial for Girls on the Run (GOTR), the parent organization of the Girls on Track program for middle school girls, there is no doubt that Aries was sincere. Her love for the program was evident as she eagerly shared stories during discussions, laughed with the other girls, and kept running even when she was obviously tired on her eighth lap around the field. Megan Earley and Libby Westley, …

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Program at Rolling Knolls Helps Girls

Students learn to be confident and healthy while training for a 5K.

You may have seen them running through the neighborhood of Rolling Knolls, cheering for each other in the school parking lot, or doing laps on the playing fields. They are a group of energetic girls in grades 3 to 5 led by female teachers and adult volunteers. They are Girls on the Run (GOTR). GOTR doesn't just focus on running — it promotes character development through a 10-week program of life skills lessons combined with training for a 5-kilometer (5K) or 3.1-mile run. The girls started the program on Sept. 16 and they will all participate in the New Balance GOTR 5K on Dec. 5. On a recent Tuesday afternoon at Rolling Knolls Elementary (RKE), 16 girls sat in a circle on the floor of a classroom to talk about sharing emotions. The lesson…

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Susan Jenkins

12:46 pm on Friday, October 22, 2010

We have a story today about the GOTR program, Girls on Track, at Annapolis Middle. We'll look into the Mighty Milers at Hillsmere!   more ›