Jim Brown asked:
Many middle schools include running as an extra-curricular activity option for all students. Running can be part of the physical education programs too that will give the child credits toward meeting high school graduation requirements. Running can be experienced while participating in football, baseball, tennis and on the volleyball court inside the gym.
Running is a good source of exercise for children that are forced to remain indoors all day attending to class work. Some researchers have shown that getting active in outdoors activities that include running has a significant effect on a child’s attitude toward studying and helps them to participate more while they are in class. Running at recess allows children to burn off steam and form friendships that will last many years.
Some students join running teams at the high school level because they want to earn a scholarship to attend college. The competition for these athletic scholarships is very competitive and many runners go all out in their training programs to ensure that they are in the best physical condition to remain competitive among their group of peers that are vying for running scholarships.
Many talent scouts will observe students while running at school to identify those that have running talents that exceptional enough to qualify for a spot on a professional sports team. Coaches at school can help runners develop their bodies so that they can achieve the high speeds that are needed for professional sports programs. A runner can enjoy running at school as a recreational outlet or they can use their running abilities to develop skills that will give them a lucrative employment opportunity.
By joining a running team at school, a student will also learn to interact with other people. Not only will they learn how to rely on their own abilities, but they will have the opportunity to see first hand how other runners are managing their training programs. They will learn how to respect authority and learn a stupendous amount of discipline techniques that will take them farther down the road than they ever thought they could go when they first started running.
A runner might not want to train in the early hours of the morning on a weekend, but will quickly realize what the long term benefits will be if they make that extra effort every week. Some might realize that they are trimming down and feeling better than they ever have before. Some will come to enjoy being physically fit and will begin to feel that they can conquer anything that comes their way.
A runner will learn many things while they train at school each day. One of the most important things they will learn is the concept of teamwork. This running skill be used throughout life in many situations, but while the runner is perfecting his team work skills, they can also have a lot of fun with friends that are their own age. Some runners realize that they can achieve anything that they set their mind too because they certainly did not think that they could run so fast when they joined the running team in grade or middle school.