A new youth sports program is coming to Worcester, with about 30 College of the Holy Cross student-athletes preparing to introduce local children to track and field through free weekly practices.
Run Worcester, a new chapter of the nonprofit Run Your City, began its first six-week season Sunday with 24 children registered. Members of the Holy Cross cross country and track and field teams are leading the program.
The Worcester chapter began taking shape in August, when Run Your City was looking to expand into Central Massachusetts. Grace Bateman, a Holy Cross senior who competes in cross country and track and field and serves as co-president of Run Worcester, was contacted on Instagram by a representative of the nonprofit.
Run Your City already had chapters in the Boston area and Western Massachusetts and was looking to partner with a college in Central Massachusetts, Bateman said.
“They wanted to find a Central Mass college that could run it, so she reached out to me to see if Holy Cross would be interested,” Bateman said. She said she was drawn to the opportunity to give back to the community. “I am really excited to help bring it to Worcester and to our team this year.”
Sunday session runs from noon to 1 p.m. at 65 Boys & Girls Club Way, with practices continuing weekly. Organizers plan to vary the activities each week, using mini hurdles, small medicine balls, softball throws, short dashes and games such as “Fishy Fishy Cross My Ocean.”
“They’ll be able to race, see how far they can throw, and then hopefully improve as weeks go on,” Bateman said.
Although the group has yet to hold its first practice, Bateman said families are already showing enthusiasm.
“We’ve had a lot of parents email that their kids are super excited to start,” she said.
Registration remains open, and organizers will continue accepting late sign-ups as they build the program. Another six-week session is planned for the spring.
The student-athletes behind Run Worcester hope to build something that lasts beyond those six weeks.
For Olivia Pickett, a Holy Cross senior who handles community engagement for Run Worcester and competes in cross country and track and field, that goal is personal. Pickett grew up in the Worcester area and has been running for much of her life before choosing to stay close to home for college. Now, she has an opportunity to introduce children in the community to a sport that has long been part of her life.
“I’m really passionate about getting kids around here involved in the sport of track and field,” Pickett said.
For Pickett, however, the program is about more than teaching children to run. She hopes participants leave with confidence, new friendships and a stronger sense of what they can accomplish.
“A lot of these kids are from lower-income areas and don’t always have the same opportunities,” Pickett said. “We’re hoping that this is just an opportunity for them to learn how to set goals and maybe see an example of what they might want to do or be when they are older.”
Getting the program off the ground required some problem-solving. Pickett said one of the biggest challenges was finding a space for the sessions while also figuring out how to design activities for children of different ages.
Reaching families has required another push. Volunteers have contacted schools directly and promoted the program through local gyms, social media and Facebook groups. Pickett said the Facebook groups have been particularly helpful as organizers introduce Run Worcester to the community.
Over time, Pickett hopes the program becomes more than an introduction to track and field. She wants it to become a place Worcester children recognize as their own.
“I hope it’s a place that kids know about and know they can go there, and it’s completely free, and that it can be their safe space,” Pickett said. “Just somewhere where they can go if they need anything.”
