Making Tracks towards Healthy Habits  

Did you see the stampede of over 400 Madera youth on May 14 at the Fit for Life Triathlon in Lions Town & Country Park? If you missed it you will want to check it out in our video showcasing Madera’s choice to celebrate family fitness.  “The whole purpose of this event is to encourage students and their families to incorporate a healthy lifestyle in a fun and meaningful way!” stated Lorie Werner, After School Coordinator of the 28 programs in Madera County.  “We serve about 2000 students every school day – in Madera, Chowchilla and in the mountains – and we want them to know that fitness can be as easy as having fun with your family.” 

For the Track Event, students chose to walk, run or jog a half to one and a half mile route, depending on their ages. Club YES Staff have been trained to support students as they power up for this event.  “We were so fortunate to have Ryoji Bunmee, Math teacher and Track Coach with Wilson Middle School in Chowchilla, work with our staff so that students could prepare for this event,” stated Kathy Woods, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Madera County Office of Education.

Students learned how to pace their workouts, gradually building endurance while also reducing the total time for their distance. “It’s nice to see the students engaging in physical activity, while incorporating educational curriculum about the Olympics,” said former Principal Kendall Jones. Rosa Pope, an enthusiastic Program Instructor for Reagan Club YES in Chowchilla said, “The students get excited when it's their day to run.  If parents come to pick them up while they're running, they ask them to wait until they are finished. The parents tell us that they enjoy seeing that their children are exercising and being taught about nutrition.” Isaiah Carrillo, at Reagan added, “It’s fun to run because I have a lot of energy!” 

Club YES is committed to providing engaging physical activities, opportunities to cook nutritious food and academic enrichment in math, science, reading, social studies and the arts to support students in their work at school and in their health as they approach adulthood.