Laura Jones, junior, and the rest of the girls cross country team has been participating in “U Go Girl”, a running club in which the high school girls volunteer their time training and running a race with 3rd to 5th grade girls who go to Dale Mabry Elementary. They have meeting and running with the girls since early January.

Q: How did “U Go Girl” get started?

A: It has been a tradition at Plant for the past few years. The same Dale Mabry teacher, Jessica Strauss, has been running with us over the years and continues working with us because she knows how much the elementary girls admire the older girls giving them attention and friendship. There are about 20 Dale Mabry runners this year and we are hoping that they will realize their love for running early on and be motivated to run cross country in high school.

Q: What do the elementary girls like most about the club?

A: The girls like talking with the us girls about different things. We give them tips on running and also how to handle a few social situations, like bullying. We also made tie dye shirts for the race and it is a great bonding opportunity for the girls.

Q: What has been the best part about the club for you?

A: My favorite part of the club has been being able to share my experience of running with the younger girls because they show their appreciation so much. I’ve developed great relationships with so many of the girls and I know that I have helped them to see running as a lifestyle and not just a hobby.

Q: Are there any girls in particular you have connected with?

A: A fourth grader named Sophie Gray. I have run with her twice a week for the past month and I’m so excited to race with her more to help her get a personal record.

Q: What was the race like?

A: We ran at Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park starting at 8:30 a.m., but registration was at 6:30 a.m. Each high school runner was paired with two Dale Mabry girls to run with. We were aiming for Personal Records for all of the girls.

Q: What are your plans with continuing relationships with the girls after the race?

A: We will do the same event next year and we have the girl’s phone numbers if they ever want to run or ask us any questions about growing up.

Laura Jones, junior, stands with 1st and 3rd place runners for their age group.