Random Fitness Facts for Fun!

These fun fitness facts remind me of this scene from Jerry Maguire. 

Try and read them without hearing this little voice inside your head!

  1.  You would need to drink a quart of milk every day for three to four months to drink as much blood as your heart pumps in one hour.

2.  Your heart is about the size of your fist and weighs about as much as a softball.

3. In the course of a lifetime, the resting heart will have pumped enough blood to fill 13 supertankers.

4. The pink under your fingernails is the blood in your capillaries.

5. Your heart is the strongest muscle of your body and beats about 100,000 times in one day, in an average adult.

6. We need light in order to see.  Animals that live in deep caves or in the great depths of the ocean where there is no light are often blind or have no eyes at all.

7.  A person breathes 7 quarts of air every minute.

8. Almost half the human body's weight is made from one of three types of muscle tissue.

9.  The human nervous system can relay messages to the brain at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour.  Your brain receives 100 million nerve messages each second from your senses.

10.  In one day, some 4000 children and teenagers take up smoking.

11.  Underwater swimming is the only time you should hold your breathe while exercising.

12.  Your brain weight about 3 pounds, is a pinkish gray color and is about the size of a cauliflower.

13. Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.

14.  The three bones of the middle ear are so small all three could easily fit on your thumbnail.

15. If all 600 muscles in your body pulled in one direction, you could lift 25 tons.

16.  If the 300,000,000 tiny air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs could be laid out flat, they would cover a home swimming pool.

17. Tongue prints are as unique as fingerprints.

18. If you weight 100 pounds on earth, you will weigh about 264 pounds on Jupiter.

19.  There are 206 bones in the human body.  One fourth of them are in your feet.

20.  The human body has 45 miles of nerves.

** Source:  http://lower.usm.k12.wi.us/special/phy_ed/3rd%20Grade%20Page/fun_fitness_facts.htm

San Manuel donates funds to Corona non-profit for childhood fitness program.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

                     

Contact:  Annie Bradberry                                                                                               

Director of Development                                                                                                                                  

The 100 Mile Club®                                                                                                                                

Phone: 951-340-2290                                                                                                                                   

annie@100mileclub.com

The 100 Mile Club®, a Corona-based non-profit organization focused on physical fitness and life skills for children, recently received a grant from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.  

The organization was among other local non-profits to receive grants from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians charitable giving program which supports organizations that provide services in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties with the focus to improve quality of life for adults, children and families. San Manuel has contributed more than $50 million to charities since 2001. Through partnerships with charitable organizations and community groups San Manuel honors the ancestral Serrano value of sharing resources with others. 

The San Manuel grant awarded to The 100 Mile Club® will fund 1,000

Inland Empire children this new school year.

Realizing physical activity provides significant benefits to the health status of our kids and our community, The 100 Mile Club® created a simple, innovative, sustainable answer to the current health crisis of inactivity in our youth. The program runs the length of the school year and has an incentive program that adds excitement while teaching children how to become responsible and accountable for their own success. 

“With San Manuel’s support we are winning the battle on childhood obesity and inactivity one child, one school, and one community at a time” said Kara Lubin, founder of the Corona-Norco based organization.

About the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians

The San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians is a federally recognized American Indian tribe located near the city of Highland, Calif. The Serrano Indians are the indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys and mountains who share a common language and culture. The San Manuel reservation was established in 1891 and recognized as a sovereign nation with the right of self-government. Since time immemorial, the San Manuel tribal community has endured change and hardship. Amidst these challenges the tribe continued to maintain its unique form of governance. Like other governments it seeks to provide a better quality of life for its citizens by building infrastructure, maintaining civil services and promoting social, economic and cultural development. Today San Manuel tribal government oversees many governmental units including the departments of fire, public safety, education and environment.

About The 100 Mile Club® 

Inspired by the 1992 Summer Olympics, special education teacher Kara Lubin used the universal dream of becoming a gold medalist to inspire her hard-to-motivate students. That year, The 100 Mile Club was born from a simple idea -- run 100 miles within the school year and earn a gold medal. The 100 Mile Club teaches children how to exercise safely, instill fun and healthy habits that will last a lifetime. Physical activity is important to children’s health and learning. For children, physical activity is linked to improved readiness to learn, better educational outcomes, and improved health.

###

For more information about The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, contact the Office of Public Affairs at 909-864-8933. To contact The 100 Mile Club® call 951-340-2290.

On the Right Path: Corona-Norco Makes Strides Toward Healthier School Lunches

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 represents a major step forward in our nation’s effort to provide all children with healthy food in schools. Increasingly schools are playing a central role in children’s health. Over 31 million children receive meals through the school lunch program and many children receive most, if not all, of their meals at school.

 

This month, guest blogger Betsy Adams, CNUSD Child Nutrition Coordinator shares the ongoing efforts of Corona-Norco Unified School District to provide healthier, more nutritious, and enjoyable school meals:

September, 2011. School meals provide students well-balanced, healthy meals that are required to meet science-based, federal nutrition standards.

We must not only provide our students with healthy food but with food they will enjoy.

With passage of the 2010 Healthy‐Hunger Free Kids Act, major changes have transformed school lunch guidelines to help combat the growing problem of childhood obesity. 

The new recipe for success to building a healthier plate:

• Eat the right amount of calories
• Vary your veggies
• Focus on fruit
• Make half of your grains whole
• Consume calcium rich foods
• Go lean with your protein
• Drink water

At the school lunch table this year, more variety of fruits and vegetables are being offered along with whole grains, low‐fat dairy products and meals with less fat, sugar and sodium.
 

Corona‐Norco’s cafeteria is serving fresh broccoli, zucchini, carrots, cucumber, spinach, cabbage and seasonal fruits. Baked Sweet potato Fries are being served and your student’s hamburger and chicken sandwich are on a whole wheat bun.

School lunches continue to provide 1/3 of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories. These dietary guidelines are the best science‐based advice on how to eat for health. 

•  Menus have no more than 30 percent calories from fat and less that 10 percent from saturated fat.  

• Portion control is the standard followed, super-sizing is not an option.

School lunch customers are being served nutritious foods they like to eat which will help them grow, learn and succeed. 

We invite you to choose to eat a healthy plate with Child Nutrition Services in CNUSD. 

CNUSD Menu.  Through December 2011.

ABC's Eye on LA: Getting a jump on Michelle Obama's message is...

Jump to 2:57 if you are antsy!! 

Getting Started, CHAPTER Two

NOW WHAT??

Now that you understand our definition of success in 100 Mile Club®, what do you do? That’s easy!!

Make a commitment. This must come from you as the classroom teacher and/or 100 Mile Club® Site Head Coach. You are responsible for setting the standard for 100 Mile Club® procedures, motivating individuals with words of encouragement, sticking to the daily commitment, observing and providing positive feedback, and teaching proper 100 Mile Club® attitude. It’s not a competition; it’s a personal journey…and that concept needs to be reinforced daily for a while. After 100 Mile Club® is up and running, it almost takes care of itself. Participants and/or parents carry out the day to day procedures, and you simply provide feedback, guidance, encouragement, reinforcement, and enthusiasm.

Set the rules.  

1. Be safe. 
2. Be responsible. 
3. Be respectful. 
4. Be kind. 
5. Do your best.  

If you reinforce these concepts, not only will 100 Mile Club® function smoothly, but your class will gain tremendous amounts of self-respect and ownership not only of the Program, but of themselves, their peers, and their classroom as a whole. It’s quite powerful. 

 

Reinforce the idea that 100 Mile Club® is their program, not yours to enforce upon them…Do it right, do it well, and the rewards are endless for both you and the participants. (I know of dozens of parents who have requested specific classes/teachers simply because that class uses 100 Mile Club® as part of their p.e. curriculum.)

Measure your track/walking course. Don’t reinvent the wheel here. If you are a school, your site should have this information from having to run the mile for physical fitness testing. Check with your office or grade level team. If not, grab a pedometer or GPS and go for a walk around your designated running area. Once this is done, it’s done forever. 

You are responsible for setting the standard for 100 Mile Club®…

Do it right, do it well, and the rewards are endless for both you and your participants.

A Definition That Makes Success an Equal Opportunity Player

After taking a position teaching high school English at the age of 24, John Wooden soon grew frustrated with the grading system he was required to use and felt compelled to help his students better understand success as a result of personal effort. 

He thought of his father’s advice:

“Never try to be better than anyone else, but never stop trying to be the best you can be.” 

He remembered his high school math teacher, Mr. Scheidler, and his essay challenge to define success. 

Then Coach recalled a verse of poetry he had recently read: 

At God's footstool to confess,
A poor soul knelt and bowed his head.
“I failed,” he cried. The Master said,
“Thou didst thy best, that is success.”
 
A Definition Created

These influences helped Coach Wooden coin his definition of success in 1934:

"Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

A Pyramid Built

The definition satisfied Wooden for a short while, but he quickly realized it was insufficient. He needed something more concrete – more visual. So he spent the next 14 years identifying 25 behaviors he believed were necessary to achieve his idea of success. This search culminated in a simple but profound diagram Wooden called "The Pyramid of Success", which he completed in 1948.

Nearly six decades later these foundational behaviors have weathered the test of time - unchanged, full of wisdom, as rock-solid as the first day Coach established the cornerstones of Industriousness and Enthusiasm. 

Sources:  

The John R. Wooden Course® http://woodencourse.com 

The Official Site of Coach John Wooden http://www.coachwooden.com/

GETTING STARTED: Accept the Challenge

The 100 Mile Club® is simple to set up and begin. You should be ready to “hit the ground running” the first day of your new year, or as soon as possible once your year begins. Here are some guidelines to get you going. The following ideas, concepts, and procedures are extremely helpful and will make 100 Mile Club® run smoothly and positively.

Accept the Challenge

There is a philosophical mindset that must be adopted and understood before beginning The 100 Mile Club®. 

Our philosophy is simple. We believe that every single individual has the ability to achieve true personal success and a new level of physical fitness by Accepting the Challenge of running (or walking) 100 Miles at school during a single school year. These feelings of true personal success and fitness are ones that will carry an individual to new levels of achievement in all areas: academics, athletics, and implementation of the valuable life skills identified in the bricks of Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.

The 100 Mile Club® is a personal journey toward a very personal goal.

·         It is not a race with anyone but yourself.

·         We NEVER compare individuals.

·         We never race or compete between classes, departments, or individuals to see who makes 100 miles “first”.

·         100 Mile Club® is not an external competition. The competition is with your biggest rival: yourself.

·         We celebrate all personal successes at the end of the year. Our year begins in July and end in June. 100 miles or not, we award individuals together, celebrate together, and never separate out those that make 100 miles from those that do not.

·         The personal successes individuals feel while on the 100 Mile Club® journey are unquantifiable but ever-present. We celebrate those most of all.

100 Mile Club® encourages team spirit by asking individuals to work together to help one another reach their goals. Often, we see the more athletic individuals Kara Lubin encouraging and mentoring those that might need that little extra boost…it is wonderful to see individuals cheer for each other or run together to just make it one more lap.

100 Mile Club® does not publicly (e.g.-website, school announcements, etc…) identify or announce individuals who hit 100 miles until the end of the year awards presentation. Some individuals make 100 miles by mid-January…We let these individuals savor the inner rewards that come from humility, poise, confidence and friendship as they help others reach their goals, too. We ask that these individuals reach inside themselves and set new personal goals in order to reach their true level of competitive greatness.

The 100 Mile Club® is an individualized physical fitness program. Individuals will have the opportunity to exercise their bodies through stretching and running (or walking) activities as they move closer and closer to 100 miles and their very own gold medal. Please strike a careful balance between encouraging individuals to do THEIR best, honoring differences, and challenging individuals to reach to a new level of greatness.

The 100 Mile Club® is a life skills program. Through the personal experience of running (or walking) 100 miles at school, each person is given unique situations in which to truly experience each and every one of the life skills outlined in The Pyramid of Success.

Make sure you know your participants. Some may have medical conditions of which you may not be aware, some may need to see their doctor before beginning a program such as this. The 100 Mile Club® is a physical activity. We strongly recommend that one should always consult with a physician before beginning any exercise regimen.

The 100 Mile Club® is uncomplicated, yet profound. We believe strongly that each and every student who Accepts the Challenge of running (or walking) 100 miles at school during a single school year will discover a phenomenal new part of themselves…the part that thrives on team spirit, hard work, determination and enthusiasm. Once a child gets a taste of the deep and powerful intrinsic rewards of true, TRUE personal success, he or she will seek that feeling again and again…at school, at home, and in life.

A Warm Welcome to Annie Bradberry!

 

Annie Bradberry has more than 17 years’ experience working in the non-profit sector and joined The 100 MileClub® as Director of Development in February of this year.

Annie brings extensive grant writing and development expertise to support The 100 Mile Club® and its overall mission. Her scope of experience as a businessperson will enhance the organization’s growth, development and grant success, and her enthusiasm and passion for our schools, kids, and families makes her a perfect fit for our rapidly-expanding organization. Annie is awesome!!

Early in her career, Annie served as the Executive Director of The National Stuttering Association (NSA), a non-profit organization that provides support and education to children and adults who stutter, their families and the speech professionals who work with them. As a person who stutters, Annie is still involved with the NSA providing in-service trainings to school districts and Southern California University Speech Pathology programs as well as Youth Day workshops for kids who stutter nationally. Annie currently serves on the Advisory Board of the International Stuttering Association continuing her passion for the stuttering community.

Later in her career, Annie served as Executive Director of The Corona-based Foundation for Community and Family Health. During this time she helped the organization secure funding from government sources, private and corporate foundations, as well as building community relations and participation.

In the last decade, Annie has served on numerous boards and committees dedicated to improving the quality of life for residents of Corona where she has lived with her husband Bob for 23 years. Her daughter Amanda teaches 2^nd grade in Las Vegas and she is blessed to have her parents live with her who celebrated 66 years of marriage this year. 

Give a call to the office and wish her well, or drop an email to say hello. 

Welcome, Annie!  It is going to be a great year!   

The 100 Mile Club®

815 West 6th Street

Suite 105

Corona, CA  92882

951-340-2290 o

951-340-1057 f

Medal Ceremony FAQ

Here is the form for Medal Ordering!!

How do I order my medals?

It’s easy. Just print this form, tell us what you need, and fax or mail/email it in.

Your site is eligible for the same number of certificates as you have Incentive Packages. For example, if your school has ordered 250 Incentive packages, your school is eligible for 250 certificates. We will add in extras in case you mess up. :)

Additionally, you will get medals for those participants who have crossed the 100 Mile point. PLEASE only order what you need. Again, we will add in extras for you "just in case". Ordering only what you need will ensure that we keep our costs down in the years to come.

Soon, you will receive a form in which you may include your order for these certificates and medals. They are already paid for...you just need to cover shipping. PLEASE allow at least 14 day window for medal and certificate delivery. DON'T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE. It will make us and you freak out.

Medal ceremony time is SO exciting! Make sure to set those ceremony dates and let us know when they are.

Do we have to pay for shipping?

Yes, you do have to cover shipping, but it shouldn’t be too much.

We will make an invoice with your shipping total included. You can pay by check or credit card. (Or you can pick up.)

May we pick everything up?

You bet! Just let us know when you want to come. Our normal hours are 8-5, M-F. We will have extended hours as we get closer to the end of the Cycle (aka May and June).

How much time do you need to get everything to us?

If you are picking up, you can come any time (BUT PLEASE HAVE YOUR FORM FILLED OUT!). If we are shipping, allow 10-14 days just to be safe.

When should I stop my kids?

That is totally up to you. We ask that you schedule your medal ceremonies to allow as much time as possible to get those miles in. Don't cut off too early (or too late!).

Here are the steps:

1. Set your Medal Ceremony Date/s

2. Back up about a week (if you are picking up), or 10-14 days if we are shipping.

3. Set that date as your cutoff date.


What if I have a child who is SO close? Can I extend running special just for him/her?

The expectation for completing 100 miles is clear. Trust that expectation and stick to it. Miles must be completed at school or at 100 Mile Club®/Sanctioned Events. You can allow extra time at school, before school, after school, let them know about outside opportunities, but be careful about bending the rules for just one child. Open it to all, in which case you are extending your cutoff date. Ask yourself what it teaches a child when you allow them to take these extra privileges.

What if we have someone almost there, can we let them run at home?

The kiddos know the expectations going in.

I know it’s hard, but allowing miles to be completed at home with just mom or dad opens a whole can of worms with kids and families (trust me). The commitment was to have her complete the majority of her miles at school with classmates, etc. Having her go to school and complete her challenge with her “team” according to plan would be the very best way to go. Doing anything else cheapens the process, so be careful when you decide what to do.


Should I give a special award to the runner with the most miles?

That is up to you. You can, but again, be really careful about HOW you do it. I’ve actually seen it done really, really well. Some schools have a little trophy, or they get a cap or hoodie from us to give them. Usually you wait till everyone has gotten their awards, and do it at the very last.

In addition, think about the children who really blossomed somehow within the program but didn’t quite make their 100. These kids may need personal recognition more that anyone.

Do you have special gifty things we can get for our special runners?

We sure do. Hats, hoodies, backpacks, bling tees, girly tees, beanies…you name it.

How do I get my certificates and medals?

It’s easy. Just print this form, tell us what you need, and fax or mail/email it in.

We have kids who ran but we didn’t order Incentive Packages for them. Can we order certificates for them?

Yes. You can order certificates above and beyond what your school is eligible for, but the cost for these will be 0.10/certificate. These will be added into your final invoice.

REMEMBER: There is NO CHARGE for certificates that are part of the Incentive Packages you have already ordered. If you need more, they are 0.10/each. Just tell us what you need.

What are some basic DOs and DON’Ts just to get me going?

• DO make sure that EVERYONE receives a certificate with the total miles run/walked written in and signed by the Site head Coach/es.

• DO make sure that everyone wears their 100 Mile Club® t-shirt the day of the ceremony.

• DO remember that only those who run/walk 100 miles receive a medal.

• DO think about that child who did something extraordinary.

• DO have FUN!!

• DO Read more here.

DON’T sort your kids from lowest to highest miles.

DON’T make excuses or shy away from Medal Ceremonies if nobody made their 100.

DON’T just recognize the kids who did 100 miles and ignore the rest.

DON’T put certificates and medals in cubbies to just send home.

I still need some ideas! Help?

Sure!! Ceremonies can be any of (but of course not limited to) the following…

• A School-wide Assembly. These can be wild and crazy, or dignified and noble. You make it what you want… have balloons, make a slideshow, have music, invite local dignitaries.

• A Family/Company Potluck, Picnic, or BBQ. Yes, families and businesses can be a 100 Mile Club® chapter, too! You can end the year with a group picnic at the beach, lake, or local park.

• A Reflective Year-End Classroom Activity. This is actually how the ceremony began in my classroom. We invited all of the families of our individuals and spoke of each individuals’ achievements, as we announced their miles and presented medals and final certificates.

• Individual Classroom Visits...aka MEDAL Patrol! As done by Orange Elementary School in 2009-10! They traveled from room to room with medals, certificates, loud music, a tiger mascot, and a rather large bullhorn! It worked!

After our ceremonies, we may have extra medals. What do we do with them?

Please bring or send them back to us! We can store them and get them redone and ready for 2014. Please do not hold on to them. The neckbands change and are customized each year, so we can wrap and store the medals. Thanks so much for helping us keep costs down for us all.

In sum, what you need to know is that The 100 Mile Club® Medal Ceremony something that should be meaningful to you, your colleagues, and your participants. You are creating tradition with this, so plan well and make sure to always have FUN!! Visit our website at www.100mileclub.com for video snippets of different medal ceremonies around the country. 

Healthy and Yummy: Honey Banana Bread

I took this horrid photo with my iPhone, so major apologies.  Don't discount this yummy and healthy recipe because I have no photo skills. I had these bananas that were about to go, and a rare desire to create some sort of baked treat...I found a recipe online at the coolest website and tweaked it a little to utilize what I had on hand.  

Honey Banana Bread The original recipe is from Trisha Gagne of Cambridge, Ontario, who writes, "This banana bread was in a very old recipe book published by the women in a tiny church in Southern Ontario. It has a really unique flavor thanks to the honey. The maple syrup version is also delicious served with butter. This is the only banana bread I ever make, and every crumb vanishes quickly." Trisha adds that she lines the pan with aluminum foil, which makes it super easy to clean up, and the loaf never sticks.   Ingredients:   1/3 cup butter, softened 1 egg 1 cup honey or maple syrup (I used honey) 1 cup mashed banana 2 cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour) 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional.  I left them out) Directions: With a mixer, beat together the butter, egg, honey and banana. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the creamed mixture and stir until moistened. Fold in pecans if using. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes. Turn the oven down to 300 and continue baking for around 30 minutes, or  until the top springs back when lightly pressed.

This recipe is from  Now....you're cooking! www.donogh.com   Click here to download a printable copy of this recipe. http://www.donogh.com/cooking/print/cake/banbread.html

Medal Ceremony Wisdom: A few DOs and DON’Ts for you.

DOs

• DO REMEMBER THAT EVERYONE receives a certificate with the total miles run/walked written in and signed by the Site head Coach/es. Even if they walked 1 mile, they are recognized for making the effort.
• DO Make sure that everyone wears their 100 Mile Club® t-shirt the day of the ceremony. It is spectacularly unifying to have everyone in their tees, and it LOOKS really cool! Take pictures!
• DO REMEMBER THAT only those who run/walk 100 miles will receive a medal. Everyone knows this going in, so it is no surprise. Trust me when I say that the medal is a huge motivator, and so is the recognition by one’s peers. The will work for it, and if they don’t quite make it, you celebrate anyway.
• DO Have FUN!

DON'Ts

For what it’s worth, I really do not like having to outline the don’ts. It seems so…negative. That said, some folks need them and that is ok. We want every child’s efforts to be celebrated and respected, and if that means peppering in a few DON’Ts, I’m fine with that.

At your Medal Ceremonies, PLEASE:

• DON’T sort your kids from lowest to highest miles. Think about how you would feel if you were the first one called. First, having to stand up while everyone after you has more miles than you would be torturous. Second, perhaps those first-called-low-mile-total kids did their personal best, and being sorted from low to high miles would negate that personal best. Finally, everyone KNOWS who did more miles than whom, who worked hard, who is new, who got hurt or sick halfway through the year…these kids have become a team. Ranking is divisive and unnecessary. Be careful when recognizing the child who ran “the most” miles. It can be done, and has and is being done really well in a lot of places, but be aware of over-celebration of certain things.
• DON’T make excuses or shy away from Medal Ceremonies if nobody made their 100. It is difficult to stand up in front of parents and your students when nobody in your class made their 100 miles. The kids know if they worked hard at 100 Mile Club®, and you know in your heart whether or not you were a helpful, encouraging coach, if you allowed them the time to complete their miles, and if you made the program what it should be. If a lot of kids did not make their 100 miles, you need to refrain from blaming kids for being lazy or making excuses. Nobody DOESN’T want to make it. As a group, talk about what you can do to do better next year, even if you are going to have a new class and they are going to have a new teacher. There is no time for judging or making excuses.
• DON’T just recognize the kids who did 100 miles and ignore the rest. This is just sad and wrong and will make kids feel like their best was not good enough. Do something to recognize everyone…it doesn’t have to be monumental, it just has to be something. For many of our kids, this certificate is the only one they will receive at year’s end.
• DON’T put certificates and medals in cubbies to just send home. If you do that, you are wasting money and time. These kids work and wait all year for their Medal Ceremony. Leaving out that final step in the 100 Mile Club® process will destroy the soul of the program. DO SOMETHING.

In sum, what you need to know is that The 100 Mile Club® Medal Ceremony something that should be meaningful to you, your colleagues, and your participants. You are creating tradition with this, so plan well and make sure to always have FUN!! Visit our website at www.100mileclub.com for video snippets of different medal ceremonies around the country.

Jenson USA Spirit Awards: Thoughts become words become actions...

A committee is a thing which takes a week to do 

what one good man can do in an hour.   

~Elbert Hubbard

The JensonUSA Spirit Awards all started at about 3 a.m. on October 24, 2011 at the 100 Mile Endurance Challenge, a 100+ mile urban ULTRAmarathon.  Jenson USA's own Jared Saunders was in charge of coordinating bike escorts, aka Mobile Aid Stations, from Corona, CA to Santa Monica, CA...a distance of over 100 miles and 30 hours.  These bikers were escorting our ULTRArunners to the Finish Line. We were somewhere between Huntington Beach and Long Beach (or was it Long Beach and Santa Monica? I don't really remember.) when Jared said to me,

"You know, we should totally give away awesome bikes to the top 100 Mile Club runners this year."

Time out. 

Normally, the layers of speaking something out loud to another person go something like this:

Think it.

Think about what you are saying.

Think about how you will affect others by what you are saying.

Think about HOW you will say it so as not to offend or anger or do something totally irrational.

Think about how it will make others feel.

Layer on allllll the manners you have been taught in your life.

Go over it in your head.

Take a deep breath, and then...

Say it.

Usually, that works well in the world.  It keeps us all in check.

But, by the time you are 19+ hours into helping with a 30 hour foot race, you have absolutely no filters.  All of the layers of manners have been peeled away and you are left with the following:

Think it.

Think about what you are saying.

Think about how you will affect others by what you are saying.

Think about HOW you will say it so as not to offend or anger or do something totally irrational.

Think about how it will make others feel.

Layer on allllll the manners you have been taught in your life.

Go over it in your head.

Take a deep breath, and then...

Say it.

Now, back to the conversation.

"You know, we should totally give away awesome bikes to the top 100 Mile Club runners this year."

Had we not been completely punchy and sleep-deprived and stressed beyond belief, he may have never even said anything.  Again. No filtering here.


What did I say back?  Well, normally I would have been more like,

"Well, I think that's a great idea, Jared.  We should take this idea to the board and figure out how it best fits in with our mission and vision and we can figure something out. Let me get back to you on this."

Thank goodness I had lost all my filters.  :)  Instead, I just said...

"Nope. No way. That's not how we do things." 

...because it's not.

It isn't how we do things. We work hard at 100 Mile Club to recognize excellence in ALL FORMS. It is really easy to recognize the child that runs the most miles, the one that runs the fastest, or the superstar who is just a gifted runner.  They are right there.  In your face. Every day.

True success comes in all forms, and part of the beauty of 100 Mile Club is that we celebrate those fast kids, of course.  They are incredible!! 

...but we also celebrate those kids who are doing something new, challenging themselves, taking risks, reaching out, or simply showing up to give their best every day.  We ask kids to find their spirit...and they always do.


Jared and I had an awesome conversation about personal best in all forms, and what 100 Mile Club really means. 

We went back and forth until we had created The Jenson USA Spirit Awards, an award for five (5) children who exhibit the TRUE spirit of The 100 Mile Club®. The whole conversation lasted maybe two minutes. Had we been lucid and normal and not foggy-brained and sleep-deprived, it may have never happened.

We cut through a whole bunch of meetings and dialogue and filters and manners and gunk and made. it. happen.  The graphics guys at Jenson even made this cool logo!!

I made a simple nomination form with Google Docs (my first time ever!).  We received 31 nominations this year, and as soon as we crossed the nomination deadline, I closed the nomination form and sent it all over to Jared over at JENSON USA.  The nominations circulated through the offices and everyone voted.

Simple.

Once the decisions were made, Jared called the families and we all agreed that the kids would not be told at all about their nomination or award.  It would all be a HUGE surprise at Run 4 Kids.  FUN!!


The JENSON USA Spirit Awards were created on a whim literally in the middle of the night, by two very sleep-deprived people with no filters.  We probably wouldn't have created such a thing had we been a bit more lucid.  We just went for it...and I am so glad we did.  Look at these smiling faces!

Our Spirit Award Winners with their new bikes from Jenson USA
From L to R (front):  Melanie S., Ryan M., Nolan T., Vivianne S., Jonnice Q.
Back: Jared Saunders, JensonUSA and Kara Lubin, 100 Mile Club®

 

Thank you to Jenson USA for their incredibly generous donation of 5 bicycles for our Spirit Award winners this year.  We are so grateful for their support, and for their belief in our mission and vision.



Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

~Mark Twain

JENSON USA Spirit Award Winner: Nolan Torres

Photo courtesy of Jim Dorsey Photography

 By all medical accounts- Nolan should not be able to walk properly, yet alone run. The struggles within his body each and every day are more than most adults will face in their life, and...he is still the first to hit that track! Just like he faces his medical conditions one day at a time, he faces his running goal one lap at a time. He wants to run before school, during school, and whenever he can. He encourages others (including his parents) to get out and move. I have personally watched him stop to encourage classmates while running. He wears that shirt with pride and will tell anyone who will listen what 100 Mile Club is all about- even his doctors. Nolan exemplifies all that is 100 Mile Club is: His ENTHUSIASM is unparalleled, his FIGHT is undeniable and his AMBITION is something I strive to match.

JENSON USA Spirit Award Winner: Melanie Schneider





Photo courtesy of Jim Dorsey Photography


Melanie Schneider, a sixth grade student at Susan B. Anthony Elementary is the person who I think truly embodies the true spirit of the 100 Mile Club®.  Melanie has dedicated herself to participating in the 100 Mile Club® every day throughout the year. She has set her sights on a goal, and on a daily basis she works to achieve it. Melanie runs, jogs, and walks between 2.5 and three miles daily. At this point in the school year, Melanie has surpassed 300 miles. An extraordinary achievement if you ask me.

Because of Melanie's extraordinary efforts, I have noticed many other students stepping up their own efforts. By the end of March, all 33 of my students will have reached 100 miles. My own children have taken notice of Melanie's accomplishment and talk about it daily as they tell me how many laps they completed on that day. On numerous occasions I have had children from around the school come to my classroom to check out the 100 Mile Club® chart to see Melanie's miles with their own eyes. I see and hear how excited the children are getting about what Melanie has done and about what they would like to do on their own.

Melanie continues to remain humble through it all. I have never heard her brag about what she is accomplishing. She remains dedicated to getting her miles, helping her classmates get theirs, and then helps me track and post our classes' miles. During this school year, I have watched Melanie become more physically fit and more self-confident. To me, those two benefits are what the 100 Mile Club® is about. Melanie Schneider is definitely the type of person you are looking for to represent Jenson USA and the 100 Mile Club® .

JENSON USA Spirit Award Winner: Ryan Martinez

Phot courtesy of Jim Dorsey Photography

 Ryan was nominated more than once!  Here are excerpts from his nomination essays:

Ryan Martinez is a 1st grader at our school. His heart for 100 Mile Club® is HUGE. He is at my field at 6:55 every tuesday and thursday morning for our 7:00am run and can't wait to get going! He attends all of the "Helping Feet" events in the community, even events that I as a head coach can't make it to. I will view the pictures on facebook from the event and see his adorable face there. He always has a smile on his face, greeting the women that give him sticks as he passes each lap. The other day he came up to me and said..."I found this stick on the ground, so I wanted to turn it in to you." He is in first grade and already has honesty and integrity. Whenever he reaches a milestone, he can't wait to share it with his coaches...and he makes sure to let us know that he only has one more lap to go so we can cheer for him loudly when he is done. I can't think of another child in the two years that I have been involved with 100 Mile Club® that captures the spirit more than this little boy.

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Ryan exibit all the fine qualities consistent with the mission and philosophy of the 100 Mile Club®. He has logged over 170 miles and is reaching for a goal of 300 for this year. Furthermore, Ryan has combined his passion for running with this passion for helping others. He has participated in various charitable events that raise funds for worthy causes such as the Peppermint Ridge Center, Leukemia Foundation and the Hope Recovery Center. Ryan is a well rounded boy that looks to excel and make friends. He is worthy of such honorable award.

JENSON USA Spirit Award Winner: Vivianne Silva

Phot courtesy of Jim Dorsey Photography

I believe that Vivianne Silva should be a Jenson USA Spirit Award recipient because she is a very dedicated team member and member of her community. I have seen first hand how her friendly spirit directly affects everyone around her in a positive way. She is not only a model member of The 100 Mile Club® but she is a role model to her peers. (I am) the mother of two young girls, and Vivianne is the kind of young lady that I would love my daughters to look up to (and they do!).

Vivianne is a track athlete that not only participates in The 100 Mile Club® but is passionate about its mission. She has personally hosted successful fund raising events so that others can reap the benefits of The 100 Mile Club® through her donations. She not only sets the bar high but she leads by example.

I would love to see Vivianne recognized for her hard work and genuine spirit. I believe this would encourage her to continue her amazing work and it would motivate others to do the same.