Marvelous miles

Don’t you love the feeling of accomplishing a goal that you have set for yourself? Many kids from Warwick Valley Middle School felt the same way as they completed laps on the track and met their goals. These kids were in a program called Mileage Club.

Mileage club is an afterschool program that kids of any age in the Warwick Valley Middle School can participate in. When signing up, each runner chooses which day of the week they run on. After school, on their chosen day for Mileage Club, they try to complete as many laps as they can. They are free to run, walk, jog, and hang out with friends. It’s important that people go at their own pace. Every time they complete a lap, they get a check mark on a slip of paper that they filled out earlier. After eight checks, they get a small plastic foot to put on a necklace. Eight laps is equivalent to two miles. At the end of Mileage Club, kids like to see how far they have run and are often surprised.

It’s such a nice feeling to be on the last one hundred meters of the track, pushing to the finish line, one foot closer to an overall goal. Runners can take as many water breaks as needed and are free to stop to hang out with friends.

At the end of the spring 2022 season, the club completed a total of 2,573 laps all together. This is equal to 643.25 miles! Jason Brady, a sixth grader at the middle school, blazed through 64 laps, which made him the overall winner. Trixie Wendell, also a sixth grader at the middle school, cruised through 59 laps, which made her the top female finisher for sixth grade. The top fifth grade male was Rory Wright, who hustled through 58 laps, and the top fifth grade female was Gianna Ricco, running 43 laps. Honorable mention goes to: 5th graders Avery and Eva Chuckran (40 laps), Ryan Kobrick (56 laps), and 6th graders Jane Cornelius (57 laps) and Leo Shostal (60 laps). Congratulations to all runners!

Kids have found Mileage Club to be an appealing after school program that anyone in the Warwick Valley Middle School can participate in. This club is all about learning how to pace yourself and being able to improve in running. Top finishers at the end of the season get a prize and hear their names on the announcements. This club is for anyone who wants to improve their stamina and have fun.

Story contributed by Trixie Wendell, Warwick Valley Middle School 6th Grader