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Boogie On With Jo Berry

Jo Berry

Boogie an event for creating memories

The Bridge City Boogie is almost here and it’s time to celebrate!

Twenty years ago races were for the elite and were serious business. You started with a loud gun going off, everyone sprinted the whole way, and it was all about winning and competition. Today, races are huge celebrations. They are the expression of hope, accomplishment, joy, overcoming, music, fun, and vibrant health. This Sunday will be about coming together and sharing in an amazing experience both as individuals and as a community.

I will always remember my first running event. I was part of a relay in which we ran 10K and handed off a baton. There were four people on each team and I had been running about six months at the time. That day changed my life forever. When I crossed that finish line, I took a serious look over my shoulder. I looked not to see if someone was behind me, but to see if indeed it was true – had I actually ran 10 kilometres? Me? Jo? How did I do that? Was I a runner now? Could it be?

Something happened that day and still does every time I put a race bib on my chest. Every race is different. I run some for a PB (personal best) and other times I coach groups and we stop for photos, laugh and hug at the finish line. Each and every time I am transformed and you will be too on Sunday.

You may be running for a personal best or you may be running your first ever Boogie. Either way, there are a few things to keep in mind as you mentally prepare for your big day. When you start out, pace yourself wisely. It’s important to control your starting pace, so you have lots of energy for the entire distance.

Take your walk breaks from the beginning. It’s been proven that by taking walk breaks we come across the finish line just as fast as if we didn’t and you also reduce the chance of injury by 98 per cent.

Be flexible this Sunday. You have finished your training and are feeling great, then race day comes along and your performance might be less than you thought it would be.

Keep in mind, every race you run is different, unique and should be a celebration regardless of the time on the clock or how you felt on the route.

Running is the perfect metaphor to life – you always learn something about yourself and you have the ability to make the change next time and grow from the experience.

I have had terrific goal runs (for instance the Vancouver Sun Run this year). I have also had tough races where I felt like each leg weighed 200 pounds. It never matters, and when you cross the finish line, cross it knowing how amazing you are and what you have accomplished. Make sure to smile for the finish line photo or raise your hands in Rocky Balboa style. Races are always about the finish-line photo. This is your moment, your memory and you deserve all the good things in life.

Yes, ultimately your running matters the most to you and you are free to run your own pace. Make this a magic day. I have watched thousands of runners cross finish lines. I have seen runners cry, hug, laugh and find their strength.

Enjoy the journey and celebrate life. This Sunday you will cross that wonderful high energy Boogie finish line, but you will also start something new. We all do. Running changes us each and every year.

See you on Sunday.

Jenn SharpVolunteers make the Boogie happen

Jenn Sharp, Copy Editor at The StarPhoenix

Volunteers are what makes the Bridge City Boogie Saskatoon’s favourite community wellness event year after year.

Five hundred wonderful people have signed up to volunteer at the 2010 Boogie in 14 different areas.

Sarah MacNaught, who has been involved with the Boogie since 2007 and is one of the volunteer co-ordinators, says “the Saskatoon community continues to amaze me in their willingness to step up and give their time to such events ... I am continually inspired by the number of folks who come out and support our event.”

When the Boogie first began in 2007, 831 people participated and 284 volunteered. The community wellness event has since grown by leaps and bounds, and, as such, the amount of volunteers needed to run it has also increased.

Along with the wide variety of jobs that need volunteers – like setting up the course and finish line, handling all of the registrations or taking everyone’s photograph on Boogie day – their most important job is cheering on the Boogiers and ensuring a fun-filled day for everyone.

Part of what makes the Boogie unique is also why so many people volunteer their time for the event year after year. The Boogie encourages people of all ages and sizes to come out and walk or run in an enthusiastic and supportive environment.

MacNaught’s children, aged four and six, will be in the 5K tomorrow and “are always eager and looking forward to the Boogie year round.”

Volunteers truly are the heart of this community wellness event and without them, the Boogie would not be possible. Volunteering for the Boogie is a fun job as well: “On race day, they’re out there, cheering people on and really being part of the action all over the course and right in Griffiths Stadium,” says MacNaught, who loves that everyone gets involved with motivating participants.

Volunteers will be on hand tomorrow to direct traffic, take photos, hand out water, provide entertainment on course and clean it all up after everyone goes home. So while you’re out there giving it your best shot, remember to thank a volunteer for the time and effort that went into making the 2010 Boogie the best one yet!

Congratulations for dedicated École Victoria School Boogie team

Bridge City Boogie Teams– Submitted Photo
Jenn Sharp, Copy Editor at The StarPhoenix

A group of students from École Victoria School began asking if they could form a running team last fall.

Teacher and team captain Patricia Kikcio had taken two groups of students to the 2009 Bridge City Boogie and finally gave in to their requests.

“They had such a good time last year – they kept asking me if we’re going to do it again!”

With the help of another staff member, she has been guiding the students on a nine-week training program in order to prepare for the 2010 Boogie. The dedicated group of runners has given up two to three lunch hours per week in order to train for the event.

Kikcio says, “it’s a huge commitment for these kids.” Members of the running club range in age from nine to 13 and are more than ready for the 5K tomorrow. She says they built up their distance gradually, starting with 1K, then 2K and worked up to the entire distance.

They trained outdoors as well, in “rain after rain after rain,” Kikcio laughs.

She says it really goes to show how dedicated the students are to staying physically active. Four parents have also been involved with the running group, regularly joining the club on their noonhour runs along the Meewasin Trail.

Along with running each week, Kikcio has been educating the students about health and wellness. Hydration, pacing and nutrition are all topics and, depending on the focus for that day, Kikcio will use their training runs as learning examples. “I’ll ask what happened if you didn’t drink enough water before your run or what were some of the things that contributed to a great run?”

She feels these are “lifelong skills” and through targeting all aspects of wellness, the students will remember and re-visit those lessons later in life.

Kikcio says the students don’t need a lot of motivation; this was their idea after all, but she says they always stay as positive as possible and entice the students with game and treat days for all of their hard work.

She says they got more of the older students to sign up this year and that was “great motivation for the younger ones.”

Yesterday, a celebratory pasta lunch was held at the school for the running group, complete with some last-minute encouragement before race day.

Out of the 13 members of the running group, Kikcio expects to see most of them tomorrow at the Boogie.

9 Week Training Programs

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