Last year’s race for 6 year old boys and girls saw Theodore Sellek finish among the leaders with a speedy time of 2 minutes and 2 seconds. Photo by Bill Krause
Honeoye Falls has a running tradition like few other places. Our boys and girls high school teams have huge participation – typically about 65 students between both teams. They enjoy the camaraderie and friendships that come with a team sport steep in challenge and requiring outsized dedication and hard work. Nolan Hoh guides the local teams. It’s a program rich in its history that includes a string of seven straight NYS titles. The HF-L teams are always in the competitive mix dishing out immense reward to all involved.
Exposure to the pure joy of running starts early in Honeoye Falls. The Youth Trophy Cup Runs, coming up this Fall Weekend, provides that opportunity to area youth beginning at age 5 up to through age 12. For most, it is the first opportunity to experience the spice of competitive running with fellow schoolmates. The event is just for those living in the HF-L school district. Many area high school runners – current and former – got their start at the Trophy Cup Runs. Sunday will be the 26th year for the race-festival, part of HF-L Community Programs.
Running is distinguished by its simplicity, yet wealth of benefits. For young people, that is especially big. As notes Chrissy Carroll, a writer and enthusiast on youth running, “By keeping the focus of running on fun and freedom, you’ll help kids develop a lifelong passion for it.” Moreover, she adds, “Running is about enjoying the outdoors, feeling your heart beating, the rush of your breath in and out – it truly is an exhilarating experience for kids and adults alike.”
Running is also unique in that results and progress are precisely measurable and specific to you – a mile in 7 minutes, sub 17 minutes on the home cross-country course, a 5k in under 20 minutes etc., etc. That puts the focus and rewards on self-improvement perhaps even more than on competition with others. Everyone has a goal to improve, to get better. Tangible progress can be gauged with each competition. It has a built-in, continuous achievement incentive.
It is also a building block to other sports and activities like soccer, lacrosse, cross-country skiing, swimming, biking and hiking. Most important, though, it can be foundational to lifelong fitness and good health. When school and team sports become distant things in adulthood, running is always there – quick, convenient, inexpensive (no gym required) and still plenty of rewards to be had. It’s just shorts, shirt and shoes and stepping out the door.
Among its eight races, the Youth Trophy Cup Runs will find a total of about 80 to 100 eager young runners lining-up for challenge and fun. Cheering from parents, grandparents, siblings, friends and even teachers, along with awards, makes it an experience not forgotten. Long-time sponsors for the Youth Trophy Cup Runs are Honeoye Falls Marketplace, Molye Chevrolet, Salvatore’s Old Fashioned Pizzeria, and M&T Bank. The event will be Sunday, October 1st with registration starting at noon. Registration and races are all behind the Manor School with courses run on school grounds over paths, trails and fields. Convenient, on-line registration is available at https://registration.hflcsd.org.
