Comanche Academy Invites USA Track, Field Program for Students

Comanche Academy Charter School was visited by USA Track and Field (USATF) RunJumpThrow on Thursday, May 7.

Students participated in long jump, javelin throw, hurdles, agility skills and duck, duck, goose.

Comanche Academy School Leader Shannon Foye said exposing the students to a new program was exciting.

“This energy today is amazing, you see laughter, and you're seeing them have fun,” she said. “Getting to see them do that instead of being in the classrooms and having people and volunteers here to coach us through it all. It's just really exciting.”

USA Track and Field contacted the school with their volunteer services.

“So, they do offer it to where it can be a week or a few weeks long program, or they can come a couple hours out of the week, and so this is our first time, and it's turned out wonderfully,” Foye said.

She said it’s important for students to be outside.

“Nature is so much better than being stuck inside at the desk and just getting outside, being one with the nature, having the sunshine on us, you get all the good feels and good energy this way,” Foye said.

Joe Murchison is a program director for USATF RunJumpThrow.

“I was originally a Hershey track and field champion in 1998, went up to Hershey, Pennsylvania and won the 4x100 relay. The Hershey Track and Field Games [don’t] exist anymore, but now they've teamed up with USATF to have a youth program called RunJumpThrow; teaching the young folks the fundamentals of running, jumping and motor mechanics,” he said. “So, that's the history of it. It's been around for about 11 years now, sponsored by USATF and Hershey, and led by Sharifah Barksdale, an Olympian from 1984.”

Murchison said it can be difficult to motivate the schools.

“I’m so thankful that Comanche Academy was one of the ones that said ‘Yes’ and was able to bring us out,” he said. “So, once we get the date, we get the school, everything else is the fun work. We get to bring the students out, go through a bunch of stations, and have some fun.

Murchison said getting students off phones and tablets is important.

“So, it's good to get students outside, get them active, get those motor skills up and build that confidence with their classmates, so I think that's the real important reason why we do this,” he said.

Murchison’s highlight is seeing the smiles.

“Also, seeing the teachers get in there and have some fun with the students as well, let them know that they still got it, but most importantly, getting the students active and getting them to try something new and something different that they may not have done before that may be a little challenging,” he said. “But seeing them overcome that challenge is really fulfilling for me.”

Murchison said investing in the youth early crates confidence and build leaders.