Good Sports is proud to announce Altra as our Official Giving Tuesday partner and our inaugural Giving Section partner! Together, we are helping 250 kids lace up for track and field, cross country, running, hiking, and more, empowering young athletes step up to the start line with the confidence to discover what they can achieve in running and in life.
Running has long been one of the great equalizers in youth sports. Track and field, cross country, and running-based youth programs attract more young participants than almost any other sport1, offers the greatest number of participation opportunities for girls at the youth level, and provides a lower barrier along racial and socioeconomic lines than other youth sports. And this is because running offers a clear path in: showing up and taking the first step forward.
Even with its simplicity and accessibility, a pair of running shoes or socks are out of reach for many families. Gear that fits can be cost-prohibitive for many youth and their families, where proper apparel and footwear can be the difference between developing a lifelong love of fitness and a quick exit from the sport due to difficult, unsafe, and painful runs early on. The right equipment determines whether a young athlete feels safe, supported, and ready to build a lifelong love of movement, and the cost of that equipment should not keep a child from experiencing the joy, health benefits, and life skills that running provides.
“Sara wasn’t super excited about her first days of practice with us. Trying to run in very broken-down clogs might have had something to do with that. She often trudged along, walking most of the time. On some days, she would try to keep up with the fastest students and would get very frustrated. She had many excuses on why she didn’t want to run but the coaches suspected it was her highly inadequate shoes.”
It is because of partners like Altra that these stories move in a different direction. Altra is helping young athletes step into running with confidence, comfort, and dignity, often for the very first time, ensuring that no child is sidelined by cost, embarrassment, or discomfort.
“Upon receiving her new running shoes, the coaches immediately noticed a difference in Sara; from jumping jacks in pre-run to slow laps in warm-up to the actual run itself, Sara was less likely to stop and walk and complain. When the coaches asked her what changed, she said ‘the shoes are like springs on my feet.’ We noticed as the next couple weeks went by, she was slowly and steadily running a little more each time. At the end of the season, Sara showed a 20% improvement on her 10-minute distance from the beginning! She was very proud of herself on that final day. She even signed up for our spring session, which was a pleasant surprise and testament to her newfound connection to the sport!”
These stories illustrate what Altra’s partnership makes possible. Running may be one of the most open doors in youth sports, but only if every child has what they need to step through it safely and confidently. With Altra’s support this Giving Tuesday, 250 young athletes will have the chance to take those steps for the first time, and discover their strength, their community, and their joy of movement … all gifts that will last a lifetime.
1 The Aspen Institute: Project Play + The National Youth Sport Survey