The Striders were formed in the fall of 1990, consisting of two runners, two young boys, and a coach. One of the boys was diagnosed with Level 5 Tourette's Syndrome. His father had tried him in baseball and soccer, but he was unable to perform any hand-eye coordination sports. His father, being a runner, thought that running might be a good fit- it would give him the opportunity to be on a team with other boys and his poor individual performance wouldn't affect the outcome of a scoring event. In his first meet, the young boy ran the 3,000 meter event. He was lapped three times and finished last but was very proud of finishing and ran up to his coach, asking, "How do you think I did?" The coach responded, "I think you should try another sport." The child, crushed, walked away, dejected and hurt.
That night on the car ride home, his father said, "We will start our own team, and we will strive for improvement, not winning, and everyone- slow, fast, poor, rich, any color and any faith will be invited to join." That night, in the fall of 1990, the Striders were formed. Of course, letting those two young boys pick the team name was the biggest issue. Their first choices were The Hippos, The Fishers, The Fast Boys, The Harriers and a few select others- I think we can all be thankful they settled on "The Striders."
When we began the team, we decided that there would never be a charge to join the Striders so that economics would never prevent a child from being able to participate. If you were committed to the team and you had good grades, you could join. The Striders is a Non-Profit organization, and a private Club, and is not bound by any rules other than its own charter. The Striders have never charged a registration fee, nor has any parent or child paid for the spring track program since inception. If a child is unable to buy a Striders Team shirt, it will be donated and this fact will never be disclosed to the rest of the team. There is a local business that sponsors the team and pays all fees, insurances and all other costs involved with running the program. The Striders aren't a team; we are a "Family".
Over the years, the Striders have traveled to Canada, New York, Florida, Texas, and many other states to compete against some of the finest teams in the country, and we have preformed well, learning about ourselves, and all the life lessons that come with teamwork, competition, and good sportsmanship.
We have had 5 NAG, and AAU, National Cross-Country Champions,
And 3 National track Champions.
1 Olympic Qualifier
The Striders also help with College Placements, as the Coaches will speak on the behalf of Striders to other college coaches to assist in college entrance.
That night on the car ride home, his father said, "We will start our own team, and we will strive for improvement, not winning, and everyone- slow, fast, poor, rich, any color and any faith will be invited to join." That night, in the fall of 1990, the Striders were formed. Of course, letting those two young boys pick the team name was the biggest issue. Their first choices were The Hippos, The Fishers, The Fast Boys, The Harriers and a few select others- I think we can all be thankful they settled on "The Striders."
When we began the team, we decided that there would never be a charge to join the Striders so that economics would never prevent a child from being able to participate. If you were committed to the team and you had good grades, you could join. The Striders is a Non-Profit organization, and a private Club, and is not bound by any rules other than its own charter. The Striders have never charged a registration fee, nor has any parent or child paid for the spring track program since inception. If a child is unable to buy a Striders Team shirt, it will be donated and this fact will never be disclosed to the rest of the team. There is a local business that sponsors the team and pays all fees, insurances and all other costs involved with running the program. The Striders aren't a team; we are a "Family".
Over the years, the Striders have traveled to Canada, New York, Florida, Texas, and many other states to compete against some of the finest teams in the country, and we have preformed well, learning about ourselves, and all the life lessons that come with teamwork, competition, and good sportsmanship.
We have had 5 NAG, and AAU, National Cross-Country Champions,
And 3 National track Champions.
1 Olympic Qualifier
The Striders also help with College Placements, as the Coaches will speak on the behalf of Striders to other college coaches to assist in college entrance.