Girls learn life lessons while training to race
A dog owner dashed along with her pooch on a leash. Sternfaced joggers loped beside a little girl wearing a tiara. Fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters sprinted along the wooded course on the Southeast Side.
Runners from all walks of life took part in the recent 5K race at Comanche Park sponsored by Girls on the Run of Bexar County.
My colleague, reporter Taylor Pettaway, and her team joined the crowds lining parallel metal rails that formed a lane to the finish line. They scanned the runners for a sight of their four girls and fellow coaches, Lauren Lopez and Sophia Montemayor. Their voices joined the raucous cheers and clanging of small, pink cowbells as they shouted the names of each team member.
Galilea Garza, 11, sprinted past, step by step with her mother, Flor Gutierrez. Kayla Mendez, 11, kept a steady pace past rows of outstretched thumbs up. Magali Roibon, 13, dashed by with her head held high. And Sophia Gonzalez, 10, held her mother’s hand as she rounded the corner — her dark pink cape flowing.
After rounds of high-fives and hugs, the coaches, team and family members celebrated their achievement.
“You learned a lot,” said Taylor, 28. “You made some good friends, and you figured out you’re a lot stronger than you think. You should be proud. You’ve worked so hard.”
The race was the culmination of a revealing 10-week season sponsored by the nonprofit Girls on the Run. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, the girls learned life lessons from Taylor and coaches, who included Ava Carr, Dailene Hendon and Mary Mills.
Molly Barker started Girls on the Run in 1996 with 13 girls at an elementary school in Charlotte, N.C. According to the organization’s website, crossing the finish line of the first 5K is “often a catalyst to set and achieve other goals.”
This month’s race was the first full program-wide 5K since the COVID-19 outbreak.
The local chapter serves an average of 768 girls each school year in Bexar, Comal, Kendall and Medina counties. The nonprofit
offers two programs: Girls on the Run for grades three through five and Heart & Sole for grades six through eight.
Executive Director Minka Misangyi said all coaches, who are volunteers, are on the same page — they want the girls to succeed.
“We provide that safe space to learn a skill,” Misangyi said. “We’re about girls trusting girls and knowing you don’t have to do it alone. They want to be heard and talk through their issue with someone who cares. They learn they have a voice and how to use it.”
I learned about the program from Taylor in March 2020. She started volunteering for the organization when she was in the Gamma Phi Beta sorority at Colorado State University. But the pandemic forced me to postpone my plans to find out more about her passion.
Fast forward to the end of October and a text from Taylor inviting me to sit in on practice at Olmos Basin Park.
The team gathered for their last practice on Tuesday before the race. They settled on blankets in a curve of the grassy park, away from kids practicing on the soccer fields. The team’s fifth member, Daniela Mendoza, 13, sat near Taylor as she held up a
poster board with a list of “team expectations” the girls came up with at their first practice.
The list included “be respectful,” “try your hardest,” “encourage each other” and “always help teammates” — goals that could help them navigate through the sometimes awkward days of middle school.
Taylor read an action plan for the girls to think of how to impact others positively and the ripple effect of their actions. Then they ran through repetitions of squats, knee raises and running in place. The coaches were by their side, with cheers of “you can do it,” “a few more” and “you got this!”
Finally, the girls paired up for 16 laps, simulating a 5K race, like the team-sponsored run Galilea ran last year.
“I have a lot of energy,” she said. “This is the time to waste it.”
It was dusk when they calculated their number of laps and reviewed journals by flashlight on their phones. The session ended with a closing ritual, where they formed a circle, clasped a hand on their hearts, pointed to their feet and made the universal sign for “rock on.”
Magali, an eighth-grader at Alamo Heights Junior School, said the season had been a “ton of fun” with “smart, interesting
people.”
“I like how supportive everyone is, and I love being with them,” Magali said. “I find the lessons useful, and I use them in day-to-day life. It’s helpful.”
Sophia, a fifth-grader at Dellview Elementary, said she enjoyed her time with teammates.
“I like the running,” she said, “and the activities.”
The girls joined their parents and other relatives, most of whom walked or jogged in the park as they waited.
“Having a daughter in the program preps her for life,” said Christopher Garza, 43. “I support it 100 percent.”
Sophia’s mother, Ruth Emiliano, said her daughter was diagnosed with Prader-willi syndrome at 2 months old. The disease doesn’t allow Sophia to have a sense of fullness when she eats.
“Having an activity like this is the greatest,” Emiliano said. “She’s not just learning about being a good human — she’s also exercising to make sure she’s healthy.”
Carr, 16, a junior coach, said the girls remind her of when she was younger.
“I can see a lot of improvement,” she said. “You know that feeling you get inside when a
mother sees her child graduate? That’s how I feel when I see them.”
In a 10-year anniversary video for the local chapter, Taylor said it’s been an inspiring experience to work with fellow coaches to make an important and lasting impact in girls’ lives.
“Who we help build today is who grows up to be these women,” she said. “If we build these strong, powerful girls who are able to think for themselves, shut out negative talk and postings and all these things they’re hit with even in childhood, it helps them as teenagers.”
The team bonded over experiences and inside jokes only they understood. Montemayor, 25, recalled when they told the girls not to be specific with answers, such as don’t put down your Aunt Mary.
“Aunt Mary!” Sophia shouted and twisted into a dance.
“Do you have an Aunt Mary?” Montemayor asked.
“No,” Sophia said with a laugh. The team copied her moves and yelled the phrase that became the team’s rallying call.
After the race ended, they gathered at a pavilion, where the coaches presented each girl with a medal. Family members looked on as the girls said their goodbyes. There were hugs. There was one more “Aunt Mary” dance. And the coaches spoke about each girl’s growth and contribution to the team in their own unique way.
Kayla, the shy one of the group, said she learned a lot and planned to return next season. Her mentors hoped those selfascribed lessons, such as pacing herself and friendship, would guide her in the future.