Dickson students begin year teaching younger kids running techniques – Daily Ardmoreite

The Dickson Comets Little Runners Club is starting up again, with area youth getting a chance to learn from the high schoolers the proper techniques of running.
The original rendition of the club ended three years ago, and was brought back by Dickson High School boys and girls cross country coach Jordan Sinclair.
Sinclair brought the program back last year after he graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University where he was a long distance runner himself.
I wanted to grow the (cross country) program at Dickson,” Sinclair said. “My program for Little Runners is more than helping my program, I believe it will help other programs at Dickson. That’s my goal.”
During practice, kids are taught new running techniques as well as playing in different running games.
Sinclair also uses various warm-up techniques, including high knees and butt kicks, to improve the students’ running abilities.
Currently, the program has more than 30 kids participating, ages kindergarten through sixth grade, and meets every Tuesday.
Last year, the program had 12  participants.
With the growth in the Little Runners, Sinclair believes the interest in Dickson has grown as well. With the help of his junior high and high school students, Sinclair believes the program will be one of the best in the future.
“I bring in my students from junior high and high school from their practices after they get done running and they help with that (Little Runners),” Sinclair said. “It is taking the past generation and they are teaching the younger generation to motivate them. That is what I try to do, have the older generation bring up the younger generation and I am hoping that cycle continues.”
During the course of the program, the students will compete in six-different races. Each race costs $5 per race for those individuals that will not participate in every event or $30 for the entire season.
Each race consists of other local schools’ programs. Students must have a physical before joining.
“It is a program where kids get out and they learn how to run long distance races,” Sinclair said. “Basically our goal is to develop the next stage of Dickson athletes and just general health for young children.”