Everyone’s lives were upended by the COVID pandemic. For children and adolescents, whose routines, stability, and social interactions were turned inside out, it was especially challenging. The openings and closings of schools, cancellations of sports and other activities have affected children in a major way, especially girls.
According to The Girls and Sports Impact Report, which surveyed 10,000 girls from the fifth through 12th grades, girls who participated in sports had more confidence, a more positive body image, better academic performance, and healthier personal relationships.
For many parents, they didn’t need a study to see how the isolation of the pandemic affected their daughters’ self-esteem.
![Sheira L. Schlair, M.D., M.S.]()
Sheira L. Schlair, M.D., M.S.
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This prompted Sheira Schlair, M.D., M.S., professor in the department of medicine (general internal medicine) and co-director of the Einstein Introduction to Clinical Medicine course, to volunteer as a coach for Girls on the Run, a physical activity-based positive youth development program that combines training for a non-competitive 5K event with lessons on enhancing self-esteem, social, emotional, and physical health.
Dr. Schlair’s 10-year-old daughter Daniella was part of a team of 16 third to fifth graders from diverse socioeconomic, racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, and from a variety of schools who, for eight weeks, trained for a 5K race, which took place at Rockland Lake State Park on June 4, 2022.
“It was empowering for these girls to focus on a goal and achieve it together,” says Schlair. “And it was incredibly inspiring to watch them become more confident and stronger. It was extremely heartwarming to see each of their proud, wide smiles at the conclusion of the 5K.”
As the head coach of the “Clarkstown Learning Center” team, Schlair coordinated three other coaches’ schedules so there were two coaches per practice session for the eight-week training period, with two 2-hour practices per week at a local field. The coaches underwent training and used curricular materials from the national Girls on the Run program. Each session built progressively on running skills and endurance and focused on one positive psychology concept. She intends to coach the fall season again and hopes to also set some personal training goals.
Schlair says that one of her take-away lessons from this experience is that you don’t have to be a runner to coach a team, nor do you have to be a runner to start running. In this case, it was simply making and reaffirming a commitment to empower girls to be their best selves.
“Setting a goal and sticking to it for eight weeks is a challenge for most adults, let alone pre-teens.” Says Schlair. This should inspire the rest of us to get moving.
Posted on: Wednesday, July 06, 2022