Track and Cross Country Camps

Every summer, the second- through eighth-graders of Loveland come together for two weeks of running, jumping, and throwing. Usually, the first week after school’s out, track camp consists of stations that introduce kids to each event at a normal track meet, culminating in a mock meet that lets each kid try every event. Cross-country camp is normally a week or two after, similarly consisting of stations, but each serves only to encourage everyone to run. At the end of the week, everyone runs a full race on the official middle school cross country course.

Track camp meets Monday through Thursday from about nine to one o’clock, starting with a camp-wide stretch routine. Each group is separated into grades, then further into boys and girls, and then sent off to their own station. The stations include long/short jumps, throws (shot put/discus), long-distance, relays, games, and sprints, with a snack break included

Jumps are mostly focused on form, measuring steps, and getting used to running at the respective pit. Throws are meant to improve strength and help campers consistently aim within the throwing range. Long distance builds endurance, often with racing games like “Fox and Rabbit,” in which one person will run out and the rest will try to catch them over a longer period of time. The relay station helps campers with teamwork and teaches them how to work together once they join an official team. Games is a break from the rest, usually taking the form of “Duck Duck Goose” or “Lincoln Logs,” in which campers pair up and two people—one chasing and one running—and the runner has to run a full circle around everyone before joining a pair, the furthest person then becomes the runner, switching with the chaser only if they get tagged. Finally, sprints are exactly what you’d expect: campers just try to run as fast as they can while staying in their lane (surprisingly difficult for second graders).

Cross country camp follows the same schedule as its track counterpart, except only split into three sections. The campers are split into two groups, sixth through eighth graders and second through 5th graders, and they will alternate between two stations. One will usually be a simplified, gamified version of a workout, like 400-meter repeats or a fartlek. One will be a fun obstacle course, or water carry relay to give them a short break, and at the end, the whole group will come back together for a game and snacks. Every day will end with a stretch routine led by the counselors, sometimes followed by a guest speaker or yoga. The meet at the end of the week is held at Home of the Brave on the official Loveland cross-country course, timed like a real race. The race will usually be split into two separate races (boys and girls) because of the sheer number of campers. After everyone has finished, the winners are announced and popsicles are handed out.

Overall, Loveland’s running camps are a great source of community and a great way to get service hours for anyone looking to volunteer as a counselor. You can contact Mr. Waple (Coach) at waplejo@lovelandschools.org to get more information and volunteer for track camp, or Mrs. Adams (Coach) at adamsca@lovelandschoolr.org to learn more about cross country camp and hit the ground running this summer!