Running camp’s purpose: Not just better athletes but better people

The second annual Runners Camp took place at Hilton Head Preparatory School this week with athletes from all over the Lowcountry.

While many participants came to sharpen their skills on the pavement, there was a spiritual aspect that was implemented as well.

Liz Nash, assistant athletic director at HHPS; Dana House, varsity cross country head coach at Bluffton High School; and Katherine Rosenblum, varsity cross country head coach at May River High School, in conjunction with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, put their heads together and created the event for the community.

“This camp was not just about running,” Nash said. “It addressed the importance of a sound mind, body and soul. It is imperative to teach athletes about the balance that is needed in all areas of their life.”

“A few of the ladies here got together and decided they wanted to do a running camp, but they wanted to take it to the next level,” said Lisa Richardson, area representative for South Coastal FCA. “They didn’t want to kids to just be better runners, they wanted them to be better people.”

Each morning started off with a session to get everyone loose. Music, games and a discussion about the foundational truth of the Bible were at the top of their agenda, followed by various runs that included a 5K and an afternoon run through a forest preserve.

House, who was a scholarship runner at the University of South Carolina, said HHPS has the perfect trail for runners to train.

“One of the things we like to teach our runners here is how to run on different terrain,” House said. “It is somewhat difficult to run on the grass, then on the ground, but their adrenaline will carry them through. This area was a great find because the course is similar to what they will run at the state championship.”

The athletes also watched inspirational messages from some well-known athletes.

“We’ve watched a lot of videos from professional athletes, including Ben Watson, who is a tight-end for the Baltimore Ravens,” Richardson said. “We also heard from Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. His message to them was to keep pushing. No one had faith in him — he was a small kid — but look where he is today.”

Richardson stressed the importance of having Christian values to encourage young athletes in their walk with God and their respective sport.

“We stress four key values: integrity, teamwork, service and excellence,” Richardson said. “We try to reach coaches and athletes by sharing the Christian vision. We train them to be leaders on campus. We set up campus huddles, and we focus on the athletes, because they are looked up to by their peers.”

The FCA camp was also a teaching moment for coaches as well, as many work through the daily challenges of putting their athletes in the right direction.

“Our mission is to get the coaches to teach beyond the X’s and O’s, teach beyond the wins and losses,” said Richardson. “We want them to coach the heart of the kid first, and then everything else will fall into place.”

This story was originally published July 20, 2017 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Running camp’s purpose: Not just better athletes but better people."