November 17, 2006

Runnin’ Raiders

Silver Creek High School holds second annual Turkey Trot run

By Diego Abeloos
Editor

Approximately 1,500 Silver Creek High School students took part in the school’s second annual Turkey Trot, a two-mile run that winds its way through surrounding neighborhood streets, on Nov. 21.

Second annual Silver Creek Turkey Trot overall female winner Samantha Collins.	Overall male winner John Tran.

The event, which is held the week of Thanksgiving, is to promote general health and enthusiasm in fitness, said Silver
Creek physical education instructor Jim DeDiego, who helped set up the event along with several other fellow teachers in the P.E. department. Students taking part in the event ran the course during their P.E. periods.

“The nice part about it is setting students up with the opportunity to see what a road race would be like, or what are different things I can do in life to be physically fit and get involved,” DeDiego said.

“One of the things we do in physical education is lifelong learning,” added Margaret Nunes, a P.E. instructor at the school who helped organize the event. “…It’s just to make (the student) a little bit more aware of the things they can do and to have that feeling of success.”

Silver Creek students head down the final stretch of the two-mile Silver Creek Turkey Trot, which was held on Nov. 21 at the school. Runners who completed the two-mile course within the required times received Turkey Trot t-shirts from their physical education teachers. Photos by Diego Abeloos

The two-mile course began on the school’s track and continued on Brigadoon Street, before going right onto Carryduff Way and through Rexwood Court. The course then wound its way to Yerba Buena Avenue and back to Silver Creek Road, where the students turned back onto the school’s track and crossed the finish line to complete the course.

The challenge for all the students was simple: boys had to complete the two-mile course in 18 minutes or less to receive a Turkey Trot t-shirt, while girls had to complete in 22 minutes or less for the same prize. DeDiego said he was pleased to see that more than 50 percent of the students completed the course within the time requirements. In fact, with so many students completing the course and earning shirts, DeDiego was forced to order another shipment of the shirts for the students.

The overall winners, from all classes during the school’s seven class periods, were Samantha Collins (13 minutes and 27 seconds) and John Tran (11 minutes and 29 seconds).

DeDiego said the event has grown since its inaugural staging last year, particularly in the number of students taking part in the event, as well as the addition of prizes for winners. This year, DeDiego received gift certificates and other items as prizes donated by Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald’s, Safeway, L&L Barbeque, Starbucks, Baskin Robbins, Jamba Juice and Round Table Pizza. DeDiego said he was especially thankful for the efforts of Minda Rougieri, a Silver Creek Parent who not only helped secure donations for the event, but also generously gave her own donation of prizes.

The event itself was the brainchild of DeDiego, as well as other P.E. instructors, who put their heads together to find a way to promote health to their students.

“We really have had, over the past couple of years, an emphasis on running,” said DeDiego, who added that students worked up to the two-mile run gradually in their classes over the past month. “Each week, on one day, we have a fairly good run. I like running off campus and had done it before, so I talked to the other coaches about it, and they were supportive. The nice thing about our department is when everybody does something it just gets better and better.”

Aside from Turkey Trot t-shirts for those completing the course in the required times, male and female winners from each class period received a donated prize. In addition, those completing the course in 30 minutes or less were eligible for a random drawing to also receive a prize.

And while the event was held to promote health and fitness, Nunes said the students have taken a special liking to the event, proudly sporting their Turkey Trot shirts around school. She added that she’s also received suggestions from her students to hold more runs throughout the year.

“Some of the kids were so enthused that they wanted a reindeer run, or a bunny hop run, or whatever,” she said. “It wasn’t the top runners who wanted to do this. It was just kids who wanted to beat their (old) times.”

The event also brings about a friendly competition with instructors in the P.E. department, DeDiego said, with bragging rights on the line for the instructor with the most students finishing the course on time.

“The coaches of course, we’re all so dang competitive, that we’re all competing against each other,” DeDiego said with a chuckle. “…It’s very competitive here.”