By Laurie Gordon
FREDON — It takes a dynamic teacher to not only create but to perpetuate an event that helps kids both set and achieve goals while doing something healthy for themselves. The teacher is Lisa Trusa and the event is the annual Fredon School Turkey Trot which is the finale of The Run for Fun at school where students can earn prizes for running during gym class, recess or other races.
Trusa has been doing this for 18 years.
“For the students running I love watching them run knowing that they are not afraid to set goals and take challenges,” Trusa said. “For the spectators I love watching them cheer the runners by extending a hand for a high five or yelling a word of encouragement.”
On Monday, at about 1:30 pm, the entire student body left the Fredon Township School and walked across the street to Lodestar Park where music, including the theme from Rocky, was playing to get them pumped up.
Last year's Turkey Trot winners, Christie Liuzza and Sean Utter, returned to lead the kids in a warm up and then run the last person in for the girls then boys race.
Liuzza, a stand out field hockey, basketball and lacrosse player, is a seventh grader at Kittatinny Junior High.
“It was a lot of fun to return for the Turkey Trot and great to come back here,” she said.
The girls' race was a close one between Miranda Bournique and Lola Brand. The girls worked together form most of the double-loop mile course and then on the last downhill, it was game on.
Bournique took with win with Brand right behind her and at the end, Taylor Hough gunned it on the downhilll finish for a strong third place finish. The girls ran 6:14, 6:17 and 6:29, respectively.
“My goal was to not stop running even on those big hills in the back,” Bournique said. “I was very proud of myself to win but it was also fun to run most of it with Lola.”
Bournique runs for The Bears Youth Running Program in the fall and Brand and Hough are soccer players.
“I had a lot of fun running this and I'm really happy to have gotten second and run with Miranda,” Brand said.
“I'm happy with my race and the Turkey Trot is so much fun,” Hough said. “Mrs Trusa does a lot to get us ready and I love the music and everyone watching.”
In the boys' race, fifth grader Kaleb Nelson took a decisive win turning in a blazing 5:44, and he isn't a runner at all: he's a football player.
“I ran a hard race and worked the hills in the back and I'm happy with how I did today,” he said.
Jacob Pool was second in 6:01 with Benji Koch right on his tail with 6:02.
The winners were happy and so were all of the kids and parents out at the park.
“I'm proud of myself to have the perseverance I did today,” said sixth grader Chase Hansen. “My goal was to do better than I did last year and I did and I had fun out there.”
The Turkey Trot was originally held on the school grounds.
“We moved to the park when the school went through some facilities changes and lost field space when these changes happened,” Trusa said.
The Run for Fun takes place during the first few months of school. For each mile a student runs, a box is colored on a wall chart at the school. When a student runs five miles, they receive a plastic foot token. They can do miles during phys ed class, during recess and at sanctioned races in the community. When a student reaches 25 miles, they receive a 25 mile charm and large plastic foot. If they reach 50 miles during the course of the program, they receive a 50 mile charm and another large plastic foot. At the completion of Run For Fun, all students who ran five or more miles receive a certificate of completion.
Trusa's Run for Fun and annual Turkey Trot has made a huge positive impact on students over the years.
Ali Taylor graduated from The Fredon School in 2004 and looks back fondly on her Turkey Trot years.
“Mrs Trusa was always so great and that run for fun where we earned points by running at recess was great. She really got us to love the sport and doing something healthy for our bodies.”
“The energy level is high. Whether a runner or spectator everyone looks forward to this event,” Trusa said.
Two students dress as turkeys each year and the start for each race, which includes fourth, fifth and sixth graders, is a gobble. The rest of the student body lines the down hill which the runners go down on the first loop and then again as they come into the finish. Bruce Wask, who runs a winter track and field program called The Polar Bears, was on hand to present t-shirt to the winners.
Abby DeFalco is a firth grader and said, “I play soccer so the practice I got for this race was through my soccer and running at school. It was a lot of fun.”
When it comes to the Turkey Trot, Sienna Templeton surmised, “It's not really about how fast you go at the Turkey Trot. It's something you get to do every year with the whole school and to have a great time out running.”
“Now more than ever we need to keep kids active everyday,” Trusa said. “There are concerns about childhood obesity, more demands/stress with testing, and increased time on computers.Exercise benefits the mind and body in so many ways.I hope an event like this will instill a love for activity at a young age in hopes of it carrying over into adulthood.”