ABSTRACT
Heather was excited as she jumped into her SUV on her way to her first site visit. She had been a coach for Girls Running for Life (GRL) for the past two seasons, but this was the first time she would see the program at work in another school, and her first visit in an official capacity in her new role as regional program director. By her side was Andi, a college student and summer intern for the program who did mostly administrative work with the organization and had recently been tasked with assisting Heather in her transition. On the drive downtown, Heather described her excitement. Their visit to Reed Elementary school would be Heather’s first visit to another team. As they pulled up to the urban campus, Heather was careful to explain, “We have to remember, we’re not here to criticize, but to observe. My job is to make sure the program is consistent and that each coach is following the GRL mission of preparing girls for a lifetime of healthy living.” Andi nodded, and Heather continued, “When I spoke with Ms. B, the coach at Reed Elementary, to set up our site visit, she admitted she was nervous having us there. I explained there is no reason to be nervous. These visits are to get a sense of how coaches lead the girls in their lessons and help them train for the 5K run at the end of the season as an example of goal setting and giving the girls a sense of accomplishment.”
