Students Become Track Stars with Help from Peer Buddies

Two young athletes run faster and faster toward the finish line at Barry Rizzo Stadium on a warm Wednesday evening.

With each step their smiles widen, knowing that in just a few moments they will burst through the yellow ribbon and celebrate completing another lap around the track.

The athletes are not competing against each other, however. They are a peer buddy and a runner, traveling hand-in-hand toward the finish line as part of the Phoenix Runs program.

Phoenix Runs launched this year as an extension of the . Like the soccer program, the track team is designed for children with special needs or physical disabilities who require a little more attention and guidance to participate in sports, explained Melanie Schueller, who made Phoenix Runs a reality.

"Every child needs the opportunity to be involved in sports. It's part of lifelong health and fitness," said Schueller. "Running is something they can do forever."

The peer buddies are local children ranging from 9 to 18 years old and have completed Melinda Jennis' Pathways for Exceptional Children training, explained Andy Ginsburg, who is the vice president of recreation for the Aberdeen Matawan Soccer Club (AMSC) and the creator of the Phoenix Soccer program.

According to Schueller, the buddies make the program a success because the offer important peer interaction.

"Parents we try to keep out because they're always with them," she said. "We have them partner with their peers who they see in school every day."

The young runners and their buddies gather for practice every Wednesday night at the high school track, where they run laps, jump hurdles, sprint, and make new friends.

"The best way I can judge the success of the program is that every week runners are coming back," Schueller said. "I'm proud of the boys and girls who volunteer their time as buddies."

Interested in participating in Phoenix Runs as a volunteer buddy or an athlete? Contact the Aberdeen Matawan Soccer Club at questions@amsoccer.org.