“On a windy fall afternoon, dozens of children ran, shouting and laughing, across the lawn at Westview Elementary School, enjoying an exuberant game of tag. The kids had been separated into groups labeled Jeeps, Cadillacs and Corvettes by physical education teacher and cross country coach Sam Compogno.

“Car lot!” he yelled, meaning everyone was “It.” However, one little girl had already forgotten the rules. She looked up at her teacher. “Mr. C. what’s car lot?” she asked.

What looked like after-school play time was actually training for the first elementary cross country meet of the season. “We want to make it fun for them,” said Compogno. “I’m into tricking them into enjoying running.”

It doesn’t take much trickery. Many children are born to run, and thanks to a local nonprofit organization, Active4Youth, Spokane-area elementary students once again have the opportunity to participate in cross country.” http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/oct/08/nonprofit-restarts-running-programs/

How imporant do you think after-school sports programs are for elementary kids?