Does anyone know why Girls On The Run charges $150?

Perhaps I am wrong about someone making money off the program, but it has become too big and bureacratic with too many rules.

I know some schools had girls in tears because they had reached their limit of 20 or whatever the number was and GOTR had to have strict rules for enrollment in order to be fair.

I agree about the comment that most girls do not like the non-running part of the program. And the race is very frustrating to the serious runners as it is made to be non-competitive with no seeding at the start and no awards.

The program is a great idea, though, but a lot of money for those on a tight budget.

How much does soccer girls' soccer cost?

That is your answer.

-IJBIJBi9q nm-945y wrote:

I know you will never believe I am not a troll.

I do not think the fee is out of line. My daughter did GOTR when she was in the 4th grade.

At the end of the program, she was fired up because she saw she could run as well as the 5th graders and did summer track for the first time and has been running ever since.

However, long before the program was over, she and her best friend said they would never do GOTR again. They hated the non-running part of the program.

"Any troll here who seriously laments 3rd through 5th grade girls learning about healthy body image, positive self esteem, and teamwork among others and decries lack of 5K "training" should be banned from coaching athletes of any age."

Here's a blog post from one former "coach".

monkeyshine wrote:

Here's a blog post from one former "coach".

http://www.gotracygo.com/2011/05/girls-on-run.html

Why do you hate little girls? Why?!

I volunteer with the adult program Girls On The Rag. It's an emotional rollercoaster every month, but I find it to be a rewarding experience.

No, but I wish I did. I totally feel like I was ripped off big time. I was charge d $170 and my daughter did not get anything out if the girls on the run experience. This was the program in Belmont. We won't be involved again and will discourage others not to be involved. RIPOFF.

No, but I wish I did. I totally feel like I was ripped off big time. I was charge d $170 and my daughter did not get anything out if the girls on the run experience. This was the program in Belmont. We won't be involved again and will discourage others not to be involved. RIPOFF.

I used to be a "coach" for my local GOTR chapter. The program is terrible. It sounded good on paper but the execution is piss-poor. The program has next-to-nothing to do with running. Instead, it's a badly-executed social/emotional development program. I could go on about what a rotten program it is but...yeah.

Coaches get thick and glossy lesson plan books. Activities and discussions are pre-set each week. Coaches were expected to buy supplemental activity supplies on their own (paper, markers, stickers, etc). We also all got t-shirts. I think the girls got 2 t-shirts each. Costs to put on the 5k were as negligible as a 5k could be. The local university lets the girls run on their golf course. All prizes are donated. Each girl finisher got a ribbon. I guess GOTR had to pay for safety pins, bibs, and maybe flagging for the course. All entrants got a race t-shirt but those had community sponsors on the back so GOTR didn't have to meet all that cost.

If you need after school care, GOTR will keep your kid safe. If you want your kid to love running or your want to support an effective program, look somewhere else.

I know the hs/college kids on this Board think everything's a rip-off ($5 to livestream a marathon? no way!) but I"m surprised to see the parents here are nearly as frugal. It's $150 for eight weeks of running. You pay the plumber the same amount for a single house visit. You'd think runners could get behind a running program but hang out on LRC long enough and there's not always a lot of supporting evidence for this. Emblematic of the sport unfortunately.

I was coach last year and thought it was a good program, but I'm sure it all depends on who you're working with. We had a range of girls with different personalities. The goal was to build self-esteem, develop interpersonal skills, etc., with running as an outlet. To simplify:

Goal A) Feel good about yourself and others

Goal B) See running as a fun, social activity instead of punishment

Goal C) Continue to run later in life, compete in high school and so on.

Obviously not all the girls got to C, but that's the progression. We try to plant the seed so they can be "real runners" later. A few of the girls were already there. I still run into a few of them at local races.

Paying 150 bucks or needing a "scholarship" to run is as ridiculous as needing a credit card to put air in a low tire.

girls, girls, girls wrote:

GOTR local board member wrote:

The goal of our local chapter is to empower all local girls (read economically disadvantage girls). On average about 25% of our girls are on some form of scholarship, we also have remained essentially revenue neutral. While personally I feel some funds are frivioulosly spent on non running essential items remember the goal is not about training these girls to complete a 5k it's the lessons (costs) they gain during the buildup.

Were the goal to train to complete a 5k, then perhaps they might learn some lessons from working toward the goal. As you describe it, GOTR is a feelgood program in which everyone's a winner. That doesn't teach much.

I've run in a local GOTR race -- never again. It was poorly managed and the course was actually close to dangerous. I didn't see many economically disadvantaged kids, either.

Were you the guy who "won" a girls on the run race about 6 years ago by barely out kicking my 14 year old sister?

Thank you, White Guys who've never put on an event (or even volunteered), for weighing in with your important opinions.

My concern is not the $150, which I can understand on either side of the argument. But my REAL question is why, in my town, are there multiple adult parties to raise money for the charity. Where does that money go and why is it needed? The aren't very clear, as a non-profit, on what the money is for. So this is not about being frugal and more about wanted to know what the hell the money and fundraisers' are for and how its spent.

GOTR local board member wrote:

The goal of our local chapter is to empower all local girls (read economically disadvantage girls). On average about 25% of our girls are on some form of scholarship, we also have remained essentially revenue neutral. While personally I feel some funds are frivioulosly spent on non running essential items remember the goal is not about training these girls to complete a 5k it's the lessons (costs) they gain during the buildup.

Research says 99% of those that use the word empower are hacks.

Hard to judge without knowing what a person gets for that money.

I have very intimate knowledge of my local gotr chapter. They are flush with cash. Lots of planning meetings at expensive restaurants. Lots of volunteers, such as coaches, who do good things. But the "management team" enjoys expensive brunches, dinners and trips all paid for by donors and fund raisers. If the girls are benefitting, that's a good thing. That doesn't mean it isn't a form of s ponzi scheme.

Charity Navigator provides consolidated information and ratings that may be helpful for parents trying to make decisions about GOTR.

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=13917

From my reading of their data, GOTR receives high scores for transparency and mid-range scores for financial health. They lost points on the financial rating due to administrative expenses totaling just under 25% of their total functional expenses, and for a high (in CN's view) liability to asset ratio.

My takeaway is that GOTR is spends a fair amount of money on administrative expenses (separate from program expenses) and are debt heavy. The high fees make sense to me in this context. That said I chose not to participate in their program. The costs for the program are simply not in line with other youth programs available to my family.

I hope to see more locally organized running programs for kids in my area that do not have such high enrollment costs. However, I find little evidence that GOTR is a "bad" program. They are just expensive and that expense appears to be a result of their heavy spending.

A fool and her money are soon parted.