Strangely, even though harriers clubs have an old tradition going back many generations, they are still new to many people. Why is that? And why should we bring back this new / old sport today, especially for and with our kids?
Harriers run together in a game called Hare and Hounds. The hares lay a trail for the hounds to follow and catch them. It’s a reanactment of a hunt in playful form.
- It’s a team game. Kids learn cooperation, patience, team spirit, generosity, and communication.
- It’s cooperative, so kids learn that winning does not have to mean beating other people. There is a sense of solidarity, not “us against them”.
- Kids learn creativity and problem solving in a real world environment, very unlike the “safe” but often really dangerous world of rules-heavy, artificial “professional sports”.
- It’s informal, amateur, and volunteer-led. Kids learn the value taking initiative, donating time and effort for the good of our friends and ultimately ourselves.
- It’s just for fun! Although we reward ourselves for a good run, there are no prizes for “performance”, whatever that is, but there are plenty of opportunities for a sense of humour, creativity, and shared entertainment.
- It’s natural, people run, jog, or walk at their own pace. Kids learn to know their limits and pay attention to their own physique, not aiming for some arbitrary measure of “success”.
Vilnius Harriers 