The Bears Cubs Running Team is an integral program that began back in 2015 to meet the needs of inclusion, family support, and improved health of children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). 

Founded at WashU, Bear Cubs is a university-based program that improves the lives of children, their siblings, and parents, through free weekly athletic practices at Bushyhead Track. Currently, the student-athlete groups involved with Bear Cubs Running Team are the Cross Country and Track & Field Teams.

Bear Cubs serves families in the Greater St. Louis area and the program welcomes children with ASD ages 5-15 and their neurotypical siblings. An additional benefit of Bear Cubs is introducing families to a wide network of other families with shared experiences.

Practices have been developed with the help of trained physicians to ensure they are maximizing benefits for the children. The team meets weekly throughout the fall and spring with each season finishing in an end-of-season race. Every session consists of drills, games, and running. Bear Cubs are guided through practice by one-on-one coaching from student-athletes at WashU. This model helps to create a safe team atmosphere where children with ASD can develop motor skills, build friendships, and fall in love with running.

The program emphasizes teamwork, friendship, and positive exercise culture. The ultimate goal of the Bear Cubs Running Team is to make every child in the program feel confident in their abilities.

The typical Bear Cubs practice schedule is filled with many games and activities. Ordinarily, the practice begins with attendance and name tags, followed by a warmup lap that goes into dynamic stretching.

After spending quality time playing games, the group will then run another lap together before closing out the practice with static stretching, intended to cool down the body post-workout or to relieve any tension throughout the day.

Many of the games vary from week-to-week, but the most popular chosen games are Duck Duck Goose, What Time is it Mr. Fox?, and Freeze Tag. 

Children with intellectual and physical disabilities are frequently excluded from group sports, thus prolonging social isolation, perpetuating perceived incompetence in physical activity, and compounding issues with physical health. 

Looking into the future, the Executive Board is planning to expand the program next semester to include not only more Bear Cubs, but also more coaches. In Spring 2023 Bear Cubs will be accepting children with all intellectual and physical disabilities. With this change, the hope is to include more student-athletes from different teams to give additional students the opportunity to engage with the community in this unique way.

This season Bear Cubs doubled in enrollment thanks to the wonderful families who encourage classmates, neighbors, and strangers to sign-up. The profound impact on the community does not go unnoticed amongst the volunteers. The student-athlete coaches also benefit greatly from being able to view the world through a different lens and slow down enough to appreciate running in its truest form.

The everlasting impact of the Bear Cubs Running Team is not just felt from those within the community, but directly from several members of the WashU cross country teams. 

The lasting memories have been impactful, as seniors Arun Movva and Jeff Candell reflect on their time working with Bear Cubs.

To get involved with the Bear Cubs Running Team, visit https://sites.wustl.edu/bearcubsrunning/

Photos taken by Tiffany Chen - Junior (Computer Science)