We're Military Spouses. We're Runners. We're Stroller Warriors.
  Stroller Warriors Running Club
  • Home
  • About Us
    • How it all began
    • How it all continues
    • Who we are
    • What we do
    • SW Testimonials
  • Chapters
    • How to join
    • Starting a Chapter
    • Coordinating an Existing Chapter
    • Coordinator lineage
  • Blog
    • Meet the Authors
  • Miles
    • Program History
    • RTW Chapter Videos
    • 2023 Wall of Fame
    • 2022 Wall of Fame
    • 2021 Wall of Fame
    • 2020 Wall of Fame
    • 2019 Wall of Fame
    • 2018 Wall of Fame
    • 2017 Wall of Fame
    • 2016 Wall of Fame
    • 2015 Wall of Fame
    • 2014 Wall of Fame
  • News
    • Videos
    • Awards
    • Photos
  • Gear
  • FAQ
  • Contact Us

Founding Stories: Stroller Warriors® Keesler

5/9/2019

0 Comments

 
By Yvonne Z.
I heard about the Stroller Warriors® Running Club at Ramstein, Germany, where I am originally from. My husband and I attended a 5K fun run which was organized by an organization called the “KMC 5K Runners”. The Stroller Warriors Ramstein, Germany had a table there with some info about them and I instantly liked what I saw! This was in 2017.
Stroller running was brand new to me, since I had just had my daughter and I thought joining the Stroller Warriors sounds promising. I joined the group and my good friend and I attended a few workouts in the local area. I felt right at “home” going to the workouts. Shortly after I had discovered Stroller Warriors Ramstein, we received orders to Keesler, Mississippi, which was my very first PCS and the first time moving away from home. The Stroller Warriors community was super helpful, giving me lots of tips and advise that they have gained with their past moves. I was sad that I had found them so close to our PCS, but was looking forward to our new adventure.
Picture
Once at Keesler I drove around the base to explore our new home while my husband had his first day at work. We were still living in the Temporary Lodging Facility (TLF) and my daughter and I were out and about. One of the first things I noticed was the beautiful running track that bends around the flight line adjacent to the Biloxi Back Bay. Coming from Germany I always wanted to live close to water and was in awe of how beautiful the scenery was. “With such a nice running track, there must be a SW chapter on base” was the first thought that crossed my mind.
Back in TLF I took my laptop and started searching for a SW chapter but couldn’t find one. I emailed Headquarters (HQ) to verify. HQ answered quickly saying that there was not a chapter yet and asked me If I would be interested in starting one… I filled out the questionnaire to launch a chapter right then and there, two days after arriving at Keesler.

Of course I had doubts if I would be able to “pull it off” since my time with Stroller Warriors in Germany had been so short and I didn’t have time to really get to know the club, BUT with full support from my husband and my fantastic Regional Mentor, Kim B., I was able to build up the chapter.
On March 22nd, 2018 we officially launched our Keesler chapter with a fantastic inaugural workout. We had a great turnout, the weather was perfect and everybody had a great time. I remember that after the workout I was so pumped. I didn’t remember what I had said in my speech or anything, but I felt happy and confident that this was going to be an amazing adventure.
Picture
Picture
SW Keesler's Fearless Founder, Yvonne, with her daughter.
I was incredibly lucky to have had quite a few Warriors in the group from the day our Facebook group launched, who posted their running stories, photos and motivated others to do so as well. I am so thankful for them. They will always be a big part of building up the chapter.

Just a few weeks ago we celebrated our ONE year Runniversary with a birthday party themed workout and also kicked off our second round of Couch to 5K (C25K)!! It was a very special day for me and made me reflect on the past year and all the accomplishments and friendships I was able to make with the chapter.
The only way to describe this past year is that is was phenomenal! We had an incredible kick
off, motivated Warriors from the get go, we dedicated several workouts to charity organizations,
held donation drives for Fisher House and Toys for Tots, we also had so much fun putting our
first Mini Warrior program together and had a very successful first round of C25K in the Fall of 2018.
Picture
Wear Blue: Run to Remember Run
Most importantly, we built each other up, made friendships that will last a lifetime and celebrated personal goals, no matter how big or small. I can’t wait to see what this next year holds for us as a chapter. We are growing and are well- known throughout the base and surrounding military installations. So far I have received nothing but positive feedback, which makes me very proud.

We are currently working on our chapter specific logo and I can’t wait to proudly wear our own
Keesler specific Stroller Warrior gear soon.
Picture
Mini Warriors Graduation Race!
WE are Stroller Warriors Keesler - Running the Gulf Coast!
Thank you so much for sharing your story Yvonne!
We have no doubt that with your guidance Stroller Warriors
Keesler will continue to grow and create many lasting memories!

If you’re a Chapter Founder and would like your story featured please email me at paige.swglobal@gmail.com! If you’re interested in founding a chapter and bringing
Stroller Warriors to your location, please follow these instructions.
0 Comments
    Meet the Authors

    Categories

    All
    Community Outreach
    DIY
    Duty Stations
    Founding Stories
    Gifts For Runners
    Inspiration
    Member Spotlight
    Races
    Running Tips
    Running With Your Dog
    Shoes
    Strength Training/Cross Training
    Stroller Warriors By The Numbers
    Trail Running
    Treadmill Running

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    RSS Feed

    Miles>>
Proudly created by Stroller Warriors®, a Registered Trademark