5 Things to Expect at Your First RBO Practice
Welcome to The RBO Village — our home for stories, tips, and updates from the RBO community. Every Saturday, RBO sets up a "Village" at Snow Park, the same way race organizers set up vendor villages near a start or finish line, where runners check in, grab a snack, and connect with other RBO families. This blog serves as our digital village, a place where we can all come together to keep up with everything happening at RBO and celebrate the incredible community we’ve built together.
For our inaugural post, we're starting where every family starts when they join RBO: your very first practice! If your family is new to Running for a Better Oakland, you might be picturing something like a track team — fast kids, serious drills, maybe a little intimidating for a first-timer, but that's not what RBO is about. We’re committed to providing a space for runners of all abilities to show up to practice exactly as they are and leave with a love for running. Whether your student has never run a mile in their life or already loves lacing up, here are five beginner running tips for kids to know before walking into your first practice.
1. You Don't Need Any Running Experience
This is the single most common question we get from new families, and the answer is always the same: no running experience necessary! RBO is a youth running program built for every skill level, from kids who've never run further than the length of a playground to kids who are already chasing a personal best. Coaches meet every student exactly where they are from day one.
2. You'll Get Fitted for the Season
New students and families are welcomed with an RBO shirt on their first day, and students become eligible for a free pair of running shoes after attending a couple of practices. Nothing about joining RBO costs a family anything — that's true from the very first Saturday.
Quick heads-up: wear real running or athletic shoes to your first practice — no crocs or sandals — and bring a water bottle.
3. Practice Is Broken Into Age Groups
Your student won't be thrown into one big group with kids twice their age. RBO splits practice by age — younger runners (K-5th grade) and older runners (6th-12th grade) train separately, with coaching and pacing suited to each group. A first-grader and a high schooler practice differently, with coaches guiding them every step of the way.
One thing worth knowing before you arrive: at the end of practice, students in 5th grade and under must be checked out by a parent or guardian at the RBO tent. Students in 6th grade and up are welcome to check themselves out.
4. There's a Simple Check-In System
Every practice starts with check-in, where you'll pick up a name tag — this is how coaches and volunteers know who's on-site and can keep everyone safe during practice. It only takes a minute, and it's the same quick routine every Saturday once you've done it once.
5. You're Joining a Community, Not Just a Team
Running is really just the starting point. At RBO, practice is where kids build confidence, parents become part of a genuinely tight-knit Oakland community, and coaches and Run Mentors show up week after week because they care about your student and their goals, not just attendance numbers. So many of our families tell us the running is what got them in the door, but the community is what keeps them coming back.
