3,000 Youth Track Athletes to Compete at Sports Backers Stadium
Richmond, VA – At the 2007 USA Track and Field Region III Junior Olympics Championships slated to be held at Sports Backers Stadium July 12-15, some 3,000 young track and field athletes will compete in an Olympic-style sports event that could also point them toward a course of future accomplishment.
Youth track clubs from Georgia, the Carolinas, Maryland and Virginia will be in town with their best athletes vying for a chance to compete at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in Walnut, California July 24-29. Clubs will field teams of boys and girls ages 7 through 18. There will be over 30 events from the 5,000 meter distance run to the 100 meter sprint. There will also be race walk events, steeplechase events, pentathlon, heptathlon and the field categories to include shot put, hammer throws, pole vaulting and jumping. The top three finishers in the regional championships (excluding the 8 and under group) qualify for the national championships. A great performance there can lead to the possibility of a college scholarships, a berth on an Olympic team, or other athletic accomplishments.
“It’s all about improving themselves,” says Robert Evans, who coaches the Richmond Comets track club at Huguenot High School. “Maybe they can get a college scholarship.” Noting that NFL running back Michael Robinson, who now plays with the San Francisco 49ers, is a former Comets track club runner, Evans adds, “Track and field gives kids confidence at an early age to take to team sports.”
The Richmond Comets have 40 kids in their program, and 30 have qualified for the regional meet. Other track clubs that have qualified kids to the regional championship meet are the Central Virginia Jaguars, the Richmond Heat, the Henrico Pacers, the Glenarden (Maryland) Track Club, the Durham (North Carolina) Striders Track Club and the Baldwin County (Georgia) Jets.
Competition commences on Thursday, July 12 at 9:00 a.m. at Sports Backers Stadium. Admission is $5 per day or $3 for senior citizens. A four-day pass is $15 or $10 for senior citizens.
For more information on the USATF Region III Junior Olympics Championships go to www.virginia.usatf.org