3/21/05

Parks & Recreation Offers Second Year of Track & Field for Children
Registration Deadline Approaching

On your mark! Get set! The Holly Springs Parks & Recreation Hershey Track & Field season is getting ready to go!

Friday, April 1, is the registration deadline for this month-long series of practices that train children for local, regional and state track and field meets. However, late registrations will be accepted for a limited time.

Holly Springs Parks & Recreation began offering this sport last year to teach participants running techniques that would help them improve at not just track and field but at other sports, as well. The program was a success.

“We had quite a few kids last year who placed first in the regional meet and made it to the state track meet,” said Jed Poston, assistant athletic director. “The top two finishers of each event in the local meet advance to the regional meet, and the top two finishers from the regional meet go to the state meet, so the fact that so many of our participants made it to the finals, to the state meet, is a great testimony to the quality of the Holly Springs program.”

This year, practices begin in early May and will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, as well as some Saturday mornings. All practices will be held at the Holly Ridge Middle School track, also the location of the local meet on June 4. Boys and girls compete separately in three age categories – ages 9-10, ages 11-12 and ages 13-14. Individual events include everything from the 50-meter dash to the one-mile, the standing long jump and the softball throw. A 4x100-meter relay also is offered. Children compete in a maximum of three events – two track events and one field event, or one track event and two field events.

“First of all, this is fun, and it gives kids good exercise,” Poston said. “Like any other sport, it teaches them values and definitely discipline.”

Poston added that unlike team sports, in track and field, the competition is more individual, with each participant trying to run faster or jump further than the last time.

“There's nothing out there for these age groups, other than the schools, to teach them track,” he said. “If you like to run, this is a good way to get into it, learn some techniques that will improve your times, and improve a skill that is needed for so many other sports. The Hershey Track & Field mission statement is about having fun and learning track and field basics.”

Registration is $40 for residents, and the late fee is $10. For nonresidents, registration is $48 with a $12 late fee. For additional information, see the Track & Field flyer on the Parks & Recreation athletics webpage, or call the Parks & Recreation Department at (919) 557-6293.

Town of Holly Springs - PO Box 8 - 128 South Main Street - Holly Springs, NC 27540 - (919) 552-6221 - Holly.Springs@hollyspringsnc.us