New youth track and field program introduces young athletes to the sport
It’s no secret that sports has turned into almost a year-round proposition for today’s youth, and parents of kids in most sporting endeavors have grown accustomed to getting their kids involved with at an early age.
But until this year, one sport has been somewhat left out of that loop: track and field. Heather Kamrud-Rice is changing that with her elementary track and field program, which brought out about 20 youth for its first practice this past Saturday at the high school track and field complex.
“As a coach, I want to build the program,” said Kamrud-Rice, who is in her second year as head coach of the Panther varsity teams. “I feel like kids often have no idea what track and field is until they get into the high school. There are so many fun parts to track and field, and I wanted to expose them early.
“At the first practice, the kids got a little bit of everything,” she added. “We will start training them on how to get ready for that event and how to navigate a track meet. “
There is also an Elementary Track Camp that takes place in the summer where kids learn a little bit of every aspect of the sport, including running, relay hand-offs, throwing, blocks and small hurdles. Part of the reason for these youth programs is a new mandate that says elementary-aged students are no longer permitted to participate with those in high school.
“This year, they passed a rule that says that sixthgraders can’t practice or participate in the same gym or event as a ninth-grader,” Kamrud-Rice said.
“We used to get a few sixth-graders that joined track. Most of the time these were kids that know what track is and can’t wait to join. Well, since that’s not an option, I decided it was time to implement our spring elementary track program.”
Kamrud-Rice said she’s been thinking of ways to get kids interested in the sport for a few years. She has invited the younger kids to “join” older athletes in practices for “Big Buddy Day,” where each child was assigned a mentor on the varsity team for a modified practice. However, the new rule prohibits even doing that.
“What I’ve always wanted to do was have an elementary track meet,” Kamrud-Rice said. “Track meets are a lot of work to organize, but we’re ready. This new rule kind of lit a fire under me that it’s time to get this spring track program going and end it with a meet for these kids. So, our track practices in the spring will focus more on getting them ready for the events they want to compete in at their track meet.
An elementary track meet is scheduled for May 24.
Kamrud-Rice’s ultimate goal is to get kids involved in the sport earlier rather than later and show them the diversity of events track and field can offer.
“There is something for everyone,” she said. “There is running, jumping, throwing. There’s individual events and relays. And we’ve got a fantastic group of varsity kids that will do a great job of encouraging and teaching these kids throughout this season and into the meet.”
Helping Kamrud-Rice practices are: Brittany Peterson, Alex Greenway, Alicia Swenhaugen, Nikki Hippe and Justin Struchen.
