2007 Springfield Youth OlympicThe first Springfield Youth Olympics took place at Springfield College on July 27th and 28th, by all accounts, it was a rousing success. "This event accomplished exactly what we set out for," Community Relations Director of Springfield Azell Murphy Cavaan said. "We wanted to foster a sense of community and provide an opportunity for our youth to showcase their ability." Read more | See photos  The Springfield Youth Olympics held its first-ever opening ceremony at Springfield College on Friday night and included remarks by Springfield Mayor Charles V. Ryan and Springfield College President Richard B. Flynn. The meet took place over Friday and Saturday and featured more than 200 youths, both boys and girls, ages 8 to 20, competing in 11 track and field events. The inspiration for the meet came from Springfield Carnival Association President Dennis Brown. "I came up with the idea, and I contacted Mayor Ryan," Brown said. "Mayor Ryan contacted Dr. Flynn, who was very excited for the idea and made it all possible by donating the track free of cost." Springfield College Director of Communications Brendan Neal said that the school was happy to get involved. "We're pleased to host this helpful activity for the city's youth," Neal said. "Sharing our track is one of the ways that Springfield College can contribute to the quality of life in the city." Springfield Youth Olympics Meet Coordinator James Morton said that the meet was among the top events that he has been involved with. "This is one of the best community activities that I've ever seen because of the interactions between the kids and the parents and the community," Morton said. Morton said that what was important to him was providing kids with a positive experience that they could share with their parents as well as promoting track and field and overall health. Director of Officials Michael Budd said that times and distances were not the most important aspect of this weekend's events. "It's important that the kids go away with a good feeling about the sport, so that they'll come back," said Budd, who is also the girls track and field coach at East Longmeadow. "If we do that than we'll have been successful." Greater Springfield Harriers coach Janice Watson, who also coaches at the High School of Commerce and Bay Path College, agreed that promoting the sport to inner-city youths is key. "Track is one of the easiest sports to earn a college scholarship and a lot of these kids don't know that," she said. Along with raising awareness for the sport, health and wellness was another one of the reasons that Springfield College was so eager to participate. "Springfield College has been a leader in physical fitness and education for over a century," Neal said. "We hope that this weekend's events will inspire the city's youth and their family to participate in a healthy lifestyle." All of the events coordinators expressed the desire to help the event grow in the years to come. "It can only get better from here," Brown said. By CHRISTIAN McCOLLUM cmccollum@repub.com Source: Masslive.com Springfield News:
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Page last updated: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 10:42 am