Competitive campers

Kids vie for pride at park department’s track and field day

Special to The Vindicator

YOUNGSTOWN

Nearly 400 chil- dren carrying hand-painted signs and shaking rice-filled water bottles swarmed Cardinal Mooney High School’s track for the Youngstown Parks and Recreation Department’s annual track and field day.

Campers from eight city parks on Thursday made a loop around the track with signs bearing messages such as “All we do is win” and “Go hard or go Homestead,” then sang the national anthem before beginning the games.

Sports tournaments are a weekly occurrence at the park camps that children age 5 to 18 can attend for free from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday, but the track and field event is the most eagerly anticipated event of the summer.

“The week before, they’ll be practicing and racing against each other,” said Lolita Brooks, the assistant park supervisor who organized the event. “They’re always looking forward to this.”

Leah Harris, 6, who was a finalist in the 50-meter dash, said she practiced by racing on foot and on a bike with her older brother.

The John White Park camper said her motivation to train is simple: “I like winning.”

Campers could chose two events in which to compete. Options included the 400-meter run, 100- and 50-meter dashes, shot put, long jump and wheelbarrow race.

The competitive atmosphere can be tense, which is why Brooks stops by every camp the week before the event to give a pep talk.

“I let them know this is good sportsmanship,” she said. “Win or lose, compete and have a good time.”

While some children were still brought to tears for not performing as well as they’d hoped, Homestead Park camper Cameron Lawrence knew he’d do well.

Seven-year-old Cameron came in first place in the 50-meter dash.

Cameron, who runs with the summer track team Youngstown Striders, was wearing black and silver track shoes and a game face that had his competitors talking on the sidelines before the race.

“I feel like a champ,” Cameron said after crossing the finish line.

Camp directors awarded gift bags with school supplies to those who placed first through third in their event.

Those who didn’t place still had something to look forward to, however. After the track and field events, campers decorated foam visors and had their faces painted.

Having something to make every child at the camp confident and successful is what the program strives for, Brooks added. It’s because of that mission that Brooks has been working with the park department the last two decades and planning the track and field event the last few years.

“You see the ones that are in a lot of trouble, and you take them aside and let them know how much we want them to participate in different activities,” she said. “They’ve got a choice.”