Hundreds find competition, camaraderie at elementary meet

HOUSTON — What has more than 2,400 arms and legs, giggles incessantly and can Hoover a bag of Cheetos in seconds?

Those at Houston High School field on Saturday know it’s the combined energy of more than 600 Mat-Su Borough School District students participating in the annual Elementary Track and Field Meet. And this is a far cry from what many parents remember as a field day tradition.

Along with field events like the softball throw and high jump, young athletes enjoyed the sunny, 50-degree weather while parents, teachers and coaches rallied to keep track of hundreds of youngsters.

For dad Rick Bushey, he only had to keep track of one participant — his 10-year-old daughter Lydia.

“I like the mile and the relay,” a winded Lydia exclaimed after receiving a hug from her dad following the 400-meter run. “I really enjoy the relay, because, well, it’s like, the whole team thing, I guess.”

The Machetanz Elementary School fourth-grader also placed third in both the 800 and 1,600, and was part of a second-place 400 relay team. She also did some field events, but running is her strong suit, she said.

“For one, I can’t jump really well without running into things,” she said. “I was pretty amazed by some of the people doing the high jump, that was pretty cool, just being able to do that backwards.”

For father and daughter, Saturday was their first field day.

“I’m from back East,” Rick explained. “We worked on the farm when I was a kid.”

At the high jump pit, it was hard to miss Knik Elementary fifth-grader Brody Regallo as he tried to pull his fluorescent orange track shoes over the bar.

“I can get everything over but my feet,” he said. “My feet keep hitting the bar.”

He likes the high jump “because it’s fun,” and also runs the 100 and 200.

His younger brother Riley, 9, said he prefers the distance running events and said the mile run is his favorite.

“That’s because I’m good at it,” he said. “I was, like, sick to my stomach and my foot hurts, but last year when I was feeling good, I got first place when we did the mile.”

Father Bill Regallo praised the organizers of the event and enjoyed the warm weather.

Keeping track of more than 600 elementary school students pumped up on adrenaline is a challenge, said Sherry Shaw, one of three Tanaina Elementary coaches.

“I bring extra adults to help supervise,” she said. “It is difficult and all fun at the same time. All I ask of the kids is to do their best and we’ll be proud of them no matter what.”

To help train, many of the schools, including Tanaina, said they set up obstacle courses and other activities before Saturday’s meet.

While organized chaos was the order of the day in many camps, Jerry Leach appeared to be one of the most calm on the infield. He quietly held a colorful sign supporting his daughter, Evelyn, a fifth-grader at Snowshoe Elementary School.

A military dad, Jerry said he often has conflicts with his children’s events, so being able to cheer his daughter on was a special treat.

“She’s doing great,” he beamed. “She did the softball throw and did better than she did in her practices, and she did a great job in the obstacle course.”

He recalls participating in his own field day events “a long, long time ago, but it was nothing as big as this,” he said. “This is awesome. It’s great for the kids and everybody seems to be having a wonderful time.”

Contact Greg Johnson at 352-2269 or greg.johnson@frontiersman.com.