A history of fun at Lincoln's Elementary Track Day

Grade school kids from several small schools around the region descended on Lincoln, May 24 for the annual Elementary Track Day.

Track Day brings elementary students from Helmville, Wolf Creek and Canyon Creek to Lincoln every year as the school year winds down for a day of fun and games, and has proven to be one of the highlights of the year for the kids here.

"They look forward to it, similar to elementary basketball," said Lincoln Health and PE teacher Shane Brown, who has been coordinating the event for the last 15 years. "When I pass them in the halls they're all 'track day's coming up. I'm ready to run, I'm ready to throw' or whatever it might be. There's a lot of anticipation leading up to it."

Although the day includes track and field standards such as races, a high jump, the shot put and discus, it also has a few old-fashioned field day standbys like potato sack races and a water balloon toss.

"(Events) typically stay the same," Brown said. "The first few years I was modifying and working on timing and things like that. It's been pretty consistent for the last five years."

It's not just the youngsters who get excited about track day, Brown said. High school students also look forward to it.

"Generally, a couple months before the event they're asking if they're gonna be able to help out," Brown said. "I'll take any high school kid who is on the track team. They're basically a shoe-in to come in and help out. Then I fill holes from there to get the events covered."

So far, enough high school students volunteer each year that he hasn't had to ask any adults to help. "The kids do a good job," he said.

Freshman Trenton Grantier, who helped with the discus event, said Brown asked him to lend a hand.

"I figured I might as well, and get out of school for the day," he said.

Grantier recalled taking part in the events himself as a grade schooler. "It was fun. It got you ready for normal track season when you got older. It helped out with that."

Jason Loesberg, a parent from Helmville whose son, Isaac, took part in several running events, also thought the day helped the younger kids, particularly from the smaller schools that may not be well set up for sports. "All these little schools getting together for the kids, at least they get to experience the sport. That's what I like about it."

Although Lincoln didn't have a preschool, Brown said they added younger kids to the mix about four years ago.

"The first year was basically all Lincoln. The people from the daycare would bring all the kids from daycare," he said. "Now it's a lot more common for the other parents or anybody who wants to show up (to bring their kids). That's been a good addition."

Although a formal preschool is in the works at Lincoln School thanks to a new literacy grant, Brown doesn't expect to see much change in the number of youngsters taking part.

"It'll probably help make registering kids a little easier," Brown said.

For Terry Fitzgerald, who has been coming to track days for more than 30 years, both as parent and grandparent, just seeing kids have fun is worthwhile.

"Watching all the kids who come to town and really love it, that's awesome. It's wonder full to see. They all get really excited about it," she said.

"I remember it was one of my favorite days as a kid," Fitzgerald's daughter Emily Gilbert said. "Now I'm watching my kids enjoy it. It's one of their favorite days too," she said.

The annual fun and games may include more kids these days, but for some of the neighboring small schools coming to Lincoln School for a track and field day has been a tradition for years.

"When I was in grade school I won Best Girl Athlete here, from Helmville," said Lincoln grade school teacher Annette Gardner, who was just 8 years old at the time. "It was such a big deal to be a little school and come to this metropolis!"