Breaking records at Hershey

Parks & Recreation, Oct, 2004 by Jeannine Ohler

It was a chilly Saturday afternoon at Henry Hershey Field considering normal August temperatures for Hershey, Penn., but the weather was not enough to dampen the spirits of the more than 500 athletes (ages 9 to 14) who qualified for the 27th annual running of the Hershey's Track & Field North American Youth Finals. With 50 states (including the District of Columbia) represented, along with Canadian Provinces, more than 3,000 communities were represented throughout the day's 42 events.

Perhaps the day was fueled by the presence of racecar driver Michael Andretti, or Olympic Decathlon Bold Medalist Rafer Johnson (1960), but ask any of the day's participants and they would tell you otherwise--it was about the pride they felt in representing their community. The excitement on Aug. 7 will go down in the record books--literally. Region One's Stephanie Smith from Aurora, Ontario, broke the 13to 14-year-old girls 1,600-meter run record of 5 minutes 1.64 seconds by 27 seconds. Region Six's Kaiuway Boima from New Britain, Conn., broke the 11- to 12-year-old boys Standing Long Jump record by 2.70 inches with a remarkable final leap of 9 feet 3.75 inches.

Approaching its 30th birthday in 2005, the Hershey's Track & Field Youth Program was founded by Dr. Donald P. Cohen in 1975 in Charleston, W.Va, to promote physical fitness, participation, sportsmanship and friendship. Supported by the NRPA, the National Association for Sport & Physical Education, the President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports and Athletics Canada, the Hershey's Track & Field Youth Program can be easily implemented into any existing camp, physical activity program, or event. To learn more about how to start the program in your community, log on to www. nrpa.org, or contact the National Partnerships office at programs@nrpa.org.

Girls, Ages 9-10

Standing Long Jump: Baylee Nielsen from Utah                  7-00.25

Softball Throw: Rachel Zajchowski, Richmond, Vt.            122-04.00

50-Meter Dash: Mona Landry, Galena Park, Texas                   7.88

100-Meter Dash: Ke'Andrea Wilson, Dallas, Texas                 15.04

200-Meter Dash: Sha Terriun Moffett, Columbus, Ga.              30.78

400-Meter Dash: Iesha Hardiman, San Jose, Calif.              1:06.57

4x100-Meter Relay: Region 2                                     58.31
Onika Varnardo, La Tangi Pritchard, Jasmine Nicholson,
Jahnae Brown

Girls, Ages 11-12

800-Meter Run: Laura Affeld, Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada     2:21.18

Standing Long Jump: Karissa Frye, Billings, Mont.             7-06.25

Softball Throw: Jena Hamrick, Ft. Wayne, Ind.               162-04.00

100-Meter Dash: Zalika Dixon, Brooklyn, N.Y.                    13.80

200-Meter Dash: Tyler Gibson-Williams, Renton, Wash.            28.36

400-Meter Dash: Alexis Mapson, New York, N.Y.                 1:01.22

4x100-Meter Relay: Region 4                                     53:13
Jasmine Shorts, Curtisha Dupree, Lygia Foreman, Ashanti
Harper

Girls, Ages 13-14

1600-Meter Run: Stephanie Smith, Aurora, Ontario, Canada      5:01.37
(1986 Record Broken)                                        (5:01.64)

800-Meter Run: Diana Boultbee, Belleville, Ontario            2:18.78

100-Meter Dash: Smith, Stacey-Ann, Bloomfield, Conn.            12.73

Standing Long Jump: Geneen Dore, Fort Drum, N.Y.              8-03.00

Softball Throw: Amber Wollschlager, Revillo, S.D.           185-05.00

200-Meter Dash: Dalilah Muhammed, Jamaica, N.Y.                 26.33

4x100-Meter Relay: Region 8                                     49.28
Danielle Dottery, Chalonda Goodman, Takeia Pickney,
Derica Wilson

Boys, Ages 9-10

Standing Long Jump: Ben Steen, Sheboygan, Wis.                7-00.00

Softball Throw: Savon Felder, Washington, D.C.              159-02.00

50-Meter Dash: Derrick Fields, Nacogdoches, Texas                7.73

100-Meter Dash: Devin Haywood, Germantown, M.D.                 14.38

200-Meter Dash: Jordan Lott, Dallas, Texas                      29.57

400-Meter Dash: Leo Simmons, Miami, Fla.                      1:07.38

4x100-Meter Relay: Region 3                                     56.56
D'Juan Piper, Joman Brooks, Jamil Wilson-Jones, Kent
McKinney

Boys, Ages 11-12

800-Meter Run: Daniel Medland- Marchen, Kelowna, British      2:24.19
Columbia, Canada

Standing Long Jump: Kaiuway Boima, New Britain, Conn.         9-03.75
(1986 Record Broken                                         (9-01.50)

Softball Throw: Tyler Rolshausen, Schuylkill Haven, Penn.   209-07.00

100-Meter Dash: Tremaine Harris, Toronto, Ontario, Canada       13.49

200-Meter Dash: Christian Williams, Augusta, Va.                27.14

400-Meter Dash: Trevor Tatum, Powder Springs, Ga.               58.33

4x100-Meter Relay: Region 8                                     51.57
Darryl Brown, Tray Burgess, Rannell Hall, Shaquille
Kearse

Boys, Ages 13-14

1600-Meter Run: Kyle Milks, Brockville, Ontario, Canada       4:41.57

800-Meter Run: Ben Francis, Minesing, Ontario, Canada         2:06.73

100-Meter Dash: Carlisle Stanford, Mississauga, Ontario,        12.07
Canada

Standing Long Jump: David Beery, Belgrade, Mont.             10-00.00

Softball Throw: Kyle Youtz, Lebanon, Penn.                  241-06.00

200-Meter Dash: Joshua Chestang, Moss Point, Miss.              24.67

4x100-Meter Relay: Region 1                                     46.31
Austin Gammage, Cortez Owens, Tayler Summerlin, Scott
Waterhouse