A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Chase Allgood / News-Times
Marcellus Pacino Davis soars through the air while participating in the long jump during an all-comers track meet July 13 at Lincoln Park Stadium. About 220 children from age 4 through eighth grade took part in the seven meets held in 2009. This year’s final meet is July 27, and hurdle, jump and throw.
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It all began with an idea that turned into a full-blown series of track meets.
One day last year, Kellen Peters told his girlfriend, Kelsey Owens, that they should start some all-comers meets in Forest Grove. The competitions have long been summer staples in nearby Beaverton and Hillsboro, but the western Washington County town had no equivalent.
So with some hard work and a little help from friends, Peters and Owens have filled that void for the past two summers, introducing the sport of track and field to a host of area youths. The 2010 series concludes with the final meet of the season on July 27 at Lincoln Park Stadium.
“It really opens my eyes up to the fact that kids want these experiences and that something simple like this can provide kids with the opportunity to do something such as track or sports-related that they otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to do,” said Peters, a 2005 Forest Grove High School graduate who also ran at Pacific University for two years before transferring to Willamette.
The couple, who have been dating for close to four years, had only a brief turnaround time last year to get the meets going, as it was already late May when Peters brought up the idea to Owens.
He wanted the meets to start shortly after school let out for summer vacation.
“The way it came together and how quickly it came together, it seemed like it was really meant to be,” said Owens, who became the Pacific Boxers’ first All-American in cross country in 2007 and still runs competitively as a post-collegian.
Peters, whom Owens called “the most idea- and creativity-oriented person I’ve ever come across,” worked with Tom Gamble, the Forest Grove Parks and Recreation Department director, to schedule the stadium and iron out legal and liability details, while Owens worked on the logistics of running a meet and figuring out what was needed to do it.
“This is one of Kellen’s really great ideas and he needed some serious partnership help. That’s where I came in,” Owens said.
They also coordinated with Tim Boyce, Pacific’s head coach for cross country and track and field, who greatly aided the cause both years by donating the use of school equipment for the meets, such as the high jump mats, tables, a tent for registration, hurdles (including mini-hurdles for the little ones) and a wooden clapper in lieu of a starter’s pistol.
And the meets took off from there.
Peters said about 220 children competed in last year’s series, which included seven meets (an eighth was canceled during a late-summer heat wave). This year’s schedule was rolled back to six meets with the first one on June 22, as Peters said they learned August was not a good time for meets due to the probability of hot weather and the number of people going on vacations.
The turnout has been more stable this year, with an average of about 30 to 45 participants per meet, Owens said. They compete in events on the track ranging from the 50-meter dash to the 3,000 or 5,000, as well as the high hurdles or mini-hurdles. Field events include the long jump, high jump, shot put or discus (the latter two events being modified to the softball throw and Frisbee toss for younger competitors).
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