LYNN — The 11th Annual Lynn Youth Summer Track Meet Series begins July 7 at Manning Field, and is scheduled for six consecutive Mondays beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Races offered are 30m (age 3 and under), 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and the mile. The series attracts 300-400 youngsters annually, according to representative Joe Abelon, and there is no entry fee. All communities are invited.
Registration form: www.lwrun.org
Lynn Parks and Recreation currently hosts seven running events, five of which focus on youth, one that highlights youth and adults, and one only for adults. One is a host site of the Massachusetts state meet, one has provided 39 American outdoor track and field records, and another is one of America’s longest-established racing series.
Abelon originally established a relationship with Parks and Rec through a client-vendor relationship. He was hired by Supervisor Lisa Nerich to time an annual youth road race that started at Magnolia Playground and finished on Locust Street.
“In that timeframe, the new Manning Field project was soon to be completed and Lisa inquired if I would be interested in assisting her in her interest in hosting a local Hershey track and field meet,” Abelon said.
Hershey had been sponsoring the largest youth track meet on the continent since 1975, encouraging park and recreation departments in the U.S. and Canada to volunteer and host local meets. More than 400,000 youngsters participated yearly. Each state and province selected athletes from local meets to participate in state/province championship meets. States and provinces were grouped into regions and athletes were selected from regions to participate in the Hershey National Championships, held in Pennsylvania.
Athletes enjoyed the Hershey Amusement Park, a visit to the Hershey Factory, and the opportunity to compete in a prestigious track meet.
Many parks and recreation departments held local meets for only the members of their communities, and not all hosted a local Hershey meet.
Lynn was one of few cities that accepted youngsters from other communities. The first meet was in 2007 and produced two athletes who were invited to the national meet. Patrick Ruotolo, age 12 of Peabody, won the 11-12 softball throw with a toss of 203-11, while 10-year-old Kunateh Amadu, of Lynn, placed ninth in the standing long jump with a leap of 6-4.25. In 2011, Lynn’s Ezek Ebieshuwa, 14, placed seventh in the 200m (13-14) with a time of 26.53.
In 2014, Hershey changed its approach, and instead of sponsoring hundreds of local meets, combined efforts with USA Track and Field through a run, jump, throw program.
USA Track and Field teamed up with Hershey to create Run, Jump, Throw (RJT), a hands-on learning program that gets kids excited about physical activity by introducing them to the basic running, jumping, and throwing skills through track and field, according to Abelon.
“The approach was not the path we wished to travel,” Abelon said. “We wanted to provide youngsters with a track meet that doesn’t limit an athlete to one running event and one field event. Thus, in 2014, the Youth Summer Track Meet Series was born.”
