Austin Owings, left, takes part in the high jump, while Olivia Baumbarger, right, practices a relay race during the Marysville track and field youth camp. Youngsters will compete in a pair of track and field meets at the Marysville High School facility in the coming weeks.
(Journal-Tribune photos by Tim Miller)
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Marysville High School track and field head coach Luke Sundermeier wants to keep the sport in local youths’ minds during the summer months.
A three-day camp was recently held in preparation for a pair of upcoming summer meets.
The event was actually limited to two days due to one day of inclement weather.
The camp attracted more than 90 youngsters in grades (incoming for the 2022-2023 academic year) 2-9.
“We’ve conducted our camp for the past five or six years,” said Sundermeier. “J.B. (then head coach Ritchie) and I began it.
“We only had 35 youngsters during the first couple of camps,” he said. “It has steadily grown during the ensuing years.”
The camp consisted of five different stations.
Those were the long jump, high jump, throws (shot put and discus) and running.
The stations were manned by Monarch athletes and coaches for instruction.
“We’ve been doing these camps the past few years to introduce youngsters to track and field at earlier ages,” said Sundermeier. “We don’t want their first texposure to be in the seventh grade.”
The camp has been one of the biggest factors in building the Monarch track and field program at the high school.
For a number of years, the high school’s combined boys and girls rosters for the spring sports season have numbered well over 100.
“I would say three-fourths of our high school rosters are made up of athletes who received their introduction to track and field through our camps,” said Sundermeier.
The camp was a preclude to a pair of summer track and field meets that will be held at the high school facility.
Those meets are scheduled for Wednesday, June 22 and Wednesday, July 13.
The meets will be for boys and girls the same age groups as those who participated in the camp.