Good Sports Try Their Hands at Olympic Skills

Atlanta may be more than 2,200 miles away, yet nearly 450 “Olympians” spent Thursday morning competing in the “Summer Games” at Elmhurst Elementary School in Ventura.

But with javelins made of rolled newspaper and hurdles no taller than two feet, second-grader Dylan Meager called the decathlon event a breeze.

“It was all really easy,” said Dylan, 6, after finishing a sprint across the school’s blacktop.

Dylan was just one of the summer school students who competed in sporting events ranging from torch relays to basketball dribbling races as part of a program to teach the youngsters about the Olympics.

Leading up to the competition, students studied the history of the Olympic Games and researched countries that will participate in the Atlanta events.

“They are really getting into the spirit,” said Elke Fedde, principal of the Ventura Unified School District’s extended year program. “They are wearing Olympic clothes, they have on USA socks and their Olympic rings.”

Like many of the students, fifth-grader Miguel Rodriguez had no trouble making connections between the school games and the Olympics in Georgia.

“I feel like I’m on the Dream Team,” said Miguel, as he prepared to dribble a basketball across the court and back.

Second-grader Jarrod Bence-Webster raced across the school’s playing field in the torch relay and fantasized about running track in the Olympics.

“You would be really famous and stuff like that,” said Jarrod, 8.

But some students, such as first-grader Cindy Andrade, called attention to the fact that a dress-up relay race--requiring athletes to dress up in big hats and coats before running short distances--is not yet an Olympic sport.

“It’s not for real,” said Cindy, 7. “It’s just for playing.”

Instead of gold, silver and bronze medals, all the grade-school Olympians won gift certificates to McDonald’s.

“We want friendly competition, not die-hard competition,” Fedde said.

Despite the event’s low-key atmosphere, many students said competing in various sports had sparked their interest in one day qualifying for the Olympics.

“I want to be in the Olympics for roller-blading,” said fourth-grader Alyce Quiroz, 9 . But Alyce will have to wait until in-line skating becomes an Olympic sport.