Elementary Kids Compete In Annual Speed Meet

By STEPHANIE BUNKER

The Progress

Approximately 300 students from 4 different elementary schools gathered at the Moapa Valley High School stadium for the annual Speed Meet event on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

Sponsored this year by Grant Bowler Elementary School, the Speed Meet is patterned after a track and field event. Kids race against each other in the 50 meter sprint, distance, and relay races.

Participating in the meet were top runners from Grant M. Bowler in Logandale, JL Bowler from Bunkerville, Ute V. Perkins from Moapa, and Virgin Valley Elementary in Mesquite.

Denise Hoy started the event 10 years ago while a PE teacher at Grant Bowler. Since then she has taken another position at the school but she still loves the event and helps it move forward.

“For some students this the first experience they have with competition,” Hoy said. “It helps them set goals and show perseverance towards something hard. The kids learn to deal with success and disappointment.”

The schools have been preparing the kids for the meet for the last several weeks. They held races during PE classes to select the fastest kids in each grade to send to the Speed Meet. Then they have practiced the races with those kids.

“I wish all the kids could experience it, but there are so many kids from each of the schools,” said Hoy.
The new PE teacher at Grant Bowler, Paula Dehner came from Virgin Valley and has attended the Speed Meet 3 or 4 times with that school.

“This is a great event because the kids get initiated to track and field, they don’t have any other exposure to it until they get into high school and you don’t lose the skill to run,” Dehner said.

To help make the meet more official, MVHS Track and Field coach Shane Hickman brought the camera they use at the high school track meets and set it up at the finish line. Every race he took a photo finish and determined the place each contestant took.

“When I first came and watched the speed meet they were using Ipads to video the finish,” Hickman said. “The high school has this timing system that is way better, so for the last 4-5 years I’ve been coming out and taking pictures of the finish.”

Professional distance runner Josh Thompson, who is an alumnus of Grant Bowler Elementary School, came out to show support to the students running. Thompson was given a nice introduction and he shot the starting pistol for the distance race.

Thompson won 12th in the 1500 meter at World Athletics Championships last summer with a time of 3:35.
“It’s great to be a part of the kids’ lives and show them they can make it; even from a small town,” Thompson said. “I love running and to be involved in the sport.”

New to the meet this year was that each kid received a shirt sponsored by BEX.
“In the past the kids would wear a school shirt they already had,” Dehner said. “But this year Jason and Haile Adams approached us about sponsoring shirts for the kids, each school got their own color. It was really fun for the kids, it helped them feel like they were on a team.”

The Speed Meet began with the distance races, starting with 3rd grade who ran a half mile, then grades 4-5 who ran ¾ of a mile.

Following the distance running they began 50 meter sprints. Each of the grades got to race 1st through 5th in both girls and boys divisions.

Following the sprints they held the relay races. Each leg of the relay was 50 meters and 4 members of each team ran a leg and passed off the baton to their teammate.

While the races were going on kids not running participated in the stations held in the middle of the football field. The stations included Leap the River which was a distance game, Team Hoola Hoop, 4 Corner Tag, and the Long Jump.

The weather was chilly on Wednesday and the crowd in the stands were bundled up in coats.
“It was a cold day,” said Dehner, “And the kids were dressed in track clothes, but they proved that they can do hard things.”