Bellingham’s 40th Annual Track Meet

At 9:15 a.m. on June 3, 600 elementary students marched toward the Civic Field Athletic Complex for the 40th Annual All City Fifth Grade Track Meet.



Schedule of Events

The students’ chants filled the air as they held up flags, banners and signs decorated with their school name, colors and mascot. The track meet started at 9:30 a.m. and ended at noon, going through six field events and six running events. Girls and boys competed separately for each of the 12 events.

According to the meet schedule, field events included shot put, softball throw, standing long jump, running long jump, high jump and triple jump. Running events included a 50 meter dash, 75 meter dash, 200 meter run, 400 meter run, 800 meter run and 400 meter relay, which four participants split up a 400 meter dash as a team.

Happy Valley resident Shannon Funk said the stands were exploding with excitement and it was fun to share the fun-filled day with everyone. She took photos for the Happy Valley Elementary fifth grade memory book and watched her 11-year-old daughter Christina participate in the 400 meter relay and the high jump.

“Their [the students’] enthusiasm and pride is amazing,” Funk said.



Selecting Participants

Ken Ericson, physical education teacher in the district, said one girl and one boy were allowed to participate per fifth grade class from each elementary school. For example, one school having three fifth grade classes could have a total of six students participate.

The meet was run by 10 physical education teachers in the district, students in the physical education program at Western Washington University and students volunteering from Bellingham High School, Ericson said.

In the elementary schools’ track and field unit, the students were able to choose three events they preferred to participate in. Ericson said, from there, the students were selected based on their performance in the tryouts for each event.

Happy Valley Elementary fifth grader Christina Funk said each student was allowed to do one event, except the 400 meter relay participants were able to do one other individual event.

Ericson said he has been the announcer for the past 35 years and said the elementary school principals are the official timers every year.

The results of each event were not given out at the meet because the school district does not put emphasis on competition but rather on participation and experience, Ericson said.

He said the students placing first through eighth in the finals will receive certificates at their school at the end of the year.



Student Experiences

Just two weeks before the track meet, Funk said she and three other classmates began to train for the 400 meter relay. Physical education teacher Randy Cline prepared 11-year-olds Kate Rose, Allison Top, Illana Pechthalt and Funk for the meet by timing them on the track during their physical education class at Happy Valley Elementary.

Cline said the nice thing about the meet is having the combination of track and giving the kids a chance to compete against other schools before going off to different middle schools.

“These kids have been together from kindergarten to fifth grade,” Cline said.

Funk said the boys and girls on the relay teams were selected based on their top times in a hurdle exercise Mr. Cline had them do. She said she would like to do the hurdles if she continues track in middle school and high school.

“I don’t like long distance,” Funk said. “I prefer sprinting.”

Happy Valley Elementary fifth grader Kaleb Harrison, 11, participated in the high jump and said his final jump was 3 feet and 2 inches. He said he enjoyed doing the high jump and cheering on his friend Dani Tanir, 11, who did the long jump.



Enthusiastic Students and Parents

Western Washington University senior Chris Miller, 23, was in charge of the shot put for the track meet and said he is part of the physical education program at Western. He said part of the program is to work with students on the elementary level, and he enjoyed interacting and volunteering his time.

“Our job is to make sure they enjoy being physically active and continue this through middle school and high school,” Miller said.

He said fifth graders have told him they look forward to this event every year and he is amazed at how excited they get.

“This is their last hoo-rah before summer,” Miller said.

Ken Harrison watched his grandson Kaleb as he participated in the high jump. He said he enjoyed the team spirit, peer support and enthusiasm amongst the different schools.

“Some of these races have been nose to nose,” he said.

Even the cliques amongst the students seem to disappear and become one when cheering on fellow classmates, Harrison said.

Harrison said it is good the school district has the track meet, getting the kids outside and away from the electronic games.

“Middle school coaches could come scout here,” Harrison said.

Shannon Funk said she thinks the goal of the school district is to get kids to do something they may not otherwise be part of and to really celebrate their last days together in the elementary school setting.

Even though the school district doesn’t want to focus on competition, Funk said she thinks it actually is competitive and that’s what makes it so exciting.

The kids love the competitive nature of the event and Funk said she thinks a little healthy competition is good.