The Greater Long Island Running Club presented the Huntington High School boys’ and girls’ track and field programs with a $5,000 grant to help underwrite efforts to help the Blue Devils get more teenagers involved in the sport and showcase the athletes on the national stage.
The formal presentation was made at this past Monday night’s public meeting of the Huntington School Board in Adam Spector Auditorium at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School.
About two dozen Blue Devils were outfitted with track shoes for this year's winter and spring seasons.
The Greater Long Island Running Club paid for brand new track shoes for about two dozen Blue Devil male and female track athletes. The teenagers were sized and outfitted at Super Runners Shop on New York Avenue in Huntington Station. The value of the shoes was pegged at $1,500. The balance of the grant amounting to $3,500 was donated via check to the district to help fund additional equipment and competition expenses beyond the norm.
“We are beyond grateful to GLIRC and the Super Runners Shop in Huntington, as are our track athletes and coaches, for the very generous donation,” Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said. “It has brought smiles to the faces of many and has certainly added to the spirit of the holiday season!”
The grant funding will be used to attract more participants to the track program and to help more young people in need. “This would assuredly open doors for them, lead them to more academic success, offer them opportunities for internships and even part-time jobs and ultimately get them recruited by colleges and hopefully earn a scholarship,” said Ron Wilson, Huntington boys’ track head coach.
The Blue Devils also hope to get more elementary school students interested in track by having them compete against each other during an exhibition involving a handful of running events at the annual Dennis Walker Classic each spring. Participants will be given t-shirts and the top finishers will earn medals and take a group photo at midfield.
Huntington has returning state champions in the boys’ and girls’ programs. With the assistance of the GLIRC grant, the Blue Devils plan to showcase the athletes and other promising teenagers at out-of-state competitions that will also put them on college recruiters’ maps.
