An enthusiastic group of sixth grade boys from Woodhull Intermediate School and Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School participated in a pair of exhibition races at the Dennis Walker Classic at Blue Devil Stadium.
Members of the group competed against each other in the 4x100m relay and in the 100m dash. Varsity athletes from seven high school teams competing that day along with their coaches and fans in the bleachers, cheered on the sixth graders, who were given eye-catching Huntington track and field blue tee-shirts.
Section XI track and officials organized the sixth graders on the track and explained the rules for starting each of the races. A starter’s pistol was used and the events were timed. They were real races in every possible way.
The sixth graders included Brian Lynch, Chase Gadaire, Keegan Malone, Justin Villatoro, Thomas Kline, Timothy McDonald, Michael Brandine, Andrew Case, Zachary Schnitzer, Geovanny Castillo, Sajithan Kamalendran, Connor Fox and Richard Davis.
“Everyone did a great job,” Huntington head coach Ronald Wilson said. “The officials and all the varsity athletes were amazed at how well the races went and how fast the kids were. We hope that all of them come out for the team in the future. We’d love to have them in our Blue Devil track family.”
The sixth graders reported to midfield upon their arrival, where they were greeted by Coach Wilson and Director of Athletics Georgia D. McCarthy. They were all given a quick orientation about their events and were organized into relay teams and sprinting groups.
Following the two races, the sixth graders posed for a photo with Coach Walker, who was on hand for the invitational, Coach Wilson and several of the top Blue Devil varsity runners.
The sixth graders were later presented with gorgeous track medals on red, white and blue ribbons.
