Bloomsday All City Elementary Cross Country Meet Monday
Friday, October 15, 2010
Spokane, WA–Over 800 young runners will test their legs and determination next Monday, October 18th, at the Bloomsday All City Elementary Cross Country Meet at Comstock Park. The meet, which begins about 4:15 p.m., is the culmination of the Elementary Cross Country Program organized in Spokane elementary schools this fall by Active4Youth, a nonprofit that works to provide after-school sports programs for Spokane-area children to combat childhood obesity.
“This is our second year and we believe the meet is getting better,” said Mike Bresson, Active4Youth founder. “We’ve changed the course so it is more spectator friendly and we’ve invited a couple of other cross country programs—the Catholic schools in Spokane and SYSA’s Mercury Athletic Club—to increase the competition. We also feel fortunate to have Bloomsday as a sponsor again this year. It’s a natural fit, since their mission is directly aligned with the intent of the Cross Country Program.”
This will be the second All City Cross Country Meet for Spokane elementary students since 2003, when the SpokaneSchool District discontinued after-school sports competition due to budget constraints. Active4Youth was able to re-launch the program in 2009 after receiving funds from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation and the Charlotte Martin Foundation. Bloomsday’s sponsorship has also been crucial in restarting the program.
“Bloomsday is proud to once again support this event,” said Lilac Bloomsday Association President Carol Hunter. “We want to continue to create an opportunity for kids to enjoy this lifelong sport.”
The Cross Country Program was offered in all 34 of the District’s elementary schools this fall, and just over 3,000 kids signed up for the six-week program, which began on September 13. Runners have qualified for the Bloomsday All City Meet by either their place or time in the gender and grade division in which they competed at one of two zonal meets. Catholic schools and the Mercury Athletic Club have had their own systems for qualifying runners for the All City Meet. Over 800 qualifiers are expected to participate on Monday.
To contact Active4Youth for more information about the program or the Bloomsday All City Meet, please contact Mike Bresson at 509.868.6201 or visit the Active4Youth web site, www.active4youth.org.
For photo opportunities or media inquiries Contact:
- Mike Bresson, Executive Director, 509-868-6201 or mbresson@bressonlaw.com
- Don Kardong, Race Director, Bloomsday, 509-838-1579 or donkardong@bloomsdayrun.org
- Peter Ellis, Director of Health and Fitness, Spokane Schools, 509-354-7349, or petere@SpokaneSchools.org
About Active4Youth (A4Y)
Active4Youth is a local 501(C)(3) nonprofit that works to provide after-school sports programs for Spokane-area children to combat childhood obesity. For more information or to see how you can get involved or make a contribution, please visit Active4Youth’s website, www.active4youth.org.
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