The Los Altos School District Junior Olympics is celebrating its 63 years of student-athlete achievement and is welcoming all community members to support the local schools and to cheer students on the sidelines. The event will be on Saturday, April 26 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Mountain View High School and admission is free.
The Junior Olympics is an annual event organized by a parent-run committee that welcomes fourth, fifth and sixth graders to participate in group activities such as the 4 x 100 meter relay, challenges such as basketball free throws and softball throws and other racing events. Each of the seven LASD schools are required to volunteer and sit on the committee of organizing the events, but Gardner Bullis Elementary School parents are the chair this year, where they fundraise for the various food carts, security and equipment.
Alison Granbery, the Junior Olympics president and a parent of a Gardner Bullis student said that she is looking forward to another year of fun and sportsmanship. She said the event has not been held at MVHS since before the pandemic and is excited to be at their new location where they can expand on their events and draw in a larger crowd. She said every aspect of the event is a way for the district community to grow closer together.
Granbery said all the schools play “critical role” in the planning process.
“The sportsmanship is wonderful because the kids are cheering for student-athletes from their school as well as other schools,” she said. “It will be a great day and everybody’s excited, enthusiastic and there’s wonderful community bonding.”
The event begins with a 1320 run, a quarter-mile track event, that will then lead to the opening event ceremony at the football stadium. She said many of the students are proud at this moment and they express their school spirit through their colors. The event also provides time to announce the event sponsors and provide donations to the district.
“Mountain View High School has been wonderful to work with and our sponsorships include the Kiwanis Club of Mountain View for the second year in a row, Alan Wang Realty, Bald Eagle Sports Camp and Los Altos Orthodontics,” she said. “From a financial perspective, they have helped us cover our costs.”
She said the event continues with many of the individual events and challenges. Many of the students practice for these challenges in their physical education classes alongside their teachers and peers, but many also push themselves and practice for a few hours outside the of class.
In the afternoon, there is a pep rally with the schools’ mascots but she said this is usually a time where students take a break and meet up with their family and friends for food, photobooth and other activities. The events then conclude with the various race events on the track. She said her favorite event is the relays, where she sees a lot of collaboration take place.
“I personally love the relays,” she said. “It’s just really fun to see all of the kids working together after lots of training. The event is all coached by parent volunteers, so it’s really fun to get the parents involved in the training as well. You also get to see all the parents and students yelling simultaneously and cheering everybody on.”
Although everyone has a range of abilities, she said the events at their core are designed to get people outside and a make special day for their of school staff, kids and their families making a special day.
