CARIBOU — Three hundred and twenty six youngsters from 10 communities converged on the Caribou High School Track last Tuesday to compete in the Northern Regional Finals of the Hershey Youth Track and Field Games.
The top four divisional winners in each event will travel to Bangor on Tuesday, July 2 to vie for the state title and possibly a spot on the Region 6 team which will travel to the National Finals in Hershey, Pa. Aug. 1-4.
Staff photo/Kevin Sjoberg
THROWS — Jeremiah Goff, competing for the Houlton Recreation Department, prepares to throw the softball during the Hershey Track and Field District Meet, which took place last Tuesday in Caribou.
The Hershey’s Track and Field Games have been a national event and now a North American event for the past 29 years. Initiated as a playground track and field program in 1975 in Charleston, W. Va., by Dr. Donald P Cohen, Hershey’s Track & Field Games has become the largest youth sports program of its kind in North America. The program was offered on a statewide level in West Virginia in 1976, became a 10 state regional event in 1977, and was offered nationally in 1978. The program expanded to a North American Final in 1996.
Meets are held in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the 10 provinces and three territories of Canada and recently Puerto Rico. State/provincial finalists are eligible for selection to regional teams.
Region Six is comprised of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.
Once the scores from each state and province are tabulated, a regional team is formed for the National Finals. To ensure fair representation of participants from all states, districts, territories and provinces, a minimum of five finalists are selected from each state/province group to be part of the regional team that will attend the North American Final.
Several Aroostook County youth have traveled to the National Finals of the program and enjoyed an all-expense paid trip, which includes a day at Hershey Park.
Staff photo/Kevin Sjoberg
JUMPS — Hope Royal of Houlton soars through the air as she competes in the long jump at last Tuesday’s Hershey Track and Field District Meet, which took place in Caribou.
Placing in the top four at the Northern Regional Final and earning a berth in the state meet were the following:
Girls 9-10
50-meter dash: first, Lacy Pelletier, Fort Kent, 8.134 seconds; second, Mia Theriault, Caribou, 8.57; third, Z’Niya Cooley, Caribou, 8.599; and fourth, Sadie Thompson, Houlton, 8.653.
100-meter dash: first, Nancy Martin, Fort Kent, 17.255; second, Brooke Moir, Woodland, 17.335; third, Elizabeth Hotham, Mars Hill, 17.507; and fourth, Megan Brewer, Mars Hill, 17.711.
200-meter dash: first, Pelletier, 33.352; second, Theriault, 36.977; third, Sabra Scott, Houlton, 37.378; and fourth, Cooley, 37.474.
4×100-meter relay: first, Caribou I, 1:14.82; second, Houlton II, 1:18.243; third, Fort Fairfield, 1:23.455; and fourth, Houlton I, 1:23.82.
Softball throw: first, Moir, 87 feet, 4 inches; second, Pelletier, 80 feet, 3 inches; third, Camryn Ala, Fort Fairfield, 64 feet, 3 inches; and fourth, Liberty Fulton, Mars Hill, 63 feet, 11 inches.
Standing long jump: first, Edie Shea, Caribou, 5 feet, 9.25 inches; second, Thompson, 5 feet, 5.5 inches; third, Amy Gerritsen, Mars Hill, 5 feet, 5.5 inches; and fourth, Nancy Martin, Fort Kent, 5 feet, 4 inches.
Boys 9-10
50-meter dash: first, Carter Belanger, Caribou, 8.339 seconds; second, Ryan Austin, Caribou, 8.471; third, Jacob Devine, Presque Isle, 8.473; and fourth, Jeremiah Goff, Houlton, 8.831.
200-meter dash: first, Ethan Holdsworth, Caribou, 34.432; second, Malachi Willey, Caribou, 34.473; third, Camden Michaud, Easton, 34.871; and fourth, Brandon Rushto, Houlton, 35.342.
4×100-meter relay: first, Caribou II, 1:09.81; second, Caribou I, 1:11.143; third, Houlton, 1:12.204; and fourth, Caribou III, 1:14.964.
Standing long jump: first, Diego Fleury, Caribou, 6 feet, 6 inches; second, Belanger, 6 feet, 5.5 inches; third, Rushto, Houlton, 6 feet, 5 inches; and fourth, Michaud, 6 feet, 4.25 inches.
Girls 11-12
Softball throw: first, Emily Adler, Caribou, 117 feet, 3 inches; second, Alexis Rodriquez, Caribou, 116 feet, 3 inches; third, Hollie McDougal, Woodland, 115 feet, 1 inch; and fourth, Abbie Worthley, Houlton, 111 feet, 7 inches.
Boys 11-12
200-meter dash: first, Austin Findlen, New Sweden, 30.801; second, Bryce Lausier, Fort Kent, 32.365; third, Camden Jandreau, Fort Kent, 32.52; and fourth, Sam Ellis, Houlton, 33.897.
4×100-meter relay: first, Fort Kent, 1:04.682; second, Presque Isle, 1:07.897; third, Caribou II, 1:08.859; and fourth, Houlton, 1:12.922.
Boys 13-14
100-meter dash: first, Apollo Grondin, Caribou, 13.17 seconds; second, Josh Sutton, Houlton, 13.523; third, Dylan Paddleford, Caribou, 13.762; and fourth, Zack Nadeau, Fort Kent, 14.137.
Softball throw: first, Seth Beidelman, 156 feet, 9 inches; second, Grondin, 149 feet, 2 inches; third, Trombley, 142 feet, 2 inches; and fourth, Cole Winslow, Houlton, 139 feet. 9 inches.
Standing long jump: first, Winslow, 7 feet, 4 inches; second, Niko Naranja, Fort Kent, 7 feet; third, Ethan Carver, Houlton, 6 feet, 10 inches; and fourth, Scott Bray, Woodland, 6 feet, 9.5 inches.
