Cuyuna Range track, field members compete

Eight Cuyuna Range track and field members competed at the region Hershey Track and Field Meet on June 22 in Sartell.

The 4x100 relay team of Ashley Tuthill, Farrah Steinke, Lia Seidl and Kayla Minarich finished first in the 10- to 11-year-old division. Tuthill, Seidl and Minarich also competed in the broad jump and softball throw.

Lindsey Weaver competed in the broad jump and softball throw for the 11- to 12-year-old division. Kate Dullinger, Dahrys Harris and Shirley Abear finished third in the 4x100 meter relay for the 13- to 14-year-olds. Dullinger also competed in the 100-meter dash.

First- and second-place finishers qualified for the Minnesota State Hershey Meet set Saturday in Pipestone.

The Hershey Track and Field Youth Program introduces children ages 9 to 14 to physical fitness through basic track and field events. Implemented in 1975 as a playground track and field meet, the Hershey Youth Program has become the largest youth sports program of its kind in North America. More than 400,000 children participate in the program yearly, representing more than 3,000 communities across the country. Hershey Chocolate North America provides the major funding for the program.

Hershey's Track & Field Youth Program is sponsored by the President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports, the National Recreation and Park Association, and the National Association for Sport & Physical Education.

Four CRTFC members competed in the USA Track and Field Minnesota State Junior Olympic Championships on June 23-24 at Hamline University in St. Paul.

Farrah Steinke earned a gold medal and the title of state champion by winning the Midget Girls Discus Competition with a throw of 48 feet, 2 inches. Steinke also placed third in the shot put with a toss of 22 feet, 5 1/2 inches.

Lia Seidl was awarded a silver medal in the midget girls high jump with a personal best jump of 3 feet, 4 inches. Seidl earned the bronze medal in the discus with a 36-foot, 4-inch throw. She also placed sixth in the shot put.

Kayla Minarich also competed in the midget girls age group. She won the silver medal in the discus with a throw of 43 feet, 6 inches, placed fifth in the 1500-meter run with a personal best 7 minutes, 2.42 seconds, and finished 10th in the long jump with 10 feet.

Dahrys Harris was the only other CRTFC member to make the trip to St. Paul. She won silver in the youth girls age group triple jump with 25 feet, 7 inches. This was the first time she has competed in the triple jump. Dahrys also placed fifth in the long jump with a personal best jump of 12 feet, 8 1/2 inches, and finished eighth in the 400.

USA Track and Field sponsors several state, regional and national competitions for youths. The top six place finishers from each state Junior Olympic competition qualify for the regional Junior Olympic competition. The regional competition will be July 13-15 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Complete results can be found at the following Web site: http://www.raceberryjam.com/mainod.html@resultsod