In the Field
Fairbanks Track and Field Event

More than 400 youngsters from the interior took part in the 2007 Alyeska Pipeline Track and Field games on June 9. The event has become one of the most anticipated events of the Fairbanks summer, with kids from Eielson to Nenana displaying their talents on the field of athletic competition.

For the past 10 years, Alyeska has provided money and volunteers to make these games a reality. Volunteers from Alyeska and the North Star Borough worked together to keep the 5- to 14-year-old participants on task as they competed in their chosen events. The running events consisted of races ranging from 50 to 1,500 yards and field events that included the softball throw and long jump.

The top contestant in each event won a new bicycle and helmet with the first, second and third place finishers receiving medals. All participants, regardless of how they finished, received a free t-shirt and a participant’s ribbon.

“It’s really exciting to see the surrounding neighborhoods and bike paths filled with the young people beaming with a sense of pride and accomplishment,” said Curtis Thomas, Fairbanks Communications Manager, pictured at right with one of the participants.

Originating in the early 70s, the event was called the Arco Jesse Owens Games, named in honor of the African American Olympian who stunned the world by capturing four Olympic gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.