More than 300 children competed in Olympic Day field events and had the opportunity to meet Para-Olympian Tyler Carter on July 16.
“We are excited to take part in Olympic Day and inspire kids in the Tri Valley YMCA community,” said Megan Dougherty, Branch Executive Director. “The YMCA is proud to support the Olympic Movement and encourage children to lead healthy, active lives.”
Tri Valley YMCA of Reading & Berks County hosted the field day at the Fleetwood Park for children in the YMCA’s five summer camp and playground locations, including Kutztown, Hamburg, Blandon and Fleetwood, as well as youth from Schuylkill Valley, Oley, Muhlenberg, Hamburg and Kutztown school districts.
“The kids get to know each other from different schools. They get to know everybody from this whole area,” said Dougherty. “It gives them the skill of meeting new people and learning how to work with others.”
Dougherty said the field day follows the Olympic Movement that incorporates fitness, health, kids getting up and moving, good sportsmanship and good values.
“Our events today it’s all incorporating good sportsmanship. They gain points for sportsmanship and they lose points for poor sportsmanship,” she said. “There’s no one complaining if they don’t win. They’re cheering on their teammates, hanging out with people they might not normally hang out with, cheering them on and celebrating when they win.”
Field day events included 50 yard dash, softball throw, water relay, standing broad jump, crab walk, banner competition and basketball knockout.
“We’re just here to have fun and to teach the kids good sportsmanship and get them up and moving so that they’re not just sitting around at home during the summer time. We have them active and outside,” said Dougherty.
Para-Olympian Tyler Carter, a Topton native, and other local pro-athletes shared stories and experiences with the campers.
“I hope they learn perseverance,” said Dougherty about the children meeting Carter. “To show that anyone can do anything. There’s nothing to hold you back.”
Carter, she said, brings excitement to Olympic Day. Meeting a Para-Olympian is not something they do everyday.
“Meeting his positive attitude towards everything in life I think the kids feed off of that. They love seeing him here and having him here,” said Dougherty.
This is Carter’s second year visiting Tri Valley YMCA’s Olympic Day at Fleetwood Park.
“It went so positively last year we were hoping he’d come back this year,” said Dougherty.
An Alpine skier, Carter competed on the U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing Team at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, in the Giant Slalom Race where he finished 26th. He spent this past winter in Colorado training. He also competed in the 2015 Alpine World Championships in Panorama, Canada, where he finished 14th in the Slalom Race and 24th in the Giant Slalom Race, according to his website, http://tcskiusa.com/.
“Olympic Day is a day for everyone to come out and celebrate the Olympic Games and the spirit and all the values of it,” said Carter. “It’s a great chance for me to come out and hang out with all these kids and hopefully inspire them to do some great things with their lives.”
Carter has been skiing for 12 years. It started as a hobby and “grew into a life dedication.”
“I love it. It’s my favorite thing in the world to do,” said Carter. “I’ve been working towards going to the Para Olympics for years. It was great that I had the chance to go to Sochi and represent the U.S.”
Carter is training for the 2018 games in South Korea where he hopes to represent the U.S. again. This summer he hopes “to inspire people and get people to live better, healthier lives.”
Spending time with the campers at Olympic Day, Carter talked about his life experiences and answered questions such as the hardest thing about being disabled. Carter was born without a fibula in his right leg and his foot was amputated when he was a child. He wears a prosthetic lower leg and foot, which he showed to the children.
“It’s great for me to just be out here and hopefully be a good role model to them and show them that you can anything you want in life if you try. All you have to do is just work at it and keep believing,” said Carter.
According to Dougherty, The YMCA activity is one of nearly 700 events taking place nationwide in June and July. The events, designed to engage youth and promote the ideals of the Olympic movement, feature athlete appearances, family-friendly activities and interactive learning experiences. More than 160 countries participate in the annual Olympic day, which was created in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games, focusing on the Olympic values and ideals such as fair play, perseverance, respect, and sportsmanship. In the U.S., Olympic Day events range from small gatherings to large, city-wide events.
