July 22, 2022
As temperatures in the Sacramento region plummet to summery levels, thousands of young athletes prepare to heat up competition at Sac State’s Hornet Stadium.
The 2022 USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships, scheduled for July 25-31, will draw approximately 6,000 athletes from all 50 states, along with an estimated 20,000 spectators.
The competition kicks off on Monday, July 25, and the opening ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, following the second full day of events.
A highlight of the ceremony is a flyover and stadium landing of an Army National Guard Lakota helicopter from nearby Mather Airport. The spectacle, along with a short video, aims to draw attention to efforts to educate young people about the dangers of fentanyl. That pressure is being exerted by Governor Gavin Newsom and the National Guard in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Prevention and One Pill Can Kill campaign.
The helicopter will provide guest speakers at the stadium, including Olympic champions and medalists Justin Gatlin, Shannon Rowbury and Stephanie Brown Trafton, as well as USATF President Vin Lanana.
David Eadie, vice president of the Sacramento Sports Commission, said athletes will enter the stadium in an Olympic-style parade.
“It’s just an opportunity for all these kids to have a very special moment, similar to what they do at the opening ceremony of the Olympics,” Eadie said.
Sac State last hosted the Junior Olympics in 2019. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and will be held in Florida in 2021.
“We are proud to once again host the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships at Hornet Stadium, and I look forward to welcoming these young athletes and their families to the Sacramento State campus,” said Robert S. Nelsen, president of Sacramento State. “This is another example of our continued commitment to the community as people from across the country gather in Sacramento to celebrate the athletic achievements and promise of these young athletes.”
Junior Olympics participants qualified based on performance in the 2022 USA Track & Field Junior Olympic program. Athletes had to be in the top eight at the association and regional level. There are 56 associations and 16 regions across the country.
The participants range in age from 7 to 18 years. The championships are organized into six divisions, each consisting of two age groups.
“I am very pleased that Sac State has continued to support the track and field for the past 22 years.” — John Mansoor, Executive Director, Pacific Association of USA Track & Field
A Sacramento Sports Commission release called the Junior Olympics “one of the most visible youth athletic development programs in the world,” with many participants having gone to Olympic competition.
“I am very pleased that Sac State has continued to support athletics for the past 22 years,” said John Mansoor, executive director of the Pacific Association of USA Track & Field. “It has enabled us to maintain all these high-level events over the years. So it’s great that they’ve been willing to do this.”
The Junior Olympics also shares a spotlight with the university.
“Holding the Junior Olympics at Hornet Stadium will allow thousands of young people and their families to experience the state of Sacramento, which is part of being an anchor university,” said athletic director Mark Orr. “Over the past decade, we have developed a great partnership with (tourist promoter) Visit Sacramento to co-host these national-level events, which provide great entertainment and bring numerous economic benefits to the region.”
Sac State installed the Mondo surface of the Hornet Stadium in 2014 with funding from the Sacramento Sports Commission and local hotel partners.
“The upgrades that Sac State has made to the facilities have been very good for[the Junior Olympics],” Mansoor said. “The addition of the parking garage helped with the parking issues, (and) building The WELL helped tremendously,” he added, referring to the on-campus fitness and wellness facility that opened in 2010.
Sac State has a history of hosting Olympic events. The university hosted the Junior Olympics in 2001 and 2016, in addition to the 2019 event and this year’s edition.
The U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials were in Sac State in 2000 and 2004, and the stadium hosted the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The NCAA West Preliminary was held at Hornet Stadium in 2018 and 2019, and the USA Championships were on campus from 2014 and 2017.
“We have a long relationship with Sac State and athletics in particular,” said Eadie. “The facility is laid out really nicely for those types of events – the proximity from the practice and warm up track to the throwing area to the main stadium is great.
“The expertise of the team in organizing these types of events makes it work very well.”
Tickets in the form of wristbands are only available onsite at Hornet Stadium.
An athletics competition is held every day from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm. Day tickets cost $16 for adults and $10 for children ages 7-12. Weekly passes cost $50 for adults and $30 for children ages 7-12. Children up to and including 6 years old can join for free.
More information about the Junior Olympic Championships, including more details on tickets, athlete fees and a full schedule of athletic events, is available online through the Sacramento Sports Commission. Parents and athletes can also visit the Junior Olympic passport.
0 Comments