500 Children Attended Sea Isle City’s Junior Olympics on July 4

SEA ISLE CITY – On July 4, Sea Isle City’s 2012 Junior Olympics competition brought over 500 children and their families to Dealy Field for a morning of old-fashioned Independence Day fun. The annual event was sponsored by the City’s Department of Community Services and hosted by 120 volunteers from the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City, who organized the games and shepherded the youngsters between events. The children, ranging in age from 3 to 13, were grouped by age and gender before competing in sprinting, jumping and throwing contests. Afterwards, the top performers in each division received Olympic-style medals while standing on a three-tiered victory platform, as family members and friends cheered and snapped photos.
According to organizer J.B. Flora, a long-time member of the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City, due to the fact that Independence Day fell on a Wednesday this year, it was a greater challenge to plan the event – yet everything turned-out very well.
“Even in the early stages of planning, we had questions about how many participants there would be because the Fourth of July fell in the middle of the week,” said Flora. “Then, that morning, it began to rain (temporarily), and we were even more concerned about the turn-out. However, as usual, the people of Sea Isle took the time to bring their kids to Dealy Field in support of the Junior Olympics and we ended up with about the same number of participants as last year. In the end, God provided us with a beautiful day and everyone enjoyed themselves.”
“The excitement level was very high during the awards ceremony,” added Flora. “Some parents even had tears in their eyes. In addition to the winners receiving medals, each competitor also received a participation ribbon – and many people don’t understand why we do that. However, the kids love those ribbons, and they serve as a reminder that it’s not all about winning, it’s about having fun.”
“As the Junior Olympics have grown over the years, more and more people are needed to run the event,” continued Flora. “The members of our yacht club are always happy to support community activities, and we’ll continue to rise to the occasion each year for the Junior Olympics. As they say in the movie Field of Dreams, ‘If we build it, they will come.’”
For additional information about events taking place in Sea Isle City, visit www.seaislecitynj.us.