A pair of Federal Way runners have earned the chance to enjoy the ultimate sweet city of Hershey, Pa.
Antonio Guity and Ariya Kendrick earned all-expense paid trips to the 2011 Hershey’s Track and Field National Championships earlier this summer after claiming Washington state championships. The national meet will run Aug. 4-7.
Guity, a student at Mirror Lake Elementary, will be competing in the standing long jump in the 9- and 10-year-old division at the national meet. Kendrick won the state championship in the 100-yard dash in the girls 13-14 age category.
In total, 13 kids from Washington will be attending the national meet in Hershey. The 9 to 14 year olds qualified with performances at the Hershey State Track Meet, which was held at Federal Way Memorial Stadium on a rainy day in June.
To qualify for the national meet, Washington athletes had to have the top time or distance in the entire region, not just the state. Washington’s region also includes Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Alaska, British Columbia and Alberta.
Guity was dominant at the state meet in Federal Way. Along with the title in the standing long jump, Guity also won the 10-under championship in the 100-meter dash (14.87).
Kendrick’s state title came when she outleaned Puyallup’s Aleea Gwerder at the line to win the 100 and clinch a free trip to Pennsylvania. Kendrick finished the final in 13.50, compared to Gwerder’s 13.56.
Both Guity and Kendrick will receive an all-expense paid trip to Pennsylvania and will be treated to several amenities while in Hershey, including a tour of the chocolate factory, sleeping in college dormitory rooms and other games and activities during their four-day trip.
Federal Way also picked up individual state titles from Marquez Penmoore in the boys 11-12 100-yard dash (13.98), Dominic Telemaque in the boys 11-12 100-yard dash (13.63), Jason Palmer in the boys 13-14 100-yard dash (12.56), Pedro Blanco in the boys 13-14 800-meter run (2:19.80) and 1,600 (5:04.49),
Now entering its 34th year, Hershey’s Track & Field Games is the largest youth sports program of its kind in North America. It is designed to encourage physical fitness and sportsmanship for youth of all skill levels. More than 10 million youth athletes have participated in the Hershey’s Track & Field Games over the program’s previous 33 years – all at no cost of entry.
“The Hershey Company is more committed than ever to promoting physical activity and sportsmanship among young people,” said Jim George, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, The Hershey Company, and Hershey’s Track & Field Games Chairman of the Board. “Working with Nike’s innovative Reuse-A-Shoe program, which helps kids get more involved in environmental stewardship, is a wonderful new component that will help us on our mission to create fun fitness opportunities for kids throughout North America.”