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WORTHINGTON -- For many Worthington area youth, the annual All-Comers Track Meet is a personal milestone.
First comes walking. Then comes potty training. Then comes riding a bicycle. Then comes the senior prom.
Somewhere in-between, youngsters compete in their first All-Comers meet at Worthington’s Trojan Field. The event is staged for kids between the ages of 2 and 14, and those 2-year-olds are can’t-miss entertainment.
“They’re pretty cute when they’re running,” said CJ Nelson, a veteran All-Comers worker. “It’s always good when they turn around or just stop on the track, or they end up in the wrong lane.”
Parents come in droves for the littlest competitors, and of course it doesn’t really matter who actually wins. The smiles and the laughter are contagious. When the little ones jump into the arms of mommy or daddy at the finish line, you’ve got to have the camera ready.
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The 2022 All-Comers event is Monday, with registration starting at 5 p.m. and events commencing around 5:45. And there are many events: the softball throw, the long jump, the 50-meter run, the 100-meter run, the 200-meter run, the 400-meter run, the 800-meter run, and the 4x100-meter relay.
All age groups run the relay, and sometimes the girls run with the boys.
“It’s a free event for youth in our community, and for other communities, too,” said Worthington Area YMCA sports and recreation director Jordan Balster. “It’s a lot like everything else that we do at the Y. We want to get kids out and help them have fun.”
But that’s not all.
“Learning the sport, too,” Balster said. “But mostly they’re there to have fun and be with their friends.”
Last year was the first time the meet, sponsored by the YMCA and the Worthington Optimist Club, was held at Trojan Field’s new all-weather track. As always, it’s an opportunity for kids to stretch their legs, limber up their arms and get an inkling if track and field might appeal to them as a future varsity sport.
Regardless of who’s serious and who’s not serious about competing on the track, there’s at least one thing everyone likes: the free hot dogs.
