Spartan Games at North Schuylkill draws record turnout
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — The sixth edition of the annual Spartan Games at North Schuylkill Junior/Senior High School saw a record turnout Tuesday, drawing 972 athletes from about 20 school districts.
Thousands of people — including athletes, student-volunteers, family members and teachers — crowded Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium for the interschool track and field meet, the largest to date.
“We started out with 14 districts (in 2017),” said Knute Brayford, director of special education. “And then, as other districts saw it, they asked if they could come. It’s just so fun, it’s a great day for kids. And I think now, any school that’s close enough to be here is here.”
The event, designed for students with disabilities, includes a vertical jump, running and standing long jumps, a disc toss, javelin, bocce and tennis ball throwing competitions and 50- and 100-meter races.
Each student who finished in first through sixth place in their age group received a ribbon.
Dustin Fry, an 11th grader at Minersville Area, was among the most seasoned athletes participating in Tuesday’s event. Shortly after completing the 50-meter race, he proudly wore a blue ribbon, signaling his first-place finish.
“I feel wonderful,” said Dustin, who has been attending the Spartan Games since 2019. “I’m not as tired as last year.”
Dustin was joined by about 50 other Minersville Area athletes from kindergarten through 12th grade.
While the 50-meter race was his first event of the day, he felt extremely confident about his chances for the other events.
“I’m 100%, I feel confident and I think I’ll win every single one,” Dustin said. “But I just want people here to have a good time — that’s the only thing that matters.”
For the first time in the event’s history, North Schuylkill’s mascot, Sparty, won the mascot race, a 40-yard dash involving characters from area schools.
Sparty won by a hair, beating out other mascots, such as the Schuylkill Haven Area Hurricane, the Pottsville Area Crimson Tide and the Shenandoah Valley Blue Devil.
For the second straight year, the Spartan Games continued its tradition of passing along a commemorative torch to each participating school district.
The wooden hand-carved torch was held by each district for a week and returned to North Schuylkill, where it was displayed along the center of the field for the event.
The torch was symbolic of the collaboration and outreach involved in the Spartan Games and, indeed, may have contributed to the stellar turnout this year, which surpassed last year’s record of 850 athletes.
“The cooperation and the help we get from other schools and businesses and the community is just phenomenal,” Brayford said.
The event involved student-athletes from Blue Mountain, Mahanoy Area, Minersville Area, Mount Carmel Area, North Schuylkill, Palmerton Area, Panther Valley, Pine Grove Area, Pottsville Area, Schuylkill Haven Area, Saint Clair Area, Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29-Maple Avenue Campus, Shamokin Area, Shenandoah Valley, Shikellamy, Southern Columbia, St. Joseph Center for Special Learning, Tamaqua Area, Tri-Valley, Upper Dauphin and Williams Valley.
