St. Cloud Tech hosts first DAPE track meet since pandemic
SAINT CLOUD – For the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, a track meet was held for St. Cloud-area students in a Developmental Adapted Physical Education program.
Dozens of students from St. Cloud Tech, St. Cloud Apollo, Sartell-St. Stephen and Sauk Rapids-Rice participated in the events, aided by varsity and junior varsity athletes.
The morning was dedicated to field events – students rotated from the long jump pit to the shot put and weight toss, to a softball throw. They also high jumped, kicked a soccer ball as many yards as possible atop the football field and rolled bowling balls.
Sartell senior Tyler Stone said his favorite part of the competition was the high jump. In DAPE classes leading up to the meet at Tech, Stone and his peers practiced for the events.
After lunch in the pleasant sun on the turf, a starting pistol sounded the start of track races such as sprints and hurdles.
The participating schools also collaborate for varsity adapted floor hockey, soccer, and softball teams and Crush adapted sports coach Mike Bakken was at the meet Saturday. The Crush adapted softball team won the state consolation final on Saturday, with many of the softball players participating in the track and field meet. Apollo junior Kyle Richter was one of those athletes.
“I been practicing throwing for softball,” Richter said. “Tonight is my state tournament.”
He was proud to share the distance he kicked a soccer ball – "all the way to 200 feet."
Richter's classmate Alex Senger also participated Saturday, saying his favorite competition at midday was the softball toss.
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Some of the students also compete on their school’s official track and field teams, like Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School sixth grader Bryson Thiele, who said he enjoyed the high jump and shot put events at Tech. Thiele usually competes as a thrower and enjoyed participating in different events during the day.
“I like jumping over stuff and throwing stuff,” he said.
Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglenn@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Cloud Tech hosts 2024 DAPE track meet
