Over 200 young people from
eight Fall River neighborhoods competed in a Summer Olympic competition
at the new B.M.C. Durfee field on August 13, 2008. Modeled after the 2008
Summer Olympics games in Beijing, children in Fall River
prepared all summer for their own Olympic-style games through a
Community Development Re-creation
program funded by the City’s Healthy Lives project. Working in
combination with the summer
Park &
Lunch program, CD-REC
staff currently offered young people a chance to practice the 40 yard dash,
hurdles, tug of war, and a kick, punt and throw competition. Teams from
North Park, Lafayette Park, Maplewood Park,
Griffin Park, Father Diaferio Village, Abbott Court, Pulaski Park,
Kennedy Park and Ruggles Park competed, each with their own team names
and shirts, for medals in each event. For more information about the programs, contact CD-REC at 508-679-0922.
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(Row one, left)
Harry Souza of the Ruggles Park Radicals competes in the long jump. (Row
one, center) Staff members Liz Jimenez and Brenda Candido of the Durfee
Alternative School greet the Olympians. (Row one, right) Eleven-year-old
Nadia McDermott kicks the soccer ball right at the target in the net.
(Row two, left) Eleven-year-old Curtis Cobb moves into first place in
the 40 yard dash. (Row two, center) Lafayette Park Legend team member
Joey Benevides takes off in the long jump. (Row three, left)
Six-year-old Keith Sullivan hops over the hurdles. (Row three, center)
CD-REC Park & Lunch staff member Travis Barboza records race times while
Jovani Rodriguez observes. (Row three, right) Ricky Hout, Damion
Cunningham and Solmari Henriquez take a break from the action. (Row
four) Sisters Tiffany and Savannah Anctil show how red their hands are
after competing in the tug-of-war contest. (Row five, left)
Twelve-year-old Tara McCann keeps her feet high over the hurdles. (Row
five, center) Thirteen-year-old Ruben Polanco cools off Samantha Vilao
and Nadia McDermott with some water. (Row five, right) Griffin Park
Gladiator Chris Vedder competes as a finalist in the long jump
competition. (Row six, center) Third place winner Omar Rojas, first
place winner Tavon Pires and second place winner Derek Amaral stand with
their medals in the 40 yard dash younger division. (Row six, right) CD-REC
Executive Director Grace Gerling awards third place winner Tiago Soares,
first place winner Kerry Harris and second place winner Kimani
Washington in the 40 yard dash older division. (Row seven, left) Griffin
Park Gladiators get rehydrated after the competition. (Row seven,
center) Tavon Pires, right, joins his Griffin Park Gladiator team
members in celebrating their first place team victory.
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