| March 2002 Newsletter |
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Family Fun Day - It's a Blur!
Family Fun Day resembles a high-voltage children's physical education class, with a crowd of grown-ups thrown into the whirlwind. There's non-stop movement, ear-splitting noise and plenty of laughter.
Imagine a super-charged Cabin Fever Day when the kids ate too much sugar, then knocked the doors down.
"By the end of the meet I don't have a clue of what happened all day," said Tim Ingall, the event's creator. "The whole thing is just a blur."
And consider that a positive outcome.
Family Fun Day was created to encourage everyone to come to an indoor track meet and bring along someone new -- friends, family, children and co-workers. Everyone will be participating together in a meet which will be a cooperative adventure, rather than a winner-takes-all showdown.
The third annual Finger Lakes Runners Club-sponsored event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Sunday, Mar. 10 at Cornell University's Barton Hall. The real focus of the meet is for adults and children of all ages to participate together for fitness and fun.
Family Fun Day's slogan says it all: We're already low-key, but we can go lower. Maybe it's low-key in ambiance, but it's high quality in organization
"We're definitely on our way up," said Ingall, referring to the wildly successful all-comers meets he's directed this indoor season. "This is the beginning of an exciting era in local track running, and not just for Family Fun Day. We're all having fun."
Skill, rigorous training or high-tech clothing are not prerequisites. Last year, Family Fun Day hosted the first"athlete" ever to finish the 55 meters wearing diapers.
All you need to bring is a willingness to spend some time with kids on the run.
Ingall, who was raised in England and now lives in Lansing, witnessed first hand how successful kid-friendly athletic activities can be when teachers, friends and parents are playing too. Ingall's dad, a primary school educator in England, organized many cooperative games between adults and students.
"My father used to have soccer games where kids played against and with their parents, and the children especially loved it," Ingall said. "I wanted to do that with track, and the Finger Lakes Runners Club, and especially Rick Cleary, decided to promote it.
"In fact, I think Family Fun Day, in all sports, should be an item on all schools' agendas," he added. "It's done a little bit now, but not enough."
You don't have to be a parent to participate in this Family Fun Day meet; adults and kids without partners will have the opportunity to pick each other and create a team. You'll even get a break on entry fees when you have some kids in tow.
In addition, there will be two serious competitive races--the 400 meters and the mile--inserted into the schedule for track junkies who want one more personal best this indoor season.
Registration will open at 8:15 a.m. and continue throughout the morning, but early arrival would be helpful to organizers. Ingall requests that runners entering the mile and 400 meters register by 9:30 a.m. Please note the registration and starting times for the event are earlier than previous years.
The meet is free to all FLRC members; $1 each for adults with a child; $1 for students; and $3 for non-member adults without a child.
Ingall has selected a flexible schedule of track and infield events. Here's what to expect, with a few extra surprises for race day:
"I like track because it's an easy spectator sport," Ingall said. "You can encourage all the athletes, and everyone there can push you to do your best. You don't get that in traditional road and trail races after the first 50 meters.
"For anyone who has missed the last two Family Fun Days, I can say there is no greater reward for me that seeing a 5-year-old running the 55 meters, then handing off a relay baton to one of his/her relatives or friends at the other end of the track," Ingall added. "That's how it should be in sports.".
For more information or to volunteer, e-mail Ingall at timingall@hotmail.com, or visit the FLRC web site at www.cee.cornell.edu/FLRC/FLRC.html.
-- Tim Ingall and Diane Sherrer
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