Young athletes representing 21 local junior high and middle schools are training to compete at the upcoming annual Harold Pope Junior Relays, set for Saturday, May 9 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Johansen High School Track and Field, 641 Norseman Drive, Modesto. The public is invited to attend, and admission and parking are free. The event is sponsored by the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE), the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County, and Sutter Health.

The Junior Relays include a variety of track and field events. Schools participating this year include Cardozo, Creekside, Dutcher, Glick, Hanshaw, Hart-Ransom, Hickman, La Loma, Mountain View, Oakdale, Our Lady of Fatima, Prescott, Ross, St. Stanislaus, Salida, Somerset, Spratling, Turlock, Valley Home, Waterford, and Yolo.

The following track and field events are slated for the competition.

Track Events: Hurdles, 400-meter relay, 1600-meter run, 400-meter dash, 100-meter dash, 800-meter run, 200-meter dash, 1600-meter relay.

Field Events: Running long jump, running high jump, triple jump, shot put, discus.

The annual Harold Pope Junior Relays is dedicated to the memory of Harold Pope (Oct. 24, 1932 – Oct. 31, 2016). The Junior Relays were renamed the Harold Pope Junior Relays in 2000 in honor of his 47 years of coaching, mentoring, and teaching youth in Stanislaus County. Pope was a principal, superintendent, coach, bus driver, motivator, and teacher in Valley Home.