There will be approximately 25 students representing Cardozo Middle School (CMS) at the 72nd Annual Harold Pope Junior Relays on Saturday, May 11 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Modesto Junior College Track and Field facilities.
According to Jeff Warn, CMS sixth grade teacher and school athletic director, the young athletes from CMS have been training and practicing since late March.
The relays are sponsored by the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE), the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County, Save Mart CARES and Sutter Health. There will be 22 junior high and middle schools competing this year. The public is invited to attend the event with admission and parking for free.
“We are fortunate to have access to Riverbank High School’s facilities and we get support from their track and field coaches,” stated Warn. “We usually take our kids over to the high school two days a week where they get specialized training and exposure to the all-weather track.”
According to SCOE, the annual Junior Relays are dedicated to the memory of Harold Pope (Oct. 24, 1932 – Oct. 31, 2016). In 2000 the Junior Relays became the Harold Pope Junior Relays 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.
The schools that will be participating this year are Cardozo, Oakdale, Big Valley Christian, Cesar Chavez, Creekside, Denair, Dutcher, Glick, Hart-Ransom, Hickman, La Loma, Mountain View, Our Lady of Fatima, Paradise, Prescott, Roosevelt, Ross, Savage, Somerset, Turlock, Waterford, and Yolo.
The following track and field events are slated for the competition: track events are hurdles, 400 meter relay, 1600 meter run, 400 meter dash, 100 meter dash, 800 meter run, 200 meter dash, and 1600 meter relay. The field events include discus, running long jump, running high jump, triple jump, and shot put.
“We have a very strong seventh grade group this season,” added Warn. “We have been competitive in the 400 meter relay, 100 meter dash, shot put, and discus. We will continue to work hard until May 11, and give it everything we have.”
