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AAU Selects City for National Junior OlympicsV By MORRIS FRASER Gazette Telegraph Sports EditorTo no one's special surprise, Colorado Springs and Air Force Academy were named officially Thursday morning to host the fifth annual National AAU Junior Olympics Aug. 9-12.As one member of the local committee put it, “We’re so well organized now we could hold the meet tomorrow if the contestants were here.'’The Junior Olympics, national development program of the Amateur Athletic Union, embraces track and field, swimming, gymnastics and judo. Thelatter is in its first vcar of na-tional competition.Dick Kline, national generalprogram. The Cadet Gym will hold swimming, diving and judo. The Cadet Ficldhouse will handle the gymnastics events.Male contestants will be housed in the academy's new dormitory. Females will be housed at Colorado College.Opening ceremonies, fashioned after the Olympic Games, will be held Aug. 10 in Wasson Stadium, a day after participants are scheouled to arrive.All competition will be held Aug. 11-12, with closing ceremonies at the academy track immediately following competition.Col. Frank Merritt, athletic director at Air Force, said in showcase of the Junior Olympic welcoming members of thechairman of the program, said in a press conference at the Ra-mada Inn, “We look forward to tins as the pinnacle of nationalchampionships.“The competitors are going to sec one of the finest areas in the world—the Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs and the state of Colorado.”Competitors range in age from 11-17 years. They are the survivors of local state, district and regional competition and will number about 550, both boys and girls.The academy will be the siteVof all competition. The all-weather outdoor track will beused for track and field, theAAU, “Our policy always has been to open our facilities to young people, and I think this Junior Olympics falls in line with that policy.”“We’re trying to develop thesuper-star of tomorrow. Klinesaid. “The program is designed for participation and encouragement of competition. Most policies are directed for the 98 per cent of the participants, not the two per cent who come to thenationals.”dent of Quaker Oats, said, “I think the contestants will forget the competition, but I don't think any will forget the rest of their experience here, I think this will be bv far the finest competition we’ve had.”The itinerary for the con-%testants includes tours of the area and a chuckwagon dinner.The Junior Olympic program began in 1949 and advanced in 1967 to a national level, with thepians are Rafer Johnson, decathlon gold medal winner inthe 1960 Olympics. John Penne1,* *first. 17-foot pole vaulter; Don Schollander, winner of six Olympic gold medals; John Kin-sella, recently-named Sullivan Award winner and 1968 Olympic swimming medalist; and Debbie Meyer, Olympic medalistrecently named the world's*outstanding female athlete.Interest in holding the national championship sprouted in first championships at W’ashing- 1969, shortly after Palmer HighOfficials of AAU and QuakerOats, the sponsoring company (on p)£ Subsequent meets School sprinter David Holmes of the Junior Olympicspro-g r a m , have repeatedly expressed pleasure with arrangements for the event.Harry Chandler, vice-presi-werc at Knoxville. Tenn.; San won the 100-vard dash in San Diego, Calif ; and again at Diego. Holmes began his trip toKnoxville.the nationals in the first Colo-Among former Junior Glym- rado Springs meet, annuallysponsored by the Gazette Telegraph.Master sergeant Sid Brooks of the academy, who inauguratedthe local meet, met, with a number of interested citizens and obtained the promise of the academy's facilities.IHe was named chairman of the local committee, and served as co-chairman with city councilman Bill Becker. Shortly after the second local meet had been held, the city bid for the 1971 national competition.The committee is made up of many local sports enthusiasts, including some members of the Denver Organizing Committee for the 1976 Winter Olympics.Thr moot it sol f has rpcoived theactive support of the City of Colorado Springs, School District 11 and the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce.Lapel piris have been made up to recognize the 1971 meet, and a 70-page souvenir program. largest ever, is being prepared.By contrast, the first time Knoxville held the event, it bid for it two weeks before the com-pe t i t i o n . The second time around, a commercial program agency began selling advertising space ten days before competition.The second Knoxville meet has been considered one of the two best meets, with the San Diego meet.
Newspaper Details
Colorado Springs Gazette
Colorado Springs, Colorado, US
Fri, Jan 29, 1971
Page 25
Full Page
Clipped by
Pikes P.
CO, USA 01 Jul 2022
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