BROWNILYMPICS LETS GIRLS GO FOR THE GOLD, HAVE FUN.Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer Winning first place in the 40-yard dash was an easy feat for 7-year-old Jennifer Gutierrez Jennifer Gutierrez (born April 27, 1967) is a triathlete from the United States. She is the cousin of Nelson Cruz. Gutierrez competed at the first Olympic triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She took thirteenth place with a total time of 2:03:38.48. . ``I wasn't nervous,'' said the Mountain View Elementary first-grader. ``It wasn't hard.'' The youngster was one of hundreds of Brownies who took part in Saturday's Brownilympics at the Simi Valley High School Simi Valley High School is a secondary school located in Simi Valley, California which was established in 1920 as the first high school in the valley. It nestles in the Santa Susana Mountains and is adjacent to the San Fernando Valley, part of the city and county of Ventura. stadium. It wasn't strength or endurance that pushed Jennifer across the finish line - it was that she already had the confidence. ``I knew I'd win,'' she said. Roxanne Gutierrez, Jennifer's mom, was pleased to see her daughter enjoying her first-ever Brownilympics. ``This is her first year as a Brownie,'' Gutierrez said. ``It's neat to see her having so much fun.'' Nearly 600 first-, second- and third-grade Brownie girls from several dozen troops in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. and Moorpark took part in the 13th annual event. Games featured were an obstacle course obstacle course n. 1. A training course filled with obstacles, such as ditches and walls, that must be negotiated speedily by troops undergoing training or participants in an obstacle race. 2. , soccer dribble, softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' throw, 40-yard dash, 240-yard relay, potato-sack relay and inner-tube relay. Other girls in attendance were juniors (fourth-, fifth- and sixth graders) and cadets (seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders). Though the youngsters demonstrated their athletic prowess to hundreds of family members and friends who gathered to cheer them on, a sense of camaraderie ca·ma·ra·der·ie n. Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship. [French, from camarade, comrade, from Old French, roommate; see comrade. was the most important thing the girls could learn from the event, said Edie Hanen, leader of Senior Troop 977. ``It's a great family event and good experience for the girls to spend the day together,'' said Hanen, whose troop is made up of 10th-grade girls. ``It's good for parents, too.'' Brownilympics was launched in Simi Valley in 1984 by a Brownie dad. The annual event has since branched out to several communities in Ventura and Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. counties. This year's Brownies practiced for weeks before competing in Saturday's games. Hanen stressed that Brownilympics is not necessarily about winning. ``There are first-, second- and third-place winners, but all girls get a medal of participation,'' she said. Nine-year-old Jennifer Talley of Troop 627 cared little about competing, much less winning. ``I'm here to play with my friends,'' she said. Brownie alumna Rachel McCluskey, 15, said being a Brownie is about more than just learning how to build a campfire or pitch a tent. ``It's about making lifelong friends,'' she said. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--ran in SIMI edition only--color) Some of the fun at Saturday's 13th annual Brownilympics at Simi Valley High was on the sidelines On the sidelines An investor who decides not to invest due to market uncertainty. on the sidelines Of or relating to investors who, having assessed the market, have decided to avoid committing their funds. , as these Brownies demonstrate. (2--ran in CONEJO edition only) Stephanie Mercado For the hispanic surname "Mercado", please see de Mercado. Mercado first originated in Spain. In English it means 'market'. Is the last name of the 'Great' Fifa Soccer player Eswold. gives it her best in the potato-sack race during Saturday's 13th annual Brownilympics at Simi Valley High School. Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion