STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Youth are being invited to grab for the gold as they run the Gauntlet of Games.
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation is holding its fifth annual Olympic Day on Thursday, June 21, at Community School’s Dumke Family Sagewillow Campus in Elkhorn.
The Gauntlet is an obstacle course comprised of a giant slip and slide, mud bog, fire hose hill climb, pond crossing and mazes.
Teams of five will challenged to vie for glory that comes with conquering the Gauntlet of Games as local Olympians, such as downhill ski racer Jonna Mendes, cheer them on.
The event is open to all children ages 7 through 18. Each team must be composed of at least two children ages 7 through 12 and two ages 13 through 18. Each team must have at least contestants of each gender.
Participants may sign up as a team or as an individual to be placed on a team at https://svsef.org/fundraising-events/. There is no admission fee and one need not be a SVSEF team member to participate.
Participants are asked to show up to organize their teams and inspect the course at 4 p.m. Racing takes place from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Participants must wear tennis shoes and play clothes. Contestants are also asked to bring a helmet.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase from the KB’s food truck from 5 to 7 p.m.
Olympic Day is part of an international effort to promote fitness and wellbeing, along with the Olympic ideals of fair play, perseverance, respect and sportsmanship. It is staged at official Olympic training sites. Sun Valley is one of 17 official Olympic training sites in the United States.
Each year more than 1,300 Olympic Day events take place worldwide.