Rocky Mountain State Games Track and Field Competition features athletes of all ages

The track and field competition for this year’s Rocky Mountain State Games at the US Air Force Academy’s picturesque outdoor stadium showcases the diversity of ages and skills that are the cornerstones of the annual state sports festival for thousands of amateur athletes.

At the top end of the age bracket currently are 73-year-old Alfred Clowser of Colorado Springs, who has entered the shot put, discus, javelin and long jump, and 71-year-old William Franks of Erie, who will go for the gold in the 50, 100, 200 and 400 meters…..a State Games version of a Jesse Owens afternoon.

Somewhere in the middle, you’ll be able to see 52-year-old Trip Reynolds of Aurora, who will seek medals in the 100, 200 and 400 meters, and 37-year-old Tony Rose of Colorado Springs, who will tackle the 100 meters, long jump, 200 meters and triple jump.

On the other hand, 6-year-old Weston Martinez of Colorado Springs will compete in the same venue for medals in the 50, 100, 200 and 400 meters in the Male 8 & Under division thanks to a Military grant as a service family dependent.

Or 11-year-old Paige DeGarmo of Colorado Springs, who will try her version of a Jackie Joyner-Kersee dream when she runs in the 200 and 400 meters, and competes in the long jump and turbojav in the Female 11-12 division.

They are each part of a field of some 350 athletes expected to compete in the State Games’ track and field events on Saturday and Sunday, August 5-6, at the AFA’s high-altitude track stadium (6,980 feet), where world records in the 100 meters were set back-to-back in 1983 by Olympians Evelyn Ashford and Calvin Smith during the National Sports Festival conducted by the US Olympic Committee.

Entry deadline is July 21, and more Colorado athletes can sign up to compete in track and field or 28 other sports on the State Games program at <www.thesportscorp.org> Information is available at (719) 634-7333, ex 1000.

Opening Ceremonies, sponsored by Cingular Wireless, will be held Friday evening, August 4, at the Colorado Springs World Arena. Tickets for the opening gala are on sale at <www.ticketswest.com> By phone, toll-free, at 1-866-464-2626. (In the Colorado Springs area at (719) 576-2626.

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