On Saturday at the Perry Field House, 500 Wood County youth showcased their skills and talents in the
16th annual Wood County Youth Olympics.
Held on the campus of Bowing Green State University, fourth- and fifth-graders from across the county
spent either their morning or afternoon in the event which operates under the banner of
"Celebrating Competition Without Conflict." PHOTO GALLERY

The students were divided into teams randomly mixing grades, genders and school districts to allow a
greater amount of mixture among the teams. Each team worked together on some of the 10 different events,
while at other times striving for individual success in some of the events.
New this year to the festivities was the conversion of the snack and food sale break to become the
"Olympic Village." When the teams rotated into the Olympic Village they were provided snacks,
were asked questions and played some games.
But the real action was out on the Field House floor as well as on the Turf Side of the facility.
The competitions were both athletic and intellectual and sometimes both such as in the pipeline relay,
where the students had to work together to construct a pipeline for the ball to be maneuvered
successfully from one end of the PVC pipe to the other. There was also a puzzle relay requiring the
students to work together to solve a puzzle as quickly as possible.
There was also a straight-forward obstacle course and a standard long jump event for those truly
athletic-minded; also offered was a quiz bowl where the teams strived to use their collective brains.

The other events all involved using a variety of household items in unusual ways, such as tossing ping
pong balls into a recycling box; tossing bean bags into targets; maneuvering a volleyball through a maze
balanced on a plunger; and working together as a team in relay to transfer empty plastic bottles through
their legs to the last person in line who had to deliver the bottle to the other side of the arena and
pick up another bottle to start the process again.
Many of the students said the toughest challenge was the "Scooter Slalom" which required the
students to sit on a small scooter and maneuver themselves through traffic cones from one end to the
other and back.
Sami Sibbersen, a fourth-grade student at Luckey Elementary in the Eastwood School District, said she
enjoyed it all.
"It’s all very fun. It’s a great experience," she said. "I really liked the obstacle
course but the scooter relay is so hard."
Owen Vollmar, who is in fifth grade at Otsego Elementary, said he really liked the long jump. "It’s
a lot of fun."
Kate Glowacki, a fourth-grader at Glenwood Elementary in Rossford, also liked the long jump and said the
scooter was the hardest for her.
"It’s hard on the legs," she said.
She also liked the obstacle course but said "I could have pushed off the mats better."
Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson and his office staff help sponsor and coordinate the event.
Dobson explained the why of the event.
"A grandmother came up to me and she was choked up," Dobson said.
He explained that the woman told him her grandson had participated in this last year and wanted to do it
again this year. Though he had qualified to run in the Pinewood Derby the same day, he chose the Youth
Olympics.
Dobson said the boy told his grandmother that nobody made fun of him and didn’t care if he was not the
fastest. He also said they all worked together and rooted for each other.
"Someone may be good in one area, but may need a teammate to pick them up in another," Dobson
said. "That’s why we do this."
Stephen Cramer was the special guest who was the featured speaker after each session.
Cramer operates basketball training and camps at the BG Community Center.
After each session spirit awards were voted upon and awarded.