 | | | Northern California Kids Triathlon logo
| | | | | | Budget cuts may be brutal these days, but the City of Orinda is finding clever and creative ways to keep treasured community events from going on the chopping block.
On Saturday, November 14, the City of Orinda will host the first Northern California Kids Triathlon, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Miramonte High School. Proceeds from this event will go to Orinda's Community Fund, youth programs and to honor the memory of Joe Loudon. Orinda's Community Fund helps support local events and activities such as Orinda's Fourth of July Parade, public art displays, youth programs and concerts in the park.
According to Sue Severson, Mayor of Orinda, the genesis of this event is twofold. "The last couple of years the City of Orinda has been trying to partner with schools to offer more opportunities for youth to do healthy activities," she said. "As well, as is true with most agencies, we had to do major cuts to our budget and an unfortunate cut was community funding for programs and events. As Mayor, I was asked to help brainstorm on how to raise private dollars for community events and one we chose was a kids' triathlon. With this event, our youth would benefit as well as the city."
The NorCal Kids Triathlon, as it has become known, is the only youth-specific triathlon in the area and will be open to children and teens ranging from kindergarten to high school. Competition will be divided by grade level K-2; 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. The participation fee is $40 per person, and $35 for additional children in the same family. The Relay Team fee is $100. The race itself will be composed of the traditional triathlon events: swimming, running and biking, with the start and finish at Miramonte High School and course distances adjusted for age appropriateness. Because this is the first triathlon the city has offered, Severson said that the event will be limited to 300 participants.
Severson noted that USA Productions, a special event company, has been retained to produce the race, but emphasized that it is truly an Orinda event. "Miramonte High School leadership students, for example, helped design the logo and Facebook link. Booths will be set up for use by local non-profits and the Miramonte Boosters will be hosting a snack shack on site," she said. "We want this to be a high quality event; one that everyone will enjoy participating in,"
Severson also said that event volunteers are still needed and information about the event with registration links can be found at www.norcalkidstri.org.
"This triathlon is a fun, healthy activity for our youth and our community," said Severson. "It gives our kids a chance to do something in our area that they can't do anywhere else, and, (at the same time) will help raise some money for our Community Fund."
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA