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GETTING INTO THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT
  
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By Ellen Sussman, Special to the Sahuarita Sun
Anza Trail first graders send classmate off to Beijing
Participating long distance, Darby Downs’ first-grade students at Anza Trail School learned about the Olympics while seeing one part of the international, multi-sport event up close and personal.
Student Isabella Johnson’s father Dominic Johnson is competing in the pole vault and is representing the island of St. Lucia where he was born. Isabella, along with her mother Kristel and two-and-a-half-year-old sister Alexandra left on a 12-and-a-half hour Tucson-to-San Francisco-to-Beijing flight on Saturday to see Johnson take part in the XXIX Olympiad today.
Downs used the special opportunity to creatively teach her students about China and about the Olympics. She explained that the five rings in the Olympic logo represent the five major continents and the class learned about and colored individual flags of St. Lucia.
As a class project each child took part in making a huge Olympic banner. The children pressed their palms into red, yellow, green, blue or black tempera paint, and guided by Mrs. Downs’ hand, created a colorful banner of the five Olympic rings.
The flags of St. Lucia were added to the background with large cut-out letters that said “Good Luck Mr. Johnson.”
Kristel Johnson said 39 athletes will compete in the pole vault today and the top 12 will compete in the finals on Friday.
Last Friday, Johnson came to Downs’ class, where she explained the pole vault, gave the children eggrolls and mini-cupcakes decorated with Olympic mascots and told the children the meaning of the mascots.
Totally involved with the Olympic theme, the children also made paper-chain Olympic rings and fan-folded paper dragons to take home.
Kristel said that upon arrival, she will be credentialed; this will enable her to enter the Olympic Village with her daughters.
“We’ll visit the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square,” Kristel said. “We’ll return on Aug. 28.”
A seasoned athlete and pole vaulter, Johnson participated in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. To qualify for the Beijing Olympics, he was under pressure to clear the minimum standard of 18 feet, 2.5 inches.
Good fortune was at his side at a recent All-Corners Twilight Meet in San Diego. After clearing 17 feet, then 17.6 and 17.10, the bar was moved to 18.3 and Johnson cleared it on his first vault.
He was on his way to the Olympics.
Pole vaulting is an athletic event where an athlete uses a long, flexible pole (today’s poles are made of fiberglass or carbon fiber) as an aid to leap over a high bar. It’s been a full medal event at the Olympic Games for men since 1896 and for women since 2000; it’s said to be the most acrobatic of track and field events.
The Olympic Games always have several venues. This year, the track and field events are being held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies take place.
Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.
Participating long distance, Darby Downs’ first-grade students at Anza Trail School learned about the Olympics while seeing one part of the international, multi-sport event up close and personal.
Student Isabella Johnson’s father Dominic Johnson is competing in the pole vault and is representing the island of St. Lucia where he was born. Isabella, along with her mother Kristel and two-and-a-half-year-old sister Alexandra left on a 12-and-a-half hour Tucson-to-San Francisco-to-Beijing flight on Saturday to see Johnson take part in the XXIX Olympiad today.
Downs used the special opportunity to creatively teach her students about China and about the Olympics. She explained that the five rings in the Olympic logo represent the five major continents and the class learned about and colored individual flags of St. Lucia.
As a class project each child took part in making a huge Olympic banner. The children pressed their palms into red, yellow, green, blue or black tempera paint, and guided by Mrs. Downs’ hand, created a colorful banner of the five Olympic rings.
The flags of St. Lucia were added to the background with large cut-out letters that said “Good Luck Mr. Johnson.”
Isabella and her mother carried the banner with them on the flight to Beijing to present to Johnson.
Kristel Johnson said 39 athletes will compete in the pole vault today and the top 12 will compete in the finals on Friday.
Last Friday, Johnson came to Downs’ class, where she explained the pole vault, gave the children eggrolls and mini-cupcakes decorated with Olympic mascots and told the children the meaning of the mascots.
Totally involved with the Olympic theme, the children also made paper-chain Olympic rings and fan-folded paper dragons to take home.
Kristel said that upon arrival, she will be credentialed; this will enable her to enter the Olympic Village with her daughters.
“We’ll visit the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square,” Kristel said. “We’ll return on Aug. 28.”
A seasoned athlete and pole vaulter, Johnson participated in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. To qualify for the Beijing Olympics, he was under pressure to clear the minimum standard of 18 feet, 2.5 inches.
Good fortune was at his side at a recent All-Corners Twilight Meet in San Diego. After clearing 17 feet, then 17.6 and 17.10, the bar was moved to 18.3 and Johnson cleared it on his first vault.
He was on his way to the Olympics.
Pole vaulting is an athletic event where an athlete uses a long, flexible pole (today’s poles are made of fiberglass or carbon fiber) as an aid to leap over a high bar. It’s been a full medal event at the Olympic Games for men since 1896 and for women since 2000; it’s said to be the most acrobatic of track and field events.
The Olympic Games always have several venues. This year, the track and field events are being held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies take place.
Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.
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