^{Sam Robbins wins his heat of the 100 meter dash at the CYO mini meet at Valley Catholic May 1, 2021. He also took first place overall in the longjump for his age group.}

^{Herb Lommen, Announcer, Sr. Krista von Borstel, CYO, Erik Holstrom, Javelin Coach Valley Catholic CYO reunite at Valley Catholic. The trio worked many years together on campus as teachers. Erik Holstrom is still on staff.}

^{CYO Staff Cathy Foy, Connor Garcia and Nora Gravengaard work on the portable sound system for the upcoming track meets.}

^{Jenna Bass and Nora Gravengaard keep spectators, volunteers and participants safe while directing them to their areas for the track and field meet.}

^{Student Meet Director, Paige Dunckly, talks to the head track and field coaches prior to the beginning of the May 1, 2021 meet.}

^{Paige Dunckley, CYO Meet Director talks to head track and field coaches, Liz Dooley (West Hills Christian) and Isaac Forquer (Holy Trinity) prior to the beginning of the meet. Liz and Isaac are also two of the five CYO Track and Field Commission Members.}

As the CYO/Camp Howard staff work to make a comeback as a business, I am deeply touched at so many things and I would like to share some of them with you. I am sure many of us have things in common that speak to the sweetness of hearts.

First of all, I could not ask for a better group of people to work with.  They have seen the organization through a year-long furlough, come back when asked and acted as a first-class team to execute our first activities beginning with Cross Country at the end of February and Track and Field currently.

I will always have a very special place in my heart for the CYO Track and Field Commission for helping us offer and execute the new Cross Country program. Isaac Forquer (Chair), Mac Lavier, Jennifer Adamy, Liz Dooley and Randy Dollar worked with the CYO staff and really provided technical assistance, feedback, weekly meetings, encouragement and presence at all of the meets.  How do you properly thank such heroics? 

Our CYO Athletic Directors, coaches and parents have been so excited to return to action.  I was a CYO Official at Valley Catholic this past weekend, hosting three “mini meets” which basically means we held the numbers at each meet to the state mandates including participants, officials and volunteers. We cut the number of events in half to speed things up yet give the kids a good choice of activities, changing them up the following week with the other half of track events. A really positive side benefit has been that youth have tried things they never did before.  Maybe a star will be born!

I cannot give enough thanks to our volunteer parents who stepped in and assisted with the production of the running and field events.  The mini meets lasted 90 minutes each, the participants were able to compete in two events and thanks to all of these individuals all of the events across the city were finished on time and everyone seemed to be so grateful to be back.

Special thanks also to the administrators who made their facilities available to us, Valley Catholic (Beaverton), Seton Catholic (Vancouver) Portland Christian (Portland) and Liberty (Hillsboro).  If not for the sites, there would have been no CYO Track and Field meets.  We are incredibly grateful!

CYO will present three more weekends of track meets at three locations per week the next three Saturdays in May 2021.