The third annual Gary Boxley Invitational returns on Wednesday, May 20, bringing fourth-grade students from across the district together for a day of competition and school pride.
Admission is $5 for adults. Running events will begin at 9:30 a.m., followed by field events at 9:45 a.m., including long jump, softball throw, and tug of war.
Fogarty Elementary School Principal Marsha Todd said last year’s event raised the competitive bar after Cotteral captured the inaugural meet’s trophy.
“Last year, students were very competitive, and knowing that Cotteral had won the trophy the very first year of competition created an even more competitive spirit in them,” Todd said. “They were very proud and really wanted those trophies.”
This year, Todd said, the competitive edge is only getting sharper.
“Mr. Kee Ellison will be igniting a fire within our students to keep the momentum going,” she said. “Coach Kee is our new PE teacher, and being a college athlete, he is no stranger to competitive spirit. He and our fourth-grade teacher team have been talking about the track meet to students and getting them fired up and ready to compete. We want the trophies again this year.”
Beyond the medals and bragging rights, Todd said the invitational has become a unifying event for the district’s fourth graders.
“This experience has been great for our students and our district,” she said. “It’s a great way for our fourth-grade students across the district to come together for one big event.”
Parent involvement also grew significantly in the second year.
“The first year, I don’t think that parents were as involved, but last year there were lots of parents from all of our sites there to support the students that were competing, which brought an even more exciting atmosphere,” Todd said. “I can’t wait to see how much the event grows this year and hope to be able to do this for many years to come.”
And as for the friendly rivalry?
“As with any competition, there’s lots of smack talk and bragging rights. This is a big deal,” Todd said with a smile. “I just wanna put it out there to my co-principals at other sites that they need to be prepared to bring it and bring it all because it’s gonna take all of it to beat us this year. Let that be the first bit of smack talk.”
With trophies on the line and school pride at stake, May 20 promises another spirited chapter in the Gary Boxley Invitational.
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