62nd LASD Junior Olympics

Saturday / April 27, 2024 / 8am - 4pm

Los Altos High School

Overview

4th / 5th / 6th graders from each of the elementary schools in LASD participate. Parents, friends, students in other grades, family members, and teachers are invited to attend the event and cheer on all the schools.

Students compete in traditional and non-traditional track & field events: basketball free throw / chin-ups / 75 yard dash / 60 yard hurdles / 1320 race / softball throw / standing long jump / 30 second jump rope  /  4 x 100 relay more on events

This is an annual event that takes place the last Saturday in April. It begins at 8am with the 1320 races and concludes at approximately 4pm after the last relay is run. See complete schedule of events below.

JO is planned by a district committee comprised of volunteer representatives from each elementary school and lead by a LASD PE Specialist. LASD provides personnel to help with deliveries, equipment and maintenance needs. LASD PE specialists along with volunteer community members set up and run the event. Both LAEF and each school's PTA help fund the event. The Junior Olympics treasurer manages these funds.

Scoring & Awards   

  • No overall score is tallied per school. Scores are tallied for each event per division per student.

  • Awards are given to top 6 finishers (not necessarily the top 6 places) in each event / division. If there is a tie in positions 1-5, participants will have to finish above 6th place to receive a ribbon. Using basketball free throw as an example:

1st Place: 15 throws
2nd Place: 11 throws
3rd Place: 10 throws
4th Place: 9 throws
5th Place: 8 throws
6th Place: 7 throws
In the above example, all 6 places receive ribbons. Alternatively:
1st Place: 15 throws
1st Place: 15 throws
1st Place: 15 throws
4th Place: 9 throws
4th Place: 9 throws
4th Place: 9 throws
In this case, only the 4th place finishers and above receive ribbons. 

  • Students who qualify for dash and hurdle FINALS will receive ribbons. Heat placements are not awarded.

  • Each member of a placing relay team members will receive a placement ribbon (1st - 7th).

  • Results are posted on the fence and HERE.

Selecting Events

Students will choose their 3 events after several weeks of training in PE. The Junior Olympic parent volunteers will collect student choices during PE classes. Parents will receive a confirmation letter or e-mail the week before Junior Olympics. All event selections are final.

Safety

SUPERVISION
Students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the duration of the event.
 
FIRST AID

While basic first aid supplies will be available for minor injuries, Junior Olympic volunteers are not medical personnel and will not be authorized to treat serious injuries. 911 will be called should any serious medical situations arise. 

INJURIES

On occasion, a child may suffer a minor injury (such as a twisted ankle or a sore hamstring) prior to an event, but still wish to compete. In this situation, a member of the JO Committee will call the contact designated on the injured child’s permission slip.  The child’s designated contact will also be paged over the loudspeaker and told to report to the athlete’s entrance to evaluate the child’s condition. If the designated contact does not report after two pages, the child will not be permitted to compete.

Event Day Information 

An event map, schedule, snack bar menu and more are included in the program, which will be available at the event. Please review your child’s events ahead of time to plan out your day. Each school has a tent where students can gather between events. Chairs and blankets are also helpful to have.

FOOD

A snack bar is set up to sell bagels, healthy snacks and beverages throughout the day. CASH AND VENMO ONLY.

In addition, several food trucks will also be available. See Food Trucks for a list of trucks and menus.

PARKING

Parking is available along streets, in the LAHS lots at the front of the school, and at Almond Elementary School. Please DO NOT park in any of the red emergency vehicle zones. Due to limited parking at LAHS, we recommend that families walk, bike, and carpool as much as possible and plan to arrive early.

ATTIRE

In order to compete, athletes must be dressed in their school t-shirt and wearing tennis or running shoes (no cleats, no bare feet, no sandals). Students should wear comfortable clothes, layered for temperature variations, and bring water and sunscreen. Please remind athletes to keep drinking water throughout the day, especially before their events. The weather is usually hot, and there’s little shade at LAHS. Often they will wait 5-20 minutes before their turn to compete.

SPORTSMANSHIP

Junior Olympics is a friendly competition. Any unsportsmanlike behavior (fighting, cursing, arguing with judges, taunting, etc.) will subject athletes to disqualification or removal from JO.

RUNNING EVENTS

NO cleats, spikes, soccer shoes, track shoes, track shoes with spikes removed, or bare feet. Students should warm up and stretch prior to each event. The 1320 run will be held at 8:00 a.m. (1320 runners should plan to arrive between 7:30 and 7:45 am.). The top 6 finishers in hurdles and dash qualify for finals. For relays, official batons are provided – athletes do not bring their own. Athletes may use only poker chips (which will be provided) or U.S. quarters for position markers - no exceptions. There is only one entrance to the track events (1320 comes through a different gate onto the track that closes after the event)

OPENING CEREMONY

Begins promptly at 9:00 am (Students should arrive between 8:30 and 8:45am). Students assemble near their school’s colored balloons on the practice fields of the high school, next to the track. After the ceremony, students will exit the track near the school tents. Please arrange to meet your child at your school tent. If your 6th grader is in the band, please follow prearranged plan for meeting them and retrieving their instrument.

TRACK ACCESS

Only authorized volunteers and athletes are permitted on the track. Dash, Hurdles and Relay participants must enter the track at the ONE athletes’ entrance and exit the track near the finish lines of hurdles and dash. Relay coaches do not go onto the track with the athletes.

VOLUNTEERS

Please sign up to help your school. Many volunteers are needed to run this event. Track volunteers must check in at the Field Pass / Security booth to pick up their field passes. All other volunteers should report directly to their scheduled areas.

EQUIPMENT

All equipment is provided by the Junior Olympics committee and PE Specialists. Students may not use their own equipment in competitions.  Use of personal equipment in any event will result in student disqualification for that event.

Fun Facts & Trivia

1) What is the longest standing record at JO?

The longest standing record is for 4th grade girls standing long jump by Kristin Fifer from Covington School in 1979 - 6' 10".

2) How many new records were made at last year's (2019) JO?

6 records

3) Which school has the most JO records?

Almond, Loyola, Oak (15 each)

4) How many PE teachers and parent volunteers does it take to produce the JO every year?

Over 100 volunteers and 8 months of planning.