The Hershey’s Track and Field events include the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 800-meter run, 1600-meter run, 4 x 100 meter relay, standing long jump and softball throw.

All participants are advised to please check-in by 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning as the meet will promptly be held at 9:00 a.m. Participation is free and open to all youths between the ages of *nine through fourteen. Requirements include pre-registration forms must be turned in before the May 8 track meet to the Oakland Parks & Recreation Sports Department, youths must be between the ages of nine through fourteen with proof (birth certificate), track shoes are prohibited and that participants have the written permission authorized by a legal parent/guardian.

Registration forms are available at participating local schools, recreation centers and at the administrative office of Oakland Parks & Recreation. For those youths who would like to participate but have not turned in their registration form, it’s not too late! To request or turn in a registration form, please contact (510) 238-PARK or fax (510) 986-2823.

Oakland Technical High School is located at 4351 Broadway in Oakland, nearby Temescal Pool and Studio One Arts Center.

Winners in the local Oakland meet will advance to the Northern California Hershey State Track Meet, which will be held in the City of San Jose at the City College on June 19, 2004. The individuals selected for the regional team consists of participants throughout the regional pool, not all state meet winners will advance. Those lucky finalists will travel to Hershey, Pennsylvania to complete in the North American Final.

The Hershey’s Youth Program mission statement: To provide a quality recreation program where children have fun and are introduced to physical fitness through basic track and field events, such as running, jumping and throwing. The program began in Charleston, West Virginia by Dr. Donald P. Cohen in 1975 and has grown to one of the largest youth sports programs in North America.

Thanks to the generosity and active community involvement of Hershey Foods Corporation national funding for the program is made possible, as well as sponsorships through the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the National Association of Sports and Physical Education (NASPE), the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and Athletics Canada.

The Hershey’s Youth Program allows youths between the ages of nine through fourteen the introduction to physical fitness through basic track and field events. It is reported by the Hershey’s Youth Program that there are over 400,000 children participating in the annual program, representing over 3,000 communities across the country. For more information about the Hershey Youth Program call (800) 468-1714 or (717) 534-8087.

*The official ages for the Hershey’s Track and Field meet is for youths between the ages of nine through fourteen. The City of Oakland has included special group of youths who love this sport but do not qualified based upon age requirements. To meet this request for teenage boys and girls between fifteen and sixteen the City of Oakland allows these youths to compete just for fun on this day with the understand that there will be no advancement in this program.

Representing the City of Oakland as the Regional Coordinator for the Pacific Southwest Region 2 for the Hershey Youth Program is the Office of Parks & Recreation’s Director Audree V. Jones-Taylor. For more information on this wonderful program or how to participate, please contact the Pacific Southwest Region 2 for the Hershey Youth Program at (510) 632-8008 or write to P. O. Box 10881, Oakland, California 94610.

For information on the City of Oakland Sports Department, please contact:

Sports Department
Director: Michael Hammock
Phone (510) 238-PARK
mhammock@oaklandnet.com Email