DC track and field program receives outreach grant

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College’s track and field program has received an $800 grant from USA Track and Field for its outreach campaign to provide afterschool athletic activities for children.

The grant will provide youth-oriented equipment for the program in which members of the DC track and field team work with area youngsters in activities such as running, jumping, and throwing. Coach Matt Lydum initiated the project with his student-athletes last year.

Lydum said the goal of the project is to engage children in physical activity, to teach a lifetime sport, and to promote better physical health. Currently, only about 40 percent of elementary school children participate in group sport; early specialization in group sport leaves many children behind.

DC’s track and field team members hosted afterschool programs at local schools last spring, working with third, fourth and fifth graders in a variety of athletic activities. They plan to continue the program this year, expanding into a greater geographic area.

USA Track and Field, headquartered in Indianapolis, is the national governing body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. Its mission is to provide vision and leadership to the sport in the U.S., and to promote the pursuit of excellence from youth to masters, from grass roots to the Olympic Games.