132. 1st Grade SSR. Track and Field

​Most kids like to run, toss things, and jump. Running, tossing, and jumping are skills that people use in track and field sports. In track, people run races, or do running and jumping in the same race.

Field sports test jumping and tossing skills. People toss discs and other long pointy things or try to jump very far or high.

​Most running contests take place on a track. Each track has four to nine lanes. These races can be short or long, and the key to being on track teams is to run fast.

People run fast with quick bursts of speed in short races. In longer races, they may not run as fast, but they must run more laps around the track to finish their races.

​Some kinds of track races are run in teams of four. Each person on this team runs part of each race. They take turns running and holding onto a stick. At the end of their part, each one passes this stick to the next person.

It’s quite tricky to do, but thrilling to watch! If a stick is dropped, the team is out.

​A track race with hurdles tests running and jumping skills. A hurdle is like a small fence that people jump over in a race. They must jump all ten hurdles in their lane.

They must be fast and good at jumping to win at hurdles. If their feet or knees knock into a hurdle and make it fall, or if they hit a hurdle with their hands, they will not win.

High jumping is a field contest. You can see a person leap over a thin pole that rests on upright bars. He or she takes a running start and tries to make the highest jump. People jumping get three tries each.

If their feet or legs knock down the pole, they’re out. Those who make it over get to try until a person jumps the highest.

​Long jumping tests how far a jump can be. Each person takes a long running start down a runway with a plank at the end. He or she must push off this plank without letting toes cross it. Then it’s the jump, with legs pumping as if a person can run through the sky. Judges mark how far each person jumps. The longest jump wins.