Coeur d’Alene kids show they ‘can do hard things’

COEUR d’ALENE — The competitive spirit was strong at the Coeur d’Alene School District’s annual cross country meet — but for event organizers, the tradition is all about helping kids strengthen their trust.

“Can you do difficult things?” » asked a teacher through the microphone.

“Yeah!” » the children replied.

About 750 children from the district’s 10 elementary schools participated in Thursday’s event, with races held for each grade level, from first to fifth grade. Thursday’s event marked the 36th year the school district has hosted a cross country meet for elementary schools.

“I really enjoy bringing all the schools together and the excitement that comes with it,” said Marla Nixon, who teaches physical education at Bryan Elementary School.

“I told the kids: don’t worry about winning, have fun! said Heather Montee, running coach at Bryan Elementary School.

Yet for many kids, Thursday was about winning.

Quinten Wilburn, a fifth-grader at Ramsey Elementary School, took first place in the fifth-grade boys’ race — and was ready to win well before the finish line.

“Winning feels really good. I practiced running around the block at home,” Quinten said.

Aurelius Brennan of Sorensen Elementary School won second place – and he was proud of it.

“I feel pretty accomplished because I actually don’t work out at all,” Aurelius said.

Bryan Elementary’s Evan Wallace was more than happy with his third place finish.

“It went very well. It was an incredible race, and I couldn’t have done it without the other competitions,” he said.