STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY HANK DART

The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation threw down the gauntlet.

And a hundred kids took up the challenge, competing in the organization’s fifth annual Olympic Day on the Summer Solstice at Sagewillow Field in Elkhorn.

Teams had 90 minutes to complete the Gauntlet of Games, which consisted of 10 challenges as Olympians Chase Josey, Jonna Mendes, Will Brandenburg and Reggie Crist cheered them on.

They crossed an air bag, pulled a sled full of teammates up a hill in an event dubbed “Chariots of Fire,” crossed a pond on stand-up paddle boards and crawled through a mud bug.

They then ran down a Color Highway, getting a good douse of Indian Holli paint, before high tailing it through a tire course and putting their marksmanship to the test trying to see how many balloons they could shoot with BB guns.

Then they ran through a fire hose, down a slip-n-slide, over a wall and a through a maze across  the finish line.

The winning team in the 14-through-17 category consisted of Carter Sammis, Nico Gaggero, Shaw McCoubrey and Sebi-Radl-Jones. They won gift certificates from Johnny G’s Subshack. Second place went to Blake Bathum, Ethan Marx, Ridge Dirksmeier and Jett Carruth. They won gift certificates to Wrapcity

First place in the 13-and-under category went to Dylan Prabowo, Teddy Hobbs, Audrey Smith, Reece Walther-Porino and Nico Lerner, who will savor their success at Johnny G’s Subshack. Second place went to The Dream Crushers, comprised of Anton Holder, Avery Burrell, Dawson Speth, Braxon Dale and Lilli Peck. They received gift certificates from Wrapcity.

The Most Inspirational Award was given to Team Wright, comprised of siblings and cousins James, Henry, Adam, Emily and Caroline Wright, for their teamwork and camaraderie.

The are some 1,300 Olympic Day events throughout the world in cities and towns that have been designated Olympic training sites. They are designed to bring together Olympians and youngsters to pay homage to the Olympic ideal of fair play, camaraderie and passion for sport.

“Sport, teamwork and competition have been celebrated since the beginning of our history,” says Scott McGrew, SVSEF’s new executive director. “The virtues of the experience is as important now as they have always been, if not more so. In a world that is smaller and smaller, it is imperative that we learn how to compete with one another and acknowledge the great lessons that come—win, lose or draw.”