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The Frisbee gold goes to ... Mail Tribune photos / Steve Johnson Michelle Everson, front center, took an early lead and never looked back on her way to a gold medal in the long-distance run during Sams Valley Elementary School�s Olympics Friday. Her competitors are, from left, Carly Deschamps, Laurie Stoutenburgh, Olivia Clark (behind) and Morgan Douglas. Sams Valley kids show they�re Olympians, too By Vicki Guarino SAMS VALLEY � In the chill of early morning, the athletes take the field. Some pause to stretch tight hamstrings, others cluster eagerly around the starting line for Friday�s first event. Each representing a country, the kids will try to out-run, out-jump, out-throw and, yes, even out-monkey-bar and out-Eskimo-bar the rest of the pack. Eskimo bar? Well, none of the contestants in Mary Palmer�s fifth-grade class at Sams Valley Elementary School knows yet what that is, but they�re game nonetheless. For the school�s fourth- and fifth-graders, two weeks of Olympics are not just something to watch on television; they are to be played. The classes have mixed recognizable Olympic sports (like sprints and long jumps) with decidedly Sams Valley school sports. "We just kind of made them up," said medalist Michelle Everson, who set the games� long-jump record of 131 inches just days ago. Kids worked out the rules for some games, like distance-kicking a big red ball � aptly, the "red ball kick" event � and Palmer made up others. Students can choose their events and sit out others, Sarah Haynes said as she cheered on runners and waited for the Frisbee toss and monkey-bar races. "I don�t run," she insisted. According to students, Eskimo bar is something the teacher made up. Palmer also made up the rules for the monkey-bar race. The timed climb across the bars and back turned out to be a test of who could best remember Palmer�s principal rule that no rung be jumped over. "That�s a �twisted ankle� if I ever saw one," Palmer said, going on to disqualify one leaping contestant after another. As a former gym teacher, Palmer made safety a major concern. Thinking that she and her students had been overly ambitious in the four-lap, long-distance run, Palmer put the issue to a vote and contestants quickly cut the course to two-and-a-half laps just moments before race time. Throughout the race, Palmer urged runners to slow down: "Pace yourself, ladies," she called out. "Pacing is a hard thing at this age because they don�t know their bodies," Palmer noted. Coupled with the physical challenges, Sams Valley�s Olympics incorporated a few mental challenges. Each student had to research the country they represent and produce a portfolio of information. Classroom work included lessons about Australia and today�s Olympic Games and about Greece and the original games. Girls in the class were horrified to learn that Greek women were forbidden to compete. If they were caught trying, they were killed. "I�m glad to be living in the 21st century," Stephanie Lemke decided fast. Stephanie, a softball player, was sitting out the long race, figuring her events would be the ball kicks and throws. Sams Valley�s Olympic schedule features about a dozen events through the two-week calendar. Opening ceremonies on Monday mirrored the real thing last week in Sydney, with banners and flags of many nations. Instead of one torch, everyone went home and made his own torch for a parade before the entire school. For fireworks, students substituted bubbles and confetti. Students haven�t worked out the details yet, but closing ceremonies on Friday are expected to have equal pomp. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA