OCEANSIDE – Behind Ivey Ranch Elementary School is a brand new track and field – a labor of love for a local foundation dedicated to fighting childhood obesity.
For Karen Johnson, co-founder of the Gibraltar Foundation and an Ivey Ranch parent, building the track with the help of numerous donors has been part of a personal mission to help children exercise more and improve their nutrition.
Educators who gathered Friday at the school to dedicate the track and field said it should give children a strong incentive to stay active.
“A first-class facility like this makes a statement,” said Larry Perondi, Oceanside Unified School District's superintendent. “It says we think fitness is important.”
The Gibraltar Foundation aims to build a track and field at elementary schools across California.
Johnson, a former cancer researcher at the University of California San Diego, said she came up with the idea for the foundation during a visit five years ago to a local YMCA.
“The kids were just big,” she said. “There were more children with love handles than not.”
That may sound funny, but childhood obesity is no joke. The prevalence of overweight children ages six to 11 more than doubled in the past 24 years – going from 7 percent in 1980 to 18.8 percent in 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The rate among adolescents ages 12 to 19 more than tripled, increasing from 5 percent to 17.1 percent. Obesity leads to numerous problems, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer.
“The government and insurance industry are panicking, because it is going to cripple our health care industry,” Johnson said.
The new track is made from sealed decomposed granite and the infield is synthetic turf. Thirty companies and organizations donated $200,000 in material and expertise for the project.
Ivey Ranch classmates Anashea Atempa, 9, Catherine Bowen, 9, McKenna Fix, 9, and Alex Espinosa, 10, said the track and field will augment an already active play schedule.
Before the track and field was built, students had to run their laps on a grass field.
“Now at PE, we're going to start running more often,” Anashea said of using the track.
Bruce Lieberman: (760) 476-8205; bruce.lieberman@uniontrib.com
