If the jam-packed scene inside Oliver Woodard Stadium earlier this week is indicative of future success, then expect local track and field programs to continue flourishing.

More than 175 young athletes across Cullman County — from kindergartners to sixth-graders — showed up Tuesday to compete in Cullman High School’s elementary meet, with those same soon-to-be stars showcasing their skills in various events.

“Last year, we had about 120 kids,” Cullman track and field coach Trent Dean said. “So, it just shows growth and that there are a lot of kids in the community interested in what we are doing here.”

During the two-plus-hour meet, enthusiastic kids represented their respective schools in events including the 100-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 800-meter run, 1,600-meter run, 4×100-meter relay, shot put, long jump and turbo javelin.

There was both a boys and girls division, each of which was broken down into four different age ranges — kindergarten, first/second grade, third/fourth grade and fifth/sixth grade — with the top three in each of the events receiving medals.

According to Dean, it was a “great experience for the kids.”

“A couple of years ago, we had the vision of getting elementary-age students involved in track and field — and we thought a good idea would be to have a meet in May so all of the kids can experience what the sport is like first hand,” he said. “We wanted to give the kids a chance to do this all for free and then go into the summer program where they can get some real training in the sport.”

Current Cullman athletes — such as runners Grace Thompson and Giselle Gibbs — were also on hand to help run events and offer a guiding presence to any child who needed it.

Both relished spending time with younger versions of themselves, their enjoyment of the day evident in their celebration of the kids’ accomplishments.

“I think it’s really cool to see the next generation of track athletes coming out here and caring about the sport,” Thompson said. “It’s also really fun to give back to the community that supports us a lot at our home track meets.”

Added Gibbs: “I feel track as a sport doesn’t get a lot of attention, and sometimes it gets overlooked. I think it’s just really cool that a lot of kids get to come out here and give their best shot at the different events we have out here.”

Please visit https://live.xpresstiming.com/meets/25817 for complete results from Tuesday’s meet.