Celebrating Cibola’s young athletes

GRANTS, N.M. – Coinciding with the 39th Annual Mount Taylor Quad, the 2022 Kids Quad gives the youth athletes of Cibola the ability to compete alongside their older counterparts. The 2022 event was the 10th consecutive kids’ quad, allowing children aged three to 12 the ability to compete. This year’s event took place on February 19.

Taking place on High Street in front of the Old County Complex, the children’s event takes youth athletes bike up the street, increasing in laps with age group, before taking them to North Fourth Street. The young athletes then participate in an obstacle course at the Riverwalk Park, before the course takes advantage of The Legacy Trail, connecting the park to Second Street. Athletes then make their way back to where they started, 515 W. High Street. After completion of the event, young athletes were visibly tired and met with medallions, water, fruit, and other energy boosters. As they competed and made their way up and down the course, Cibola’s young athletes were cheered on by their teenage fellows, the Grants High School football and Lady Pirate Basketball teams were present and not only cheered for the competitors, but helped to guide them so they didn’t get lost during the event. Event coordinator and City Councilman Erik Garcia explained that the Mount Taylor Quadrathlon was a community event, but that it had been missing something for the kids. He explained that as a child, he was a participant of the Kids’ Quad and it helped to make him interested in athleticism. After the Kids’ Quad disappeared for a number of years, Garcia helped bring the event back while working with the event. This year’s event leveraged the trails avaible from Riverwalk Park, an effort to inform the people of Grants that there are many walking trails through the city, Garcia said. Parents set up along High Street to support and cheer on their children, spending money with the local vendors and enjoying the cool weather.