Searching for gold at the library’s first baby race

The obstacle course was set up and the athletes were put in their best Velcro shoes. Some participants chose to run barefoot through the colorful tunnel and climb the inclines. The excitement in the hall was palpable, but this is an event you won’t see on national television. The first-ever Crawling Olympics took place on Monday at the Park City Library.

The race was created by Katrina Kmak at the library. She explained how her own love of the Olympics inspired her to think of something different for the Baby and Me time slot at the library. While it wasn’t a typical reading hour, it was an event that is nonetheless vitally important, she said.

“Singing, talking, playing, reading and writing are the five things that are important for early literacy at Utah Ready to Read,” Kmak said. She said that while the event was focused on play, it was also a good way for the youngest Olympians to work on their hand-eye coordination, socialize with their peers and even get their hands on a book to carry around with them at the end of the races.

“It’s important to get kids used to going to the library,” Kmak said. No gold medals were awarded, but each participant went home with one or two books to keep.