Community Olympics Bring Neighbors Together For Friendly Competition

For Severna Park residents, the revival of the Community Olympics turned acquaintances into friends.

“It’s one thing to just stand in the classroom for events or to stand at the bottom of the hill waiting for your kids to be dismissed from school or waiting at the bus stop,” said Betz Wild of Whitehurst. “But it’s another thing when you’re sweating side by side at a competition or you’re watching this person take an at-bat in softball.”

The Community Olympics returned to Severna Park this summer, involving homeowners in Oakleigh Forest, Whitehurst, Cape Arthur, North Cape Arthur and Fair Oaks. More than 200 residents across the neighborhoods competed in the Olympics.

Taking place from July 11 through July 25, events included a 5K run, 10K bike race, golf, volleyball, basketball, cornhole, softball, swimming, tennis and kayaking. Most of the sites for competition were located in the neighborhoods. The closing ceremonies took place on July 25 at North Cape Arthur Park, complete with food, drinks and music.

Oakleigh Forest earned top honors among the participating neighborhoods for its performance throughout the Olympics. “I’m very close with a lot of people in my neighborhood,” said Brandon Goodman, who represented Oakleigh Forest on the Olympics committee. “To be able to compete with them … was really something that I’ll remember forever.”

The concept for the Olympics originated about 20 years ago, when Wild’s parents organized a competition for Whitehurst. In 2005, Wild helped put together a one-week, 10-event Olympiad between homeowners in Whitehurst, Oakleigh Forest and Fair Oaks.

Cape Arthur and North Cape Arthur joined the festivities in 2006, by which point the competition grew to two weeks and 11 events. The Olympics took a nine-year hiatus before its return this summer.

It came back thanks to the work of people like Goodman and Wild — who represents Whitehurst in the neighborhoods’ Olympic committee — as well as Dan Gawitt, who represents Cape Arthur and North Cape Arthur, and Tara Benson, who represents Fair Oaks.

“It’s just a great way to get to know your neighbors better, compete, and it comes down to friendly competition,” said Gawitt. “We happen to think we live in the best spot of Severna Park, and we’re very biased. We just want to get together and compete on the field.”

Among the most popular events, according to Wild and Goodman, were cornhole and swimming. Swimming was especially special for those involved because the parents and kids switched roles. Instead of parents timing the races, their kids did so.

But all the events went off without a hitch and were well received. Residents want to use the Olympics as a springboard for future events.

“There’s already been talk among the volleyball people to get together on a regular basis,” said Wild, who added that cornhole has also prompted discussions about more competition in the future. “Some sports obviously take more than others to accomplish. But for the most part, it’s like, ‘Yeah, let’s just get together and do this again.’”

The Olympics also raised $5,000 for the Severna Park Community Center through the sale of team shirts. Each neighborhood wore a shirt with a team color — Oakleigh Forest, gray; Whitehurst, blue; Cape Arthur/North Cape Arthur, red; and Fair Oaks, orange. The design on the back of each shirt included the five-ringed emblem associated with the Olympics.

Jamie Bragg, an Oakleigh Forest resident, is a 16-year employee of Under Armour and helped outfit the competitors. The shirts were $20 apiece for the participants, with all of the money after expenses going to the community center.

Bragg said the shirts helped promote a “team atmosphere” while raising money for a good cause. “From my perspective, raising money for the community center needs to be thought about more,” Bragg said. “I think it’s a resource. Especially with the four communities, many of our children swim there or use that for sports.”

Goodman is one of the many residents who fit that bill – not only do his kids swim at the community center, but Goodman plays hoops there, too. He agreed that it’s the perfect spot for donations.

“I feel like I’m there all the time,” Goodman said. “We talked about maybe everybody pitching in for each event they play. But the shirt idea … we were able to give the majority of that money to the community center.”

“Honestly, the community center and what they do is all about what we’re doing over these two weeks,” Wild said. “It’s all the same message, so we’re happy to partner.”

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