Children from nine local elementary schools will fill Edwards Stadium at La Jolla High School on Sunday, May 16 for the 19th annual Junior Olympics, sponsored by Kiwanis Club of La Jolla. Last year’s event drew more than 700 participants between the ages of 5 and 12. Organizers anticipate an even bigger turnout this year. Jeanine Volinski, who has volunteered with the event since its inception, said watching the enthusiastic participants keeps her coming back each year. “[My favorite part] is the expressions on the kids’ faces. They’ve got their tongues stuck out while they’re throwing a softball or they’re just smiling ear-to-ear when they’re coming out of the tunnel at the obstacle course … they’re just having a blast,” Volinski said. Students can choose to compete in a variety of events, including the softball throw, an obstacle course and track events in one of five age divisions. The final races of the day will determine La Jolla’s fastest boy and fastest girl; each participant in that competition is nominated by their school to represent fellow students in a 400-meter race. Winners of those races will receive trophies, while the top-three finishers in each of the other events receive medals. All students will receive ribbons for the events they participate in and the school with the highest percentage of participants will take home the Spirit Award trophy. The Kiwanis Club raises funds for the event throughout the year, primarily through La Jolla Kiwanis Pancake Day and the La Jolla Half Marathon. Volinski said the Kiwanis Club hopes to promote healthy competition at the event, starting with having all of the kids recite the Olympic oath. “We just want it to be a pure track experience, like a grown-up track experience,” Volinski said. “We don’t give out T-shirts. We don’t sell anything that has our logo on it. We don’t charge admission …We want all the kids to come have a good time and compete with good sportsmanship.” The event is free and open to students at all nine La Jolla-area elementary schools — The Gillispie School, Bird Rock Elementary, Torrey Pines Elementary, La Jolla Elementary, Stella Maris Academy, The Evans School, The Children’s School, All Hallows Academy and the San Diego French American School. Students are asked to pre-register through their school, but Volinski said on-site registration will be available. Check-in begins at 7:15 a.m., and the events will begin at 8:30 a.m. For more information, call Avelino Cortina at (858) 431-6431 or Jeanine Volinski at (858) 456-2266.