A Chance to Treat Yourself and Help Perdita Help Right To Play

Looking for something to do to start the summer holidays off on a fun note?

The Canadian Track and Field Championships get underway tomorrow at Varsity Stadium and run through Sunday, featuring the likes of Olympic bronze medallist hurdler Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, rival Perdita Felicien, world 800-metre silver medallist Gary Reed (featured today in a nice piece by Dave Feschuk), world 400-metre indoor champ Tyler Christopher and shot putter Dylan Armstrong, who missed an Olympic medal by a centimetre, among many others.

This is a rare opportunity -- last time it happened was 1968 -- in a great setting right in downtown Toronto and kids under 12 get in free. Adults pay $20, youth (13-17) pay $10 and a four-day pass is $50. You can buy tickets at Ticketbreak.com or at the stadium.

Felicien launched a neat initiative this week to help the the athlete-driven humanitatrian charity Right To Play. She is donating $12.46 for every race she runs this season – symbolic of her fastest time ever – and asking Canadians to join her in doing the same as she seeks to raise $7,000 by season’s end.

The popularity of Right To Play could be seen last week at a fund-raising golf tournament in Canmore last week spearheaded by Olympic cross country ski champion Beckie Scott. It was a veritable Who’s Who of Canadian Olympic sport.

RANDY STARKMAN PHOTO