Marathoner Bob Kempainen will not be the only Dartmouth face at the 1996 Olympic games to be held this summer in Atlanta, GA. Frances Childs, currently the Assistant Athletic Director at the College, was selected to officiate the track and field portion of the Olympics and the 1996 Olympic Trials, also in Atlanta.
"I applied almost two years ago, and they have just now decided who they will choose," Childs said. "I am just so excited to go there and see the Olympics."
She estimates that there were well over 1,000 applications for the 176 officiating positions.
Childs has been assigned to oversee the long and triple jumps in Atlanta, two of her specialties from her competitive days.
The University of Pennsylvania graduate has an impressive list of accomplishments as an athlete from both her high school and collegiate days.
A several time state champion as a 1984 graduate of Pennridge High School in Perkasie, PA, she moved on to Penn and achieved similar results. As a team captain and eight time letter winner, she holds or has held four school records and was the 1988 heptathalon champion at the prestigious Penn Relays.
Following her graduation from Penn, Childs went to California to run for the Nike Coast Club out of Long Beach. Though she had begun to officiate meets while still at Penn, she said that it was after she stopped running for Nike that her officiating career really took off.
"I ran for Nike for over two years, which was exciting, but I just didn't go any farther. I just wanted to stay involved with track and field," Childs said. "Ninety-nine percent of what I do is strictly volunteer, which is one of the big bonuses of the Olympics."
In preparation for the Olympics, Childs officiated the 1996 Millrose Games in New York City and the 1996 Penn Relays in Philadelphia, PA. In the past she has officiated the 1992 Olympic Trials, the Olympic Festival, the World University Games and the USA Track and Field National Championships, all meets for national and international caliber athletes.
"I am usually the youngest official there by about ten years," Childs said. "I would like to see more young people out there."
It may be hard for other young officials to follow in her footsteps without some of the help Childs gave along the way, especially in her home state of Pennsylvania.
"I have been at it for about nine years and I had a lot of good people to work with and as mentors," she said. "I was just fortunate."
Here at Dartmouth, part of Childs' job entails home contest management. Childs works closely with sports information and the gym's facilities office to ensure that home events run smoothly.
