VALPARAISO | Both Celena Guerrero and Andrew Jankowski had little trouble capturing their respective races on Wednesday night, but both runners admitted to being a bit nervous when it comes to competition.

Guerrero and Jankowski were two of close to 100 local youth athletes that participated in the second annual Hershey's Track & Field Games competition that was hosted in part by the Calumet Junior Striders and the Valparaiso Parks Department.

The event is run in order to help prepare kids ages 5-14 for what they will experience at a track meet and help calm some of the nerves.

"Some of these kids have never been at a starting line when the gun has gone off before," Calumet Striders coach Sue Brown-Nickerson said. "This is a great event because it's specific to their age."

Guerrero, an eighth-grader at Hobart Middle School, was the top female finisher in the 800-meter run (2:31) and the 1,600 (5:29) and has qualified for the state competition on July 11 in Lafayette.

"I had a lot of fun meeting new people, but I get nervous at these kinds of events," Guerrero said. "I don't know why, but it happens every time."

Guerrero looked calm and confident on the track, easily outpacing her competition, thanks in large part to her summer workout plan.

"Last summer I ran three miles a day five days a week and I improved my times by 30 seconds," Guerrero said. "Now this summer, I am going to try some long distance camps."

Jankowski, an eighth-grader at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Valparaiso, won both the 800 (2:27) and the 1,600 (5:15) and will also go down to the state meet, where he won the 800 last year and finished third in the mile.

"I got a little nervous looking at some of the times from the runners last year (at state), but the experience from last year should help," Jankowski said. "I'm just trying to run every day. It makes me feel good instead of sitting inside and playing video games."

Brown-Nickerson loves the opportunity to see more than 60 of her Junior Striders participate in an event that will help get them ready for more competitive track meets down the line.

"This event helps me see where kids will fit in for the AAU meet," Brown-Nickerson said. "This is not a full-out track meet, but it's a great event for first timers."