Everyone Wins at Earth Games

Youngsters from the Soviet Union, Mexico and the United States already have their gold medals at the first Earth Games at UC Irvine, even though the competition doesn’t end until Sunday.

The medals have been awarded already because the games--a project of the American Kids Sports Assn.--are based on the proposition that “participation is victory in itself,” Julie Nathanson, spokeswoman for the games, said Thursday.

Since last weekend, 140 participants, ages 6 to 12, have competed in basketball, soccer, baseball, track and swimming events at Crawford Field on the UCI campus.

The 14 Soviets, 16 Mexicans, 16 American Indians from tribes in Nevada and other American youngsters have been living, eating and sleeping together. “They’ve gotten along beautifully,” Nathanson said. “They’ve even learned to communicate, sort of, even though most of them don’t know any language but their own.”

The Earth Games, which it is hoped will become an annual event, were conceived by Bob Mathias, two-time Olympic gold medal winner in the decathlon and president of the American Kids Sports Assn.

Dariel Sevilla, 12, of Tijuana couldn’t find much difference in climate in Orange County.

“But what I do notice is that kids here seem so much calmer than kids at home,” he said through his interpreter, adult group leader Mario Acosta.

“For my kids, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a dream they don’t want to wake up from,” Acosta said.

Sporting equipment companies have donated sleeping bags, athletic shoes, canvas traveling bags and other gear, all of which the children can take home with them, along with their medals.

And, of course, they have visited Disneyland.

During a swim in the UCI pool Thursday, Irina Sorokina, 12, of Moscow, said:

“But of course, I fell in love with Mickey Mouse.”