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Be a Part of the “Stampede” and
Help Local Sports Programs
By Julie McCoy, contributing writer
If you live in or near Redwood City, you won’t want to miss this year’s
Sequoia Stampede, a 5K run/walk in which families, neighbors, students,
athletes and businesses come together to raise money for Sequoia High
School’s athletic programs.
To be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 13, the Stampede takes place in the
neighborhood around the Sequoia High School.
The terrain is suitable for people of all ages and abilities, emphasized
Gordon Bliss, owner of Mobius Fit health club on Woodside Road in
Redwood City, who has organized the event for the past three years.
Children as young as 5 have been able to walk alongside their parents, and
children who are even younger have been able to participate in the event in
strollers, Bliss noted.
“It’s fairly flat,” he said. “There are two little hills. People do it all the time.
It’s really cool.”
Seven hundred people participated in the Stampede last year, and the goal
this year is to attract 800 to 850 people, according to Bliss.
“It’s a great community event,” commented Sequoia High School Principal
Bonnie Hansen. “A lot of people from the local community participate. A
lot of people come out and watch people run. In addition to being a nice
fundraiser, it’s a nice community builder.”
It costs $5,000 to put on the Stampede, according to Bliss. Last year,
the Stampede raised $30,000 after expenses. The goal this year is to raise
$35,000 after expenses.
The money will go toward Sequoia Sports Boosters, a parent organization
that raises money to bridge the gap between what Sequoia’s athletic
program receives from the school district and what it needs to be strong and
successful. Sequoia Sports Boosters will then give the money to Sequoia
High School to use for its athletic programs.
The funding will pay for such things as uniforms and equipment for
student athletes, and their transportation to and from events. The school
district typically starts to run out of money for transportation during the
second half of the school year, according to Bliss. “We’re picking up where
the district can no longer do it,” he explained.
Without the funding it receives from the Stampede, Sequoia’s athletic
department would be compromised, Hansen emphasized.
“It’s huge,” she said. “I don’t know what we would do without it and just
the work of the [Sequoia Sports] Boosters in general … We would not be able
to run the athletic program we have been able to run.”
Bliss begins planning for the Stampede in November and puts in 150 hours
of work prior to the event. He is there as early as 3:30 a.m. the day of the event.
There are about 60 volunteers at the Stampede, who work a minimum of
four hours. Some volunteers work up to eight or nine hours.
“It is a community-involved event,” Bliss noted. “That is one of the things
that is most fun about it.”
Everyone who participates in the Stampede receives a T-shirt.
You can tie an electronic chip on your shoes that will let you know when
you started, when you finished and the amount of time it took you to complete
the course. If you are on Facebook, the device will also post a message on
your Facebook page to let others know that you finished the event.
One new feature of the Stampede this year is that the event will have food
trucks, with food and concessions, Bliss noted.
Additionally, the Stampede is partnering with Ford Motor Co., which will
bring 10 Ford cars.
For every person who test-drives a car, Ford will contribute $20 to the
Stampede’s fundraising efforts, up to $6,000, Bliss explained. “They’re [Ford
is] doing most of the work,” Bliss explained. “We’re excited. We haven’t done
this one before, but it sounds exciting to us.”
Also new this year, Shoe Rafiki, an organization at Sequoia High School
that collects new and gently used shoes and sends them to Third World
countries, will have a booth with a donation box. The American Cancer
Society also will have booth with a donation box.
How did the Sequoia Stampede get started?
A few years ago, Bliss saw that an event called the Big Bear Run was
successful in raising money for Menlo-Atherton High School athletics. He
suggested to Sequoia Sports Boosters, of which he is a member, that a similar
event be implemented at Sequoia High School. “They were successful with it.
I thought, why not reinvent the wheel,” he said.
And thus, in 2011, the Stampede was born.
Bliss’ twin 18-year-old daughters, Alyssa and Alex, are seniors at Sequoia
High School and have been involved in sports all four years at the school. They
both currently participate in cross-country running and varsity track and field.
The Stampede “raises money for all sports [at Sequoia High School],”
Alyssa Bliss pointed out. “It’s an event that everyone can participate in. It
strengthens the team feeling in our sports programs. It’s like a one-one time
thing. People prepare for it and practice.”
Alex Bliss added, “I’m glad that my dad came up with this idea. It’s just really
cool at the end of the day when you see everybody smiling and out of breath.”
Redwood General Tire has been a sponsor of the Sequoia Stampede since it
started. “It helps the community,” commented owner Alpio
Barbara. “It helps Sequoia High School. It’s
the only one [the only high school] in the
city. Sequoia is just an institution. It’s [the
Stampede is] a grassroots event. I live in
Redwood City. I work in Redwood City. It’s a
good way for me to give back.”
Whether you run or whether you walk,
whether you’re in good shape or not, it’s
worth heading to this year’s Sequoia
Stampede. You’ll have a great time and
feel good knowing that you’re not only
getting some exercise but also supporting the Sequoia High
School athletics program.
Interested?
What: Sequoia Stampede | When: Saturday, April 13, at 9 a.m.
Where: Sequoia High School, 1201 Brewster Ave.
Cost: $30 for adults, $15 for students
www.seqstampede.com
Registration form on Page 30