Registrations are under way for the The Little Patriots Speed and Agility Clinics sponsored by Sandhills Optimist Club.

Students enrolled in the first through eighth grades are invited to attend the Monday through Thursday 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. sessions running from Feb. 11 through Feb. 28. They will be held at the Pinecrest High School Stadium.

The cost is $100 per person for all 12 sessions or $10 per session.

The staff will be led by Chris Metzger, head football coach at Pinecrest, members of his staff and area guest coaches.

The mission of the clinics is to provide each athlete with positive instruction in several areas of athletic improvement. The different phases of instruction include: eating habits, study habits, form running, stretching and overall fitness for life. The clinics will focus on a combination of speed, agility and plyometric training.

Each athlete will learn the basics and see themselves improve. All drills and sessions will be conducted in groups based on age. The clinic staff will strive to help athletes improve not only as athletes, but more importantly as people.

Camp attire is T-shirts, athletic socks and running shoes. Campers should bring plenty of water. Parents of participants are to drop their child off at the stadium, or in the case of inclement weather, at the gym.

Make checks payable to Pinecrest Football Ironman Patriot Club. No child will be excluded because of financial hardship.

For more information, call Metzger at (239) 248-0808.

Race Series Starts Feb. 2

The Sandhills Race Series kicks off its spring schedule with the third annual Mardi Gras Miles event on Feb. 2 in Southern Pines.

The 5K will begin at 9:30 a.m. The race will start at Sandhills Community College before heading down along the rolling hills and sandy path of Reservoir Park.

It will wind its way around the bayou and back up to the field at SCC for its finish.

The first male and female finishers (over 21) will each receive two tickets to the John Paul II Mardi Gras Gala Event to be held at the Fair Barn in Pinehurst on Feb. 9.

This event is open to runners of all ages.

The Kids Fun Run, “Run for the Beads” will be held on the athletic fields of SCC beginning at 10:30 a.m. There will be two events, a 10-minute run for ages 7 and under, and a 20-minute run for ages 12 and under.

The runners will receive a string of beads for each lap that they complete during the time allotted.

The Mardi Gras event is the first of six races planned for the spring series.

Other races are the Shamrock N’ Roll in Whispering Pines on March 16; Run for the Ribbons in Raeford on April 6; Hoyt Kennedy 5K in Southern Pines on April 27; Moore Buddies in Pinehurst on May 11; and MANNA in Motion in Southern Pines on June 1.