2016 YMCA Summer Olympics

Fargo is a long ways away from Brazil, but that isn’t stopping local youth from celebrating the Olympic spirit.

If you can’t bring the kids to the Olympics, then bring the Olympics to the kids. 

Once a year Fargo South becomes the ultimate showdown arena thanks to the YMCA.

More than 800 kids, and 25 different teams, all going after the ultimate prize- otherwise known to them as new friends.

“Some of our sites are a little smaller so we try to pair them with teams that you know they don’t know so that they kind of get to know each other ,” Karmen Riley says, YMCA School Age Site Director.

No score is kept for the games, but there is plenty of team spirit.

“Earlier this morning when we were waiting for all the kids to get there, there was big chants going back and forth. One group would start and the other would go so it’s kind of just a friendly competition,” Riley says.

It’s all for fun but for Athletes like Brennan, he says a day with the name “Olympics” in it comes with expectations from his teammates.

“Well some of them you’re under pressure and the others ones are just fun,” says Brennan.

The day ends with a closing ceremony like the real games.

Many children say this made them even more excited to watch the Olympics.