Wicked Local staff photo by David Gordon CAPTION: Daniel Monaghan, 9, of West Roxbury, boots the ball during the Tobin-Connolly Summer Games on Tuesday morning, August 11, 2009 at Catholic Memorial High School.

Boston City Councilor John Tobin says he gets all his best ideas while jogging on the track of his alma mater, Catholic Memorial High School. In June, Tobin had another idea; he called fellow City Councilor John Connolly and told him, “I have a great idea. We should have the Parkway Olympics.”

“The moral of the story is,” said Connolly, “always listen to Tobin’s ideas if he has walked around the track.”

From then, the two Johns created the Tobin-Connolly games, a free daily event for the Parkway youth between the ages six and 13 at Catholic Memorial High School that happened on August 11.

The event included a free throw basketball shooting contest, races, and longest football punt, pass, and kick competition. Approximately 60 kids were in attendance ranging from ages six through 12. The games were also followed by a barbeque picnic and awards ceremony.
Tobin said a main point of the games, “was keeping kids active; not every kid is in a summer camp.”

Connolly added by saying the games “were a way to bring families together and were for parents and kids who might not have something going on.”

The kids, who were mostly boys, in attendance were split up in groups based on age and rotated through a couple of stations.

“A lot of these kids come see the basketball and football games here [at the high school],” said Tobin. “So they get to see where the ‘big guys’ play.” The kids, who are used to coming as spectators to a packed gym and football field, get to see what it is like to play. “It’s like coming to the TD Garden for them,” noted Tobin, “It gives them a little bit of encouragement.”

Catholic Memorial donated all the facilities and Tobin and Connolly ran the event with many parent and high school volunteers.

And like many modern events, modern technology came into promoting the event; Connolly stated he promoted the event through an e-blast list that had a couple thousand e-mails and through making a Facebook event.

Tobin said he believed in the idea because he has been a sports fan all his life and got the idea because, “I remember at halftime at football games they had a punt, pass, and kick competition.”

He also added, “There are so many talented kids around here in terms of athletics.”

With the philosophy that sports is a backbone of a community, Tobin commented by also saying, “Mayor (Ray) Flynn had a quote that I still think applies today: ‘The best way to keep kids out of courts is to keep them on the courts.’”