The Swift Snag the Prizes at Egg Hunt : Moorpark: There is plenty of competition at the 5th annual Easter event, but almost everybody lands a treat.

Three-year-old James Henderson’s eyes widened with anticipation Saturday as the grown-ups unloaded plastic eggs from plastic bags on a football field in front of him, setting the stage for the fifth annual Moorpark Easter egg hunt.

“When they tell you to go, J.J., run and get your eggs,” James Henderson Sr. instructed his son.

J.J. didn’t need any encouragement. He already had slid past dozens of children and parents with babies in tow to establish front-runner position for the hunt.

Holding tight to his empty wicker basket, he turned to his father and informed him: “There might be jelly beans inside the eggs.”

Within seconds, the mad scramble had begun. Much to his chagrin, J.J. got off to a slow start and was quickly passed by bigger kids and a few aggressive parents.

But J.J. wouldn’t give up. Fighting his way through a tangle of adult legs, his lively eyes scanning the ground, J.J. was one determined hunter.

Suddenly, J.J. spotted at least half a dozen eggs, and pounced, picking up three before the other kids could grab the rest.

Then J.J. went on a roll. He found an egg lying right next to a mother’s shoe. Bingo. He beat a bigger kid to an egg. Then he went back on his tracks, looking for leftovers, and found one more. When it was all over, J.J. Henderson had eight eggs.

There were no jelly beans inside the eggs, J.J. found out after ripping apart a couple. Never mind, dad told him. The eggs can be cashed in for a prize. For his efforts, J.J. got a stuffed bunny, which he handed over to his little sister, Annie, and a bottle of soap bubbles that he kept for himself.

James Sr., a Moorpark robotics engineer, was bursting with pride. “This is great, it’s so !uch fun,” he said, holding 1-year-old Annie in his arms.

So it went in Moorpark Saturday, where about 200 children and their parents gathered at the Community High School football field under the sponsorship of the city, the local Kiwanis Club and the Youth Activities Committee to celebrate with an extravaganza of clowns, giant Easter bunnies, face painters, treasure hunts and a “candy land.”

Of all the events, the egg hunt clearly dominated the kids’ interest. There was plenty of competition, but almost everybody landed a prize.

“The kids love the hunt, they love the prizes,” said event organizer Shelly Shellabarger.

“We tell the kids to not fight each other and to share their eggs, so they do learn something from it.”

The contests became a little more cutthroat among the older kids.

The organizers twice had to order anxious 8- to 10-year-olds to retreat because they were jockeying for position several feet past the starting line even before the eggs had been laid on the ground.

As soon as the hunt began, about 15 eager competitors fell over each other and piled up on the grass. Once back on their feet, the hunters began to display a wide array of egg-gathering techniques.

Sharon Paretorius, 10, pulled out her T-shirt to use as an extra-large basket. Sara Collins, 10, hung a wicker basket from her neck to free her hands. Carlos Morales, 10, and Esteban Cabrera, 9, used a team approach: Carlos scooped up eggs and tossed them toward Esteban, who held open a black shopping bag.

Other, more daring competitors, distinguished themselves with a variety of swan dives and giant leaps that landed them right in the middle of egg clusters. The field was clear in less than a minute.

When it was all over, the big winners were all smiles. The slower competitors could only hope to do better next time.

Ten-year-old Edgar Gonzalez was among the latter. Pouting, he stood in line to exchange the single egg he had managed to get his hands on. Even that conquest was tainted--the egg had been given to him by a compassionate parent after he failed to grab one during the hunt.

His mother, Leonora Gonzalez, was in no mood to cheer him up. Shaking her head, she lamented in a hushed voice, “They put out too few eggs. This community is growing. We have to put out more eggs so that everybody gets his share.”