Sports

Area Students Sprint Their Way to Jr. Olympics

Local track team prepares to travel to Des Moines for national competition.

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Members of the Mustangs Track Club have qualified for the 2014 Amateur Athletics
Union (AAU) Jr. Olympics, which will be held July 27 through August 2 on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Ten athletes from the team advanced to the national event after attending the AAU Region 5 Qualifier Meet in Suffolk, VA June 27-29th. 

The Mustangs Track Club, led by Raymond Gee, Damian King and a team of volunteer coaches, includes athletes primarily from the Culpeper and Manassas areas. Established in 2012 with sixteen children, the program has grown tremendously and now serves approximately 130 athletes. Gee states that he seeks to teach children to be competitive, while having fun at the same time. “We encourage our youth to be the best they can be and to continue to strive for better results,” Gee said.

Just this year, the coach moved the team from club status to members of AAU in order to increase the athletes’ opportunities for a greater level of track and field competition. Gee attributes the success of the squad to the hard work of the students coupled with the expertise of the volunteer coaches that assist him in training the team. “This is an awesome accomplishment for our athletes,” said Gee. “This is our first year competing at the AAU level and our kids did an amazing job!” 

The following athletes have advanced to the national competition:

  • Jynira Boxley: Manassas (100m & 200m Dash)
  • Ashton King: Culpeper (100m & 200m Dash)
  • Sydney Radford: Haymarket (100m & 200m Dash)
  • Sheldon Robinson: Orange (100m & 200m Dash and 8 & under 4x100 relay)
  • Koven Smith: Gainesville (100m, 200m and 400m Dash)
  • Evan Thornton: Culpeper (8 & under 4x100 relay)
  • Isaiah Vick: Manassas (8 & under 4x100 relay)
  • Dimitrius Walters: Woodbridge (800m & 1500m Run and 8 & under 4x100 relay)
  • Jordan Washington: Haymarket (200m Dash)
  • Malachi Williams: Manassas (100m & 200m Dash)
Gee notes that the travel expenses for the athletes to attend the Jr. Olympics are costly. “Thanks to the generosity of our current sponsors, family and friends, we have already raised quite a bit,” he said. “We still need more to reach our $15,000 goal, so our athletes can compete in Iowa without being concerned about the amount of money it takes to get there.” Although the team is conducting fundraising activities in Culpeper and Manassas, Gee says interested local businesses may also contact him for sponsorship opportunities for both the Jr. Olympics and the program in general. The public can also lend its support for the team by visiting www.mustangstrackclub.org and clicking on “DONATE HERE” in the middle of the homepage. Donors should choose “track” and indicate “Mustangs Track” so the team will receive the contribution. Donations are tax deductible.

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