TRACK CLUB: Flyers harness emotion

Team finds success while struggling with personal loss

A lot of tears have been shed this season by members of the P.S. Vegas Flyers youth track club.

There were tears before nearly every event for former program director Lena Sessions -- wife of club founder and head coach Roy Sessions -- who died shortly before the season started.

However, there were also plenty of tears of joy shed by the 9-year-old club, which features more than 100 athletes from across the valley, ages 5-18, and qualified 27 of them for nationals. The club's largest-ever group of national qualifiers will represent the Flyers, and the state of Nevada, Tuesday through Aug. 3 at the 2003 USATF Junior Olympics Track and Field Championships at Tropical Park Stadium in Miami.

"Last year, we had 16 qualify and to have close to 30 kids qualify this year, that's phenomenal," assistant coach Derick Wickliffe said. "With the passing of Lena, we didn't know what to expect. For the kids, it was kind of a shocking way to start the season."

Sessions said the team dedicated its season to his late wife.

"This was our toughest season. We fought through this season. We dedicated it to her and for her and it made it tough," he said. "A lot of kids were attached to her. Kids would cry before every race. She was a big part of the program."

Close to 7,000 athletes from around the country are expected to compete in Miami, with 48 in each event in each age group. The top three athletes in each event qualified from 16 regions around the country.

"Our region is Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego. We have the toughest region in America," Sessions said.

Jarrod Walters, who competed as part of Centennial's Sunset Region champion track team this year, will lead the Flyers into the fray. Walters won the national title, and set a national record in the process, in the javelin last year in the youth division (ages 13-14), hurling it 53.33 meters, or 175 feet. This year, Walters won the region title in the javelin in the intermediate division, for ages 15-16, and is ranked third in the country heading into nationals.

"It's a bigger javelin (in intermediate). I'm expecting to win, but I'm not expecting to break the record this year," Walters said. "But next year I will."

Sessions said several other athletes should excel: the midget (ages 11-12) girls 3,200-meter relay team, ranked third in the country; Takara Shaw, a bantam (9-10) ranked second in the javelin; Damonysha Smith, a midget ranked second in racewalk; Anthony Pryatel, a bantam ranked third in racewalk; Avione Allgood, a bantam ranked third in the shot put; Ansherae Devine, part of the midget relay and ranked fourth in the 1,500-meter run; Tynia Coats, part of the midget relay and ranked fifth in the 800-meter run; and Brittany White, a midget ranked in the top 10 in three events -- discus, javelin and shot put.

Rai'Yana Anderson and Kayla Washington are also on the nationally ranked relay team.

The Flyers also feature national qualifiers Bobby Alexander (intermediate, triple jump); Joseph Atkins (midget, 3,200-meter relay); Kiana Coats (youth, 3,200 relay); Phillip Decoud (midget, 3,200 relay); Davion Gray (midget, racewalk); Chandler Lawson (midget, racewalk); Jacque Lee (midget, 3,200 relay); Monique Liefert (intermediate, 400 hurdles); Christina Love (youth, 3,200 relay); Roderick Lucas (intermediate, discus, shot put); Andre Price (midget, racewalk); Alex Price (intermediate, 400 hurdles); Amber Scott (youth, 3,200 relay); Eamon Tellis (bantam, racewalk); Michael Thompson (midget, 3,200 relay); Brittany Washington (youth, 3,200 relay); and Anjanelle Yancy (midget, pentathlon).

"It's an emotional booster for them," Wickliffe said of qualifying for nationals. "It motivates them and a lot of them look forward to qualifying next year if they didn't qualify this year."


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