Special to ViewAvione Allgood completes her winning throw in the shot put at the Junior Olympics in Walnut, Calif., last month. Allgood took the event?s gold medal for the PS Vegas Flyers track club and placed third in the javelin.
Special to ViewAvione Allgood completes her winning throw in the shot put at the Junior Olympics in Walnut, Calif., last month. Allgood took the event?s gold medal for the PS Vegas Flyers track club and placed third in the javelin.
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The PS Vegas Flyers track club has been around for 13 years and has established a reputation as one of the most dominant and popular youth track and field organizations in the valley. This year, the team had to endure some big changes: a new head coach and a move to a new headquarters -- Shadow Ridge High School.
Because of the transition, the Flyers' numbers dwindled slightly. But their performance didn't.
The club recently returned from a successful trip to the Junior Olympics, held July 24-29 in Walnut, Calif.
"They exceeded all of our expectations, in every way," said first-year head coach J.R. Brass, who has been with the Flyers since the club was founded. "In fact, I was as impressed with how we did at Junior Olympics as I was all year. Half of the kids that made the regional meet ended up making Juniors."
Leading the way in California was Avione Allgood, who took the gold medal in the shot put and placed third in the javelin.
The Vegas Flyers' 4-by-100-meter relay team, consisting of Garyn Hopson, Aja Mixon, Amari Lopez and Frankie Davis, came up short in the final, but did set a personal best. Tia Brass also put forth a strong showing in the 100-meter dash.
Perhaps the best evidence of what good can come in a rebuilding year was the performance of Gabriel Garcia, who, in her first year ever competing in any track and field event, qualified for the Junior Olympics in the javelin.
"I think we have a really nice base now, being out in the northwest and developing a stronger team this season," Brass said.
The club, which welcomes athletes from all over the city, competed with 42 athletes this season, eight of whom participated last year. In past years, the Flyers' roster has been at around 120 athletes.
"We are strongest, numbers-wise, in the 10- to 13-year-old age group," Brass said. "For the most part, the females are usually more competitive than the males, especially when you get up to the Junior Olympic level. The competition is much greater for the boys at that level.
"But I think we're headed in the right direction after this season. This year there were some fluctuating factors to deal with, and we responded well. Most of our athletes were new to the sport this year. Now those athletes will be ready when we start conditioning again for next season."
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