Marie Edwards, a parent volunteer for MYTC and mother of two of the qualifying athletes, said it’s “very exciting” that four from the program qualified for the nationals, including three 8-year-olds.
“They are starting out as elite athletes,” Edwards said. “They went straight to the top. We want them to maintain that.”
The goal of the track club is to feed the high school program and show the kids the importance of academics and athletics, she said.
“We want them to love sports and build character and show them how those things can impact their lives,” said Edwards, whose husband Kee is assistant human resources director for the Middletown City School District.
They qualified for the nationals after running in the districts held at Lima Spartan Stadium or Harley Field in Columbus. More than 35 teams and 400 athletes competed in the events and the top 16 finishers in each individual, relay and multi event advanced to the regionals.
Athletes from Region 4, which includes Ohio, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania and western New York, competed in the regionals June 24-27 at Austin Fitch High School in Youngstown. The top six athletes in each event qualified for the nationals, held through Aug. 7.
The Middletown Youth Track Club was established in 2019 when two Middletown track teams (Gina’s Thunderbirds and Team Unity) united. Gina’s Thunderbirds, coached by Gina Powers, was established in the early 1990s.
This year’s team had about 30 athletes and is coached by volunteers Michael Dorn, Christina Dorn, Marquise Huff and Powers.
After last year’s outdoor season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, DeCarlo Blackwell, president of the Ohio AAU Region of Track & Field, announced there would be a youth track and field season this year.
Local AAU National Junior Olympics qualifiers
From MYTC: Laila Dorn, 8, 400m and 800m; Kee’J Edwards, 11, 400m, 800m, long jump; Selah Edwards, 8, 100m, 200m, 400m; and Kamden Hunter, 8, 100m, 200m
From 513 Elite: Levi King, 9, 200m, 400m; Samuel McAfee, 10, 200m, 400m, 800m, triathlon; Adex Scherzinger, 11, 1,500m, 3,000m; Sanaa Stoker, 12, long jump; and Jason Wilkerson, 10, 400m
From Dayton-based TCK Elite: Elijah Harris, 13, 400m
From Dayton Wolverines: Jada Wallace, 12, 80m hurdles, 100m, 400m
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