Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 7-20-18

Local
15 Youngsters Qualify:
Tampa Matrix Track Club Headed To National Competition
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Fifteen youngsters with the Tampa Matrix Track Club have qualified to participate in the National Amateur Athletic Union (more commonly known as AAU) Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa. The youngsters, who range in age 7-14 years old, will be leaving town on July 28th and are expected to return on August 4th.
Although excited about the trip, the youngsters and 3 coaches/chaperones are in need of about $13,000 for ac- commodations – airfare, trav- els, lodging, and food, head Coach Shelton Gilyard stated. Each athlete has to pay his own way. Businesses and individuals are encouraged to support the youngsters, who will be one of 25 regions across the country at the competition.
“The Matrix has experi- enced one of the most success- ful seasons in recent history, qualifying 15 athletes to com- pete in various events, from the competitive Race Walk to the 100 Meter Dash for this year’s national event,” Gilyard said.
This season, the team has competed in nearly 10 statewide meets and logged over 300 hours of training, conditioning and practice.
One youngster, 9-year-old Alivia, qualified 2 weeks ago for the 800m (2nd place), 400m (3rd place) and 200m (4th place), given her history with asthma and allergies. In order to qualify for Junior Olympics, an athlete has to compete in their respective Regional Qualifier and place in the top six in their event.
The qualifiers and their competition are: Neveah
THE MATRIX TRACK CLUB QUALIFIERS WITH COACH GILYARD
Pettway (4x100m), Gi- ahnna Pringle (100m, 4x100m), Shamira Single- tary (400m, 4x100m), and Jenesis Walker (400m, 200m).
Those interested in sup- porting the track team may send checks to: The Matrix
Track Club Inc.,
ATTN: Coach Shelton
Gilyard, 4606 Tucson Ct., Valrico, FL 33594.
For more information, please contact Coach Gilyard at gilyardbehavioralhealth@gma il.com.
Allen (800m), Zyriah An- derson (4x100m relay), Zy- niah Anderson (4x100m relay), Aubruii Callaway (long jump, 100m, 4x100 relay), Makayla Clement (shotput, 1,500m Racewalk), Alivia Frazier (800m,
400m, 200m), Kamariah Garrison (400m, 200m, 4x100m), Skyler Gilyard (long jump), Jayden Massey (200m, 100m), Marquis Perry (1,500m, 800m, 400m), Elija Pettway (1,500m, 800m), Jalisa
MORE MATRIX TRACK CLUB MEMBERS
FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-A