Flyers Meet Highlights | Phoenix Flyers Track Club

April 5, 2017April 5, 2017

Pecheco & Allison Set 3 PRs Each at Phoenix Invitational

Henry Makes it to 100 meter Finals

Due to the NCAA Final Four being in town, other large track meets in the region and the Phoenix Invitational being a bit earlier this season, the number of athletes at “PIs” this weekend were lower than usual but the performances didn’t suffer one bit. Beautiful weather both Saturday and Sunday made for great times, throws and jumps across the board and the Flyers were definitely making their presence felt at Mesa Community College.

8 & Under Division

Max Columbus set a new club record in the 100 meters (besting his own time of a couple weeks ago) with a finish of 16.82 seconds. Max got very close to his personal best in the mini-javelin, where he took 3rd overall with a distance of 14.13 meters. Max also ran a strong 400 in 1:28.02 to round out his very impressive weekend. Isa Allison once again dominated the field in the mini-javelin and took 1st place with a toss of 16.51 meters. Isa had her best jump ever and made it to finals, where she took 8th overall (2.65 meters) and then ran a club record in the 100 meters (16.69), which was fast enough to get her invited to the ASU Sun Angel Invite this upcoming Saturday and compete against some of the fastest 8 and Under girls in that event. Emerson Rhodes was flying around the track this weekend. She crushed her previous best times in the 100 and 200, setting two new PRs for herself (18.01 and 40.52, respectively). Emerson just missed making it to finals in the long jump with a strong effort of 2.57 meters as well.

9-10 Division

Seth Henry had a very competitive weekend. He was able to make it to the finals in the 100 meters, which is no small feat. He took 7th overall and ran a new PR and club record in that distance (14.40 seconds). Seth also had a new best mark in the long jump, taking 6th overall (3.64 m). Seth ran a strong time in the 200 as well, where he clocked 30.68. Carter Bejar made his first meet and ran the 100 meters. He go out hard and crossed the line in a time of 17.34 seconds. Zachary Esparaza had those legs of his moving in Mesa. He was able to run a new personal best in the 200 (31.54) and then competed in his first 100 m of the year with a very strong time of 15.31 seconds. Robert Morris, like Carter, made it to his first meet of the year and ran the 200 in a solid 37.54 effort, but then felt a little under the weather and was not able to compete in the 100 meters later on in the day. Simon Reynolds loves that 100 meter race, and keeps knocking down his time with each attempt. He set a new PR for himself on Saturday with a 16.71 finish. On Sunday, Simon competed in the 1500, where he just missed a PR by a razor-thin margin with a very strong time for this part of the season (6:06.21). Auggie Grimm made it to Mesa Community College this weekend and we are glad he did. He was able to set a new personal record in the 100 meters, just missing the sub-16 second mark with an official time of 16.02.

11-12 Division

Gael Pacheco had a record breaking weekend with three new personal bests for himself. Gael started off his weekend by taking over 2 seconds off his 200 meter time (34.62). He then followed that up by taking .3 seconds off his 100 meter best (16.47) and then for a third encore came out on Sunday and nearly broke the 80-second mark in the 400 meter race, for a new PR (1:20.29). Khaleb Henry continues to improve in the throwing events. He bested his mark in the discus by .81 meters to take fourth place overall (17.77 m) and threw the shot over 7 meters again to take 7th in that event (7.08 m). Macy Baerman being away from practice all week due illness, was not going to let that deter her from competing at PIs this weekend. Macy managed to perform quite admirably with a 35.2 time in the 200, a 1:22.85 line crossing in the 400 and a leap of 3.36 m in the long jump. Braden Lolli took the lead in the 800 to push the pace in his heat and was able to muster a new PR of 2:37.09. Braden had a gutsy and strong finish in the 1500 meters to drop his time down to 5:14.86 and take 4th place overall. His legs were a bit heavy after two hard-fought races in two days, but Braden still was able to find a 1:08.95 time in the open 400 – less than two-tenths of a second off his best. Ben Geist seemed a bit out of sorts in the 800 meters on Saturday and finished in a time of 2:59.06; but on Sunday, Ben had a more confident vibe within and crushed his previous 1500 meter time by over 12 seconds to give him a new PR of 6:06.34.

Jake Blair competed in the discus for the first time and was able to manage a 6th place standing with a throw of 14.75 meters. Jake also threw the javelin, where he has much more experience and it showed as he found a new personal best (and club record) with a mark of 24.06 meters to take 4th place overall. Alas, the heat got to Jake in his 400 and he fought to the finish with a time of 1:23.78. Maddox Moses found a kick on Saturday as he turned on the jets with 300 meters to go in the 800 and won the heat with an impressive new best of 2:46.16. Sunday he may have even run better, as he ran a smart and strong race to a personal best time of 5:32.14, which would bring Maddox to under the 6-minute mile mark for the first time ever! Lucy Arana once she figured out how to navigate through the crowd of girls in the first 200 meters of her 800 meters race, she looked awesome. Lucy ran a speedy 800 and was able to drop her time down to 2:51.58. Like all our distance runners on Sunday, Lucy was able to run a season’s best time that day of 5:47.82, which also was a PR for her as well. Ava Clegg had a successful weekend, like many of our Flyers. She is closing in on that 3-meter mark in the long jump (2.95 m), where she garnered a new PR. And Ava’s speed is improving with each race – she cruised in the 100 meter event in a PR of 16.51 and then threw the shot 5.26 meters to round out her weekend.

13-14 Division

Sebastian Arana had many great throws in the javelin on Saturday, but due to a few foot fouls his best legal throw for the day was 17.62 m, which was over 1.5 meters better than his previous best mark in the 600 g spear. Sebastian also had a slight improvement in the shot put where he set a new high mark for himself with a toss of 6.24 m. Charlie Allison, had three personal bests this weekend on the ground, in the air and off his feet. Charlie took 5th in the long jump with a new best mark of 5.11 m. He won the javelin outright with a new best throw of 36.10 meters and is getting closer to breaking 27 seconds in the 200 as he ran out of steam down the stretch but still managed a PR of 27.2 seconds. Charlie is human and didn’t PR in the triple jump, but did take 2nd overall with his best sand landing being 10.03 meters. Robert Vloemans ran yet another personal best in the 200 (33.05), but also did some field events for the first time this year. He had solid marks in both the discus and shot put. He hurled the discus 14.45 meters and muscled the shot put 6.37 meters for a very satisfying invite.

Our next meet is in three weeks (April 22) down in Tucson.

Go Flyers!

March 20, 2017

West Siiiide Meet at Youngkers Good for Flyers

isa and emerson youngkers HS regulation Meet

Ribbons, Club Records and PRs Abound at Youngkers HS

We thought the last meet was impressive for the Flyers, but on Saturday there were 18 personal records and 11 club records set at the March 18th USATF Regulation Meet at Youngkers High School in Buckeye. With it being so early in the season and so many great performances from our athletes, the future looks quite bright for the ladder part of the 2017 campaign.

8 & Under Division

Isa Allison feeling back to her old self had some impressive performances on Saturday. Isa crushed the competition in the javelin with a new best throw of 17.82 m, which would have been good enough for 2nd at Nationals in 2016. Isa also took 7th in the 100 meters with a new club record of 17.03 seconds and placed 5th in the long jump with a mark of 2.47 m. Charlotte Faltis, a new member to our team this year, competed hard in her first ever 100 meter race with a good time of 20.58 seconds. Emerson Rhodes has those hops, baby! She once again set a new club record in the long jump (beating her own one from two weeks ago) by taking 2nd overall with a jump of 2.79 meters. Emerson also ran the 100 meters in 18.78 seconds. Brooklyn Bowman improved her 400 time to 1:31.34, which was over 3 seconds better than her time from two weeks ago. Max Columbus had a solid day on Saturday. He placed 2nd in the javelin with a throw of 11.08 meters and ran a 1:28.3 400 meters in the sweltering heat.

9-10 Division

Simon Reynolds had a great meet on Saturday. Simon set a new personal best in the 100 meters (16.95) and then ran his first 1500 meters of the season with a strong effort of 6:18.51 to take 5th place overall. Seth Henry also had another strong outing on Saturday. Seth set a new PR (and club record) in the 200 meters (30.40) for 7th place, had a new farthest jump for himself of 3.5 meters to take 6th place and then ran his first 400 meters, which got him 4th place overall and a new club record as well! Diego Mendoza was able to make a meet and he did a great job. Diego ran a nice 1:25.93 in the 400 meters and then later in the hot sun crossed the line in the 200 meters in 37.48 seconds. Micah Newkirk held back a bit in the first 200 meters of his 800-meter race and it played out beautifully. Micah took fourth overall and slashed his best time by nearly 7 seconds with a 2:46.88. Micah also competed in the 400 meters later in the day and ran a strong 1:15.81, just missing another personal best for himself.

11-12 Division

Khaleb Henry is getting more and more comfortable in the throws. Khaleb took 4th in the shot put with a new PR of over 1.5 meters (7.70 meters) and a new club record. Khaleb started out his day with a 2-meter PR in the discus, taking 2nd, with a best throw of 16.96 meters. Macy Baerman running her first 800 meters of the season, ran a new personal best of 3:04.94, dropping 3 seconds from her previous best time. Macy was close in getting new two PRs in the long jump (3.47) and 200 (34.42), but was just a smidgen off of both. Braden Lolli had his wheels revving on Saturday as he set a new PR in the 100 meters (14.72), dipping under 15-seconds for the first time ever. He then ran his first 1500 of the year and demolished the competition after the 1000-meter mark, running a new personal best of 5:21.94, which got him 1st overall and a new club record. Ben Geist got off the line fast in the 100 meters and had a strong finish with a new personal best of 15.72 seconds. When it came to the running his first 1500 m, Ben put in a good effort but perhaps the sun was just too strong. He finished in 6:18.76, which doesn’t compute when you compare his other strong times this season. But we know Ben will bounce back being the determined kid he is.

Jake Blair played soccer all morning and made it to Youngkers HS just in time to run the 400 m and throw the aero javelin for the first time in competition. Jake won his heat in the 400 m with a solid effort of 1:22.52 and then took 3rd in the javelin with a nice mark of 20.90 meters. Maddox Moses got some good turnover work first as he crossed the line in the 100 meters in a time of 16.6 seconds. Later in the day, Maddox hit the 1500 meters and ran to a 7th place finish in a time of 5:46.92, a good start to the early season. Landon Day made it out for his first track meet ever and did quite well. He jumped 3.86 in the long jump, which is a great start and then was looking forward to throwing the aero javelin for the first time as well; he competed quite admirably with a good toss of 13.62 meters, which got him 7th place overall.

13-14 Division

Sebastian Arana had a good strong throwing day at Youngkers. Sebastian PR’d in the shot put with a new best mark of 6.18 meters and then threw the real 600 gram javelin quite well with a best throw of 16.09 meters. Charlie Allison, competed in 4 events and found 4 club and personal records on Saturday. Charlie took 6th in the long jump (4.97 meters), ran 1:02.94 in the 400 meters (winning his heat), triple jumped a new best of 10.52 meters and won the javelin with his best toss of 33.77 meters. Peyton Burnside didn’t have the time she wanted in the 1500 m (6:04.72), but she ran valiantly to keep her focus. We know Peyton, with the work she has put in this season, thus far, will see her times drop in no time flat.

Our next meet is in two weeks (April 1-2) at Mesa Community College – The Phoenix Invitational. This is one of the biggest and most competitive meets of the season. It’s also a two-day meet. The Flyers will be ready to rock.

Go Flyers!

March 14, 2017March 15, 2017

You Get a PR! …And You Get a PR! … And You Get a PR! | Rhodes Wins Long Jump!

Flyers Soar In Regulation Meet with Great Personal Results

There were 24 personal records and 7 club records set at the March 4th USATF Regulation Meet at Millennium High School in Goodyear. To say the Flyers had a good day would most definitely be an understatement. Let’s break down how our little Flyers fared.

8 & Under Division

Isa Allison had some medical matters that kept her out of the 100 meters and mini javelin, but She was still able to be part of the girls 8 & Under 4×100 relay team. The team took 2nd and also set a club record with a time of 1:19.81. Ellie Amsbaugh, also a member of the girls’ 4×100 relay team, managed to have two new PRs for herself as well. Ellie ran a 20.91 in the 100 m and also took nearly a full second off her 200-meter time (45.51) to round out a really terrific day. Emerson Rhodes another speed demon in the girls’ 4×100, also had a personal best jump of 2.68 meters, which got her 1st place overall in the event. Emerson also PR’d in the 100 meters with a time of 18.45 seconds. Brooklyn Bowman ran a great 400 meters with a nice opening time for the season of 1:34.89. Brooklyn also was a member of the record-setting 4×100 girls’ relay squad. Max Columbus had the trifecta with awesome personal results for himself. Max had a 2nd place finish in the mini javelin (14.27), a huge 400-meter PR (1:24.48) and a blazing 100 meters’ time to round out his day (16.96).

9-10 Division

Simon Reynolds, while we wouldn’t call him “speedy”, still managed a huge personal improvement in the 100 meters with at time of 17.29. Simon, later in the afternoon, feeling more in his element in the 800, found himself crossing the line with his second PR of the day, just missing the sub-3 minute barrier (3:00.85). Seth Henry, somehow with even a slow start out of the blocks, managed a 7th place finish and a new club record in the 100 meters with a clocking of 14.84 seconds. Seth also jumped 3.38 in the long jump and took 8th in the 200 meters, just missing a best time by .3 seconds (31.70). Sienna Amsbaugh, blasted out of the blocks in the 100 meters and grabbed a new PR with a time of 16.79 seconds. Micah Newkirk, while still figuring out this middle distance thing, ran two great times on the west side. Micah dropped 6 seconds in his 400 meters (1:15.70) and took 8th overall in a very competitive 800-meter race with time of 2:53.09.

11-12 Division

Macy Baerman found some wheels in the 200 meters and just missed a personal best with a strong time of 34.46. Macy was a bit off the mark on the long jump and found only a jump of 3.29 meters. Macy also ran the 400 in 1:21.40. Braden Lolli, showing more signs that we may not need to wait for next year to see great results, smashed his recent club record in the 400 by nearly 4 seconds (68.79) and already was nearing his PR in the 800 with a 7th place finish in 2:38.28. Benjamin Geist, not to be outdone by his middle-distance teammate had not one, but two new PRs at the meet. Ben shattered his 400 best time by almost 5 seconds (72.86) with a gutsy finsih and then broke his old 800 top time by over 5 seconds (2:55.92) to round out a very successful afternoon. Khaleb Henry finally got a chance to throw some implements and did quite well. He took 3rd in the discus (14.97 m), after borrowing Coach Allison’s shoes (No, you can’t wear spikes when throwing the shot or discus, Khaleb!) and then threw the shot put a good distance with a measurement of 6.18 meters.

Gael Pacheco put in some great effort in his events and after a long day in the sun was able to muster these solid times: 16.78 (100 m), 38.66 (200 m) and 1:24.9 (400 m). Ava Clegg, matched Max Columbus with the most PRs and club records set that day at the meet. Ava set a new club record in the shot put (5.73 m) taking 7th overall; and then ran some personal quick times in the 100 m (16.69) and 200 m (36.48) to have a strong Saturday out west. Lucy Arana had another strong meet with two new personal best times. In the 400 meters she bested her time to an impressive 1:15.82 and then began her season in the 800 with a strong 8th place finish in a great time of 2:54.55.

13-14 Division

Robert Vloemans traveled all the way out to Goodyear for one event, but he made it count. Robert high-stepped it to a PR in the 200 by over 1 second (34.18 seconds). Sebastian Arana, who is becoming on of our throwing specialists here at the Flyers, threw the shot put that Saturday and set a new PR for himself in the heavier weight class (4 kg), now that he’s in the 13-14 division, with a mark of 5.90 meters. Charlie Allison, like Sebastian, opened up his season at this meet, set two new PRs for himself – 13.36 (100 m) and 27.8 (200 m). Charlie also took second and set a new club record in the triple jump, launching himself across the runway in 9.97 meters.

Our next meet is this weekend at Youngkers High School – 8 a.m.

Go Flyers!

February 27, 2017

Great Start for Flyers in ’17

The season is well on its way and the Flyers have been to three meets thus far. Let’s take a look at how our athletes have competed over these past 4 weeks.

8 & Under Division

Ellie Amsbaugh competed in her first track meet back in late January at Westwood High School, where she ran in the 100 and 200 meter races. Ellie competed hard and was able to land in the middle of the pack for both events with times of 21.21 seconds (100 meters) and 46.34 seconds (200 meters). Trenton Shirley entered his first track meet ever in early February in the 55 meters and crossed the line in a strong 11.00 seconds. Charlotte Faltis, yet another new member to our Flyer family this season, ran the the 55 meters as well in early February and streaked by in a time of 11.11 seconds. Isa Allison, the 5th year grizzled 8 and Under veteran, started her season up in Flagstaff this past weekend and was able to set two new PRs for herself, along with team records in the 55 meters (9.66) and 200 meters (36.71). Isa also took 6th place in the long jump with a mark of 2.31 meters.

9-10 Division

Auggie Grimm, a promising newcomer to the club, ran a very respectable 100 meters time of 16.34 seconds back in late January and then competed again the following week in the 55 meters, where he finished almost dead-center of the pack with a time of 9.28 seconds. Seth Henry, who we thought was a pretty fast kid when we met him at the beginning of the season, still has been able to surprise us with some very impressive early season times for his age. At Westwood High in January, he set a new club record in the 55 meter dash (8.53) and took 4th place overall. A week later at Millennium High School, Seth placed 8th overall in the 200 meters (31.43), and just missed the club record in that event as well. Micah Newkirk, an up and coming middle distance runner, started the season off right with a very strong 400 meter time of 1:21.91 back in January, and landed him 17th out of 45 athletes in his age group. Sienna Amsbaugh, the older sister to Ellie, who seems to have a perpetual smile on her face, ran two very solid times in January over at Westwood High School, where she ran 18.16 seconds in the 100 meters and a nice 38.67 finish in the 200 meters.

Zachary Esparza was a bit nervous last Sunday when he got on the line for the 55 m dash at the Skydome up in NAU. As the gun banged, Zachary exploded off the line with a very good performance of 8.84 seconds. Hours later, when he was getting ready for the 200 meters, Zach’s nerves started to creep up again; but he was able to focus that energy into a winning heat time of 32.38 second and a great start to the season. Simon Reynolds, one of our original cast members of the Phoenix Flyers and now somehow grew up to be in the 9-10 division, competed for the first time in Flagstaff. More as a warm up for Simon, he took to the 55 meter dash in 9.91 seconds and then later that day ran the 800 meters where he had a promising time or 3:13.51 at the 7,000 feet level.

11-12 Division

It’s always a good sign to see PRs from our returning athletes so early in the season. Macy Baerman has managed three new personal records for herself in the last two meets. In Flagstaff, Macy had a nice PR of 3.54 m in the long jump and a swift 34.24 finish in the 200 meters, which was also a PR for her. Two weeks earlier, Macy also ran a new PR in the 400 meters and for the first time dipped under the 80-second mark with a time of 1:19.22. Braden Lolli, another original Flyers athletic artifact, looks like he’ll be picking up right where he left off in his impressive 2016 national qualifying run. He blistered a 1:11.76 400 meters in mid-February at Millennium HS, which was a new PR for him, as well as having a strong 2:44.61 result in the 800. These times clearly shows you that age is just a number; and although Braden’s in the lower half of his new age group this year, he’ll still be pushing for many top finishes in 2017. Benjamin Geist is no neophyte runner anymore. In his second season with the Flyers, you can already see how his comfort level and confidence have risen since 2016. Benjamin ran a new PR in the 400, back in mid-February, in a time of 1:17.33, which should mean that his times will be dropping considerably. Khaleb Henry, Seth’s older brother, is waiting his time for the throwing events to begin, but back in February he did run the 55 meter dash with great effort and explosion off the line. Unfortunately, the clock that day malfunctioned and we have no official time for Khaleb in the race. Ava Clegg, yet another 5-year vet to the Phoenix crew, has definitely shed her little kid look and is right smack in the middle of “tweensville”. Ava, being a lot stronger and faster than last year, has already set two new PRs for herself in the 200 m (37.78) and 100 m (16.98) back in late January. Lucy Arana, after a brutal last season fighting off multiple bouts of various sicknesses, is back and better than ever! Lucy, a distance specialist, surprised maybe even herself when she tore off a time of 1:16.35 in the 400 meters, which shattered her old quarter-mile best by nearly 10 seconds!

Gael Pacheco, a quiet but determined new member to the Flyers, has been making great strides in meets this early season. Gael ran a 9.8 55-meters in mid-February and then ran three events up in Flagstaff, where he improved his 55 meters to 9.56 seconds and ran hard in the 200 m (37.02) and 400 meters (1:24.86) to fill out a long day up north. Another new 11-12 division boy who has joined our team this year is Austin Schrader. He has competed twice thus far in 2017. In the first meet of the season, Austin ran a solid 16.62 second 100-meter time. He then made the trek with his family up to the thin air of Flagstaff, where he ran a 9.58 second 55-meter race. Our last 11-12 to compete in the early part of 2017 is Maddox Moses. He’s a strong middle-distance runner, who was able to break 3-minutes in the 800 in late January (2:58.45). And we are hoping to put together our first 4×800 meter relay this year with the middle-distance talent we seem to be amassing with our 11-12 boys.

13-14 Division

Robert Vloemans, our only 13-14 athlete to compete so far this season, came out to the opening track meet to compete in the 100 and 200 meter races. With much improvement since his first day with us at practice, Robert was able to run a 16.89 and 35.44 in those sprints. Robert is looking forward to getting a chance to compete in the throwing events in the weeks ahead and focus more on the field side of track & field.

Our next meet is this weekend at Millennium High School – 8 a.m.

Go Flyers!

January 8, 2017January 8, 2017

First Day of Practice Tomorrow!

Track is back for 2017!

We hope you all had a great summer/fall and are ready once again for an enjoyable and exciting season with the Phoenix Flyers! This will be our 5th year and are looking forward to meeting and coaching all the new and returning young athletes.

We will meet at Mt. Pointe H.S. tomorrow, Monday, January 9th at 5:30 p.m. If there is a soccer game being played, then we will be on the upper practice field – just northwest of the track on the Mt. Pointe campus.

Practice this week and for the rest of January will be Mon, Tues and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. to around 6:30. We won’t start breaking up into our various training groups (field, sprint and distance) until early February.

As of now, our online registration is being updated, so we can’t take any online payments or sign-ups until Friday, January 13th. If you have previously registered on our old registration site, don’t worry we have your info and payment (if you payed online).

No spikes are needed. Please hold off buying spikes until we have our team’s “Spike night” at Sole Sports sometime in late January or early February.

It’s still cool – so please dress appropriately and have water.

Come with a great attitude!

Coach Young, Todd and I can’t wait to get you running, jumping and throwing in 2017!

Go Flyers!

Training & Location Schedule

June 4, 2016

AZ State Meet Shapes Up Nicely For Flyers

20+ Flyers came out to compete in the USATF AZ State Meet at Mesa Community College on May 21-22. Many great performances were had by our athletes that weekend (even some of our older guys).

8 & Under Division

Max Columbus had three solid performances over the weekend. He ran 18.68 in the 100 meters, 1:35.13 in that long 400 meter race and then a 10.19 meter best throw in the mini-javelin. Emerson Rhodes made it out for the 100 meter race, where in a very windy day managed to blow by in 19.92 seconds. Isa Allison was able to throw a PR of 13.14 meters in the javelin to take a third place medal and then jumped 2.38 m in the long jump and ran 19.5 against the wind in the 100 meters.

9-10 Division

Ava Clegg keeps putting up PRs. Again this week, Ava jumped a personal best of 2.82 meters and then threw the shot put 4.32 m, for yet another personal record. Ava did get on the track and ran an 18.61 second 100 meter race as well. Braden Lolli ran like a man possessed in the 1500 meters and was able to out kick Do Right’s Justice Horace to win and set himself a new PR as well (5:35.76). Still trying to capture that 200 m 9-10 age group club record, Braden ran the 200, but fell a bit short of the mark with a time of 32.76. Braden also took 6th overall in the 800 with a time of 2:48.25. Benjamin Geist decided he wanted to see how fast his legs could take him in the 100 meters and he found out with a time of 16.46 seconds. Ben came back to run the 800, where he ran a very gutsy and tough 3:04.67.

Camila Cornejo-Farmer ran against the crazy winds in the 200 with a time of 35.05 and then also found a pretty good mark for herself in the long jump (2.89) to close out her weekend. Lucy Arana looked more like her old self with a very strong season’s best of 6.11.34 in the girls 1500 meters race. All systems were not go unfortunately for Levi Shoemaker this weekend and he needed to be scratched from the 400 meters. Levi did manage to throw 15.52 meters in the javelin and run a 17.75 in a strong head-wind in the 100 meters. Jake Blair leaped a personal best in the long jump with a 3.50-meter mark (8th place) and then took 2nd in the mini-javelin with a good showing of 27.03 meters.

11-12 Division

Sebastian Arana, due to a mess up with the javelin officials, Sebastian was unable to get his throws in, but he did do the shot put and found a great PR in that event with a toss of 6.05 meters. Charlie Allison, had a fantastic weekend: 1st in javelin – 44.71 meters (new PR), 2nd in long jump (4.90 meters) – new PR and made it for the first time to the finals in the 100 meters, where he took 6th with a strong time of 13.8 seconds. Taylor Pinteric, raced a very impressive 400 with a new PR of 1:16.94 and jumped a very solid mark of 3.21 meters. Macy Baerman did set a new PR for herself in the 100 m (17.27 seconds) and ran a solid 3:17.04 in the 800 meters.

13-14 Division

Nathan Lind, had no PRs this weekend, but raced and placed quite well. Nathan took 3rd overall in the 100 meters with a time of 12.39 and made the finals in the 200 meters with a qualifying time of 25.78. Carson Dada, found a new PR in the 400, as he dipped under 70-seconds for the first time with a 69.69 finish. Carson also competed in the 100 hurdles where he broke the tape with a time of 22.29.

15-16 Division

Kenya Coburn, one of Coach Todd’s high school girls, joined the Flyers recently and was able to take 1st place in the 100 meters (12.74), triple jump 9.7 meters (her first time competing in this event, I believe) and long jumping 4.72 meters as well.

17-18 Division

Chynna Simmons, took 2nd in the triple jump (11.03 m), 3rd in the long jump (5.26 m) and managed to make it to the finals in the 100 meters (13.63). Nura Muhammad took an impressive first in the long jump (5.53 meters) and another first in the triple (11.97 meters) for the double-win this weekend. Kayla Callendar also competed this weekend, but unfortunately no-marked in the long jump.

Masters (Aka “Old Man”) Division

Louis Clegg, more in a half-marathon frame of mind, did dip way down to the 400 meters, where he took first in his age-group with a time of 1:11.09. Coach Allison set two age-group state records (45-49) in the 800 (2:05.19) and in the 1500 (4:24.16), to close out the weekend.

The Flyers will have the Arizona Junior Olympic State Meet on June 3-4 at Mesa Community College. Many of our athletes have an opportunity to make it to the J.O. Region Meet in July in Albuquerque. Good luck Flyers!

April 17, 2016April 17, 2016

Nice Weather Brings Records and Smiles to Westwood

Saturday was a beautiful day at Westwood High School in Mesa, Arizona. The Flyers came to compete with many PRs, ribbons and club records being had by our sleek-looking track and field athletes.

8 & Under Division

Simon Reynolds showing himself as a serious contender in the 8 and Under 800 and 1500 for Junior Olympic State and Regional competitions in the weeks ahead, dropped nearly 4 seconds in his 800 on Saturday to take 2nd overall with a new PR of 3:09.61. Simon also ran the 100 meters with a very respectable time of 18.51. Max Columbus found his wheels, as he set a new club record in the 100 meters for 8 and Under boys with a time of 18.03 seconds. Max also was getting a handle on the mini-javelin, where he threw a new personal best of 11.19 meters. Max rounded out his day with the 400 meters, where he seemed to smile through the tape in 1:35.63. Isa Allison, having been ill for the Phoenix Invite, got back to the track with some pretty solid performances. Isa took 3rd in the mini-jav with a throw of 9.51 meters, ran an 18.48 100 meters and jumped 2.37 in the long jump. Solana Leyva donned on her new speed suit Saturday to blaze through the line in the 100 meters (18.54) and the 200 meters (39.38) with two huge personal records. Emerson Rhodes was as always loving life as she jumped a personal best in the long jump (2.35 m) and ran some strong times in the 100 (19.29) and 200 (4.59) Saturday afternoon.

9-10 Division

Braden Lolli after being injured early in the week, came to compete on Saturday with a solid run of 2:50.41 in the 800, which got him a 5th place ribbon. Braden also came back to the long jump after almost a year away from the event and found a mark of 3.21 meters. He finished his day with a new PR in the 200 with an impressive time of 31.83 seconds. Sean Camping, as always, is ready to compete the moment he gets to the track. Sean found two new PRs for himself on Saturday. A great jump of 2.95 meters for Sean got him ever-so-much loser to the 3-meter mark. Sean also dropped his 100 meter time down to 16.76 seconds and ended his day with a solid 200 meter sprint of 36.72. Benjamin Geist after a great debut in the 800 at the Phoenix Invitational, found himself a bit out of step on Saturday for some reason and crossed the line with a time of 3:10 – disappointed he was, but we know he’ll be back in the weeks to come to show what he can truly do out there.

Camila Cornejo-Farmer had a very nice long jump, which was a new PR for her with a mark of 2.97 meters. Camila also ran a very strong 100 meters, dipping again under 17 seconds with a time of 16.84. Levi Shoemaker ran a strong 100 meters in a time of 16.42. But this day was Levi’s coming out party in the javelin where he threw not one, but two personal bests obliterating his former best throw of 15.75 with a new mark of 19.28 meters. Apparently Levi was done after the javelin, as he cruised in the 400 meters with a time of 1:30.43 to end his day. 🙂

11-12 Division

Macy Baerman had a wonderful debut in the 800 meter race, where she looked strong and focused as she crossed the line with a time of 3:07.01. Macy came back to long jump (3.05) and run the 400 (1:23.60) on Saturday to end a very satisfying Saturday. Ella Donovan only knew PRs and club records on Saturday, with each event she competed in setting one or both. Ella found a nice PR in the long jump with a leap of 2.71 meters, dropped her 200 meter time down to 35.69 and then set a PR and new club record in the 100 meters with a time of 16.35 seconds. Charlie Allison, finally found a time under 14 seconds in the 100, where he set a new PR and club record for himself with a finish of 13.73. Charlie’s debut in the discus was a good one; he took 1st (22.39 m) and then ended his day with a long jump mark of 4.06 “officially”. Jaiden Gilette perhaps the nicest kid on our team, had a PR in the mini-javelin with a new best of 13.63 meters and ran in the 100 (16.27) and 200 (33.21), which were not PRs, but very strong times for him. Taylor Pinteric did flirt with a new PR in the 400, but just missed her best with a time of 1:18.57. Taylor did though PR big in the long jump with a great jump of 2.92 meters.

13-14 Division

It was Groundhog Day for Haila Reed and Nathan Lind as they both once again set two new PRs and club records in the 100-meter and 200-meter races. Haila ran impressive 12.94 (5th) and 26.69 (4th) times in her races, as well as a very strong 400-meter time of 63.06. Nathan clocked in at 12.32 (2nd) and 25.51 (5th) in his races. Both athletes have great chances going to J.O. Regional and National competition in the weeks and months ahead.

Maddy Shoemaker, another potential Regional and National qualifier, set a new club record in the 800 with a time of 2:34.48 (4th) and won her first race as a club athlete in the 1500 meters, where she just missed the club record, but dusted the competition with a new personal best of 5:27.06. Peyton Burnside raced her first 3000 meters of the season and came out quite confidently, as she destroyed her personal best by over 13 seconds with a new best time of now 12:50.93.

15-16 Division

Aria Jones without the Yoda-like presence of Coach Todd, found her steps a bit out of sort on Saturday, but still had some strong marks in both the long jump (4.18 m – 2nd) and the triple jump (8.99 – 2nd). Aria did find a new personal best time in the 100 meters where she streaked by the white line in a competitive 14.27.

Most Flyers will not be competing at the next meet at Millennium High School on April 30th, due to the Flyers Coaching Staff not being at that meet.

The remaining meets for all Flyers athletes are:

Arizona State Meet – May 21-22 (Mesa CC)
Junior Olympic State Meet – June 4-5 (Mesa CC)

For those who can qualify for the Regional and National Junior Olympics, those dates and locations are as follows:

Region 10 Junior Olympics – Albuquerque, NM – July 7-10
Junior Olympic Nationals – Sacramento, CA – July 25-31

April 5, 2016April 5, 2016

Records Fall and PRs Fly At P.I. This Weekend

Nathan Lind PI — Nathan Lind, winning his heat in the boys’ 13-14 100 meters and taking 10th overall.

Saturday and Sunday brought throngs of track and field athletes from all over the west, northwest and southwest of parts of the U.S. to the valley of the sun for 52nd annual Phoenix Invitational at Mesa Community College.

Perhaps suiting up for the first time in our new superhero style uniforms caused there to be tons of PRs and many club records by the Flyers this past weekend – that’s for you Levi Shoemaker and Braden Lolli 😉

8 & Under Division

Simon Reynolds dropped almost 10 full seconds in the 800 meters to have a terrific PR of 3:13.34 and a 9th place finish. Simon also ran a PR in the 100 meters with a time of 18.46. Max Columbus, in the same heat as teammate Simon Reynolds, edged him out at the finish line in the 100 meters with a time of 18.41. Max also ran a very gutsy 400 meters (his first one ever!) and kicked it down the last 80 meters in a time of 1:33.99. Max, although only got one legal attempt in at the long jump, made it a good one with a PR mark of 2.47 meters.

9-10 Division

Ava Clegg must have had jets on her feet because she blew away her old PR in the hundred by over half a second with a new best of 17.81. Ava also had good marks in the long jump (2.65) and in the shot put (4.03) to round out her weekend. Braden Lolli only did one race on Sunday – the 1500 meters – but he made it count. He dropped 5 seconds to get a new PR of 5:39.27 and took 6th place in a very competitive field. Sean Camping just wanted to focus on the long jump on Saturday, unfortunately he couldn’t find his steps and no marked for the day. Benjamin Geist made his debut in the 800 this season with excellent results – he ran 3:01 flat and looked strong doing it. He also managed yet another PR in the 400, dropping his new best to now 1:17.42. Sofia Jourdon rocked it out in the 1500 meters on Sunday by smashing her previous best time by 16 seconds (6:03.42).

Camila Cornejo-Farmer made it out to the track for the 200 meters and set a new club record as well as a personal best of 34.21 seconds. Lucy Arana also competed in the 1500 meters, but drew the short straw as she was one of the last two runners to make the faster heat and was unfortunately in “no-man’s land” out on the track. She still ran a gutsy 6:20.55, but we know still that the best is yet to come from Lucy this season. Levi Shoemaker found a personal best in the 400 with strong time of 1:24.74, ran a solid 100 meters in 16.45 seconds and tossed the javelin 10.83 meters to round out his weekend in Mesa. Jake Blair, who got a concussion the last time he long jumped in Mesa, faced his demons and jumped a solid 3.14 leap, did a personal best in the 200 with a time of 36.35 seconds and placed 4th in the javelin with a strong hurl of 26.62 meters.

11-12 Division

Macy Baerman found that next gear this weekend by running two great personal bests. Macy broke through the 80-second 400 meter barrier with a time of 1:19.41 and also ran a great 200 meters in 34.67. Macy also competed in the long jump where she jumped a sound 3.18 meters. Sebastian Arana had a great weekend with a new PR in the javelin (18.07 meters) and then trying the shot put for the first time in competition, he set a new club record of 5.44 meters. Charlie Allison, hoping to dip under 14 seconds for the first time this season in the 100 meters, came up just a bit short of the mark with a 14.1 second finish. But Charlie brought his A-game to the javelin where he took 1st overall and threw a new personal best and club record of 41.23 meters. Charlie also had a best of 4.58 meters in the long jump where he took 5th. Jaiden Gilette had two new PRs in the sprints. Jaiden ran just over 16 seconds in the 100 (16.17) and dropped over .5 seconds in the 200 to have a new best of 32.74 seconds. Jaiden also threw the javelin 9.84 meters over the weekend. Taylor Pinteric, having not raced all season, came out almost where she left off last season with a strong down the stretch finish in the 400, just missing a new PR, but still a very admirable time of 1:18.75.

13-14 Division

Haila Reed continues to impress, as she ran two PRs (and two club records) in the 100 meters (13.23) and 200 meters (26.91) as well as a very strong race in the 400, which she ran in 1:03.62. Nathan Lind, like Haila, found two club and personal records in the 100 and 200 meter races. Nathan ran a season’s best of 12.46 in the 100 and 26.15 in the 200 meter. Nathan also tried the long jump this weekend and reached 3.83 meters in the pit. Maddy Shoemaker, ran her first 3000 meters of the season and looked strong doing it, taking 3rd overall and setting a new club and personal record by over 10 seconds in 11:29.53. Carson Dada, looked comfortable in the 100 meter hurdles where he crossed the line in 22.79 and then came back on Sunday to run a season’s best of 1:13.04 in the 400 meters. Peyton Burnside surprised herself with two new personal best marks this past weekend. She ran 2:53.39 on Saturday in the 800 meters and finished strong in the 1500 meters on Sunday, getting her time below the 5:50 threshold (5:49.05).

15-16 Division

Emily Hancock found her stride on Saturday with a new PR in the 200 with a strong finish of 31.43 and then came back later in the day to race 15.06 in the 100 meters. Aria Jones got passed the 8 meter line in the triple jump and hopped-skipped and jumped her way to a new PR of 9.18 meters. Aria had a good attempt of 4.32 in the long jump and then ran the 100 meter to another personal record of 14.50 seconds.

The Flyers will head over to Mesa in a couple of weeks for their next Regulation meet at Westwood High School.

March 13, 2016March 13, 2016

Trip to Tucson Finds Good Results for Flyers

A rare Sunday only meet for the Flyers last week in Tucson. But those who made the trek down south to U of A country found good to great results at the Walter Wallace Relays at Cholla High School.

8 & Under Division

Isabella (Isa) Allison, finally stepped on the track in 2016 after a successful flag football season. Isa managed to take 2nd in the mini-javelin (9.29 m), 6th in the long jump with a new personal record of 2.52 meters and ran her best 100 meters ever in a quick time of 17.95 seconds. Solana Leyva had some strong performances herself last Sunday with times of 21.32 in the 100 meters and 48.89 in the 200. Max Columbus, back on the track for the second week in a row, jumped 2.27 for his first ever try in the long jump event. Max also ran 19.15 in the 100 meters and we believe (timing and placement errors) 46.06 in the 200 meters.

9-10 Division

Ava Clegg, who was under the weather for the Millennium meet, came out last Sunday with a new found vigor. Ava set a personal record in the shot put (4.03) and took 2nd place as well! Ava also ran aggressive 100 meter (18.69 ) and 200 meter (42.75 ) races to finish up her day. Sean Camping, who was excited at the crack of dawn, sprang 2.50 meters in the long jump, ran 17.51 in the 100 and was part of the winning 4×400 team that ran 5:43.89. Benjamin Geist, another member of the 4×400 team, also had a great 400 race of his own with a new PR of 1:18.94. Sofia Jourdon, nervous for her first 800 of the season, seemed to have nerves of steel as she took 3rd overall and crushed her personal record by 14 seconds with a time of 3:00.66.

Levi Shoemaker although he had the power, he could not find the mechanics in the mini-javelin last Sunday. Nonetheless, Levi still found a way to capture 3rd place with a very respectable throw of 14.61 meters. Levi got out of the blocks well in the 100 and took the tape in 16.67 seconds and was also another leg of the 4×400 boys’ team. Braden Lolli, the anchor leg of the 4×400, also had a pretty strong day on his own. He took 3rd in the 800, just missing his PR with a time of 2:47.23 and ran a hard 400, crossing the line in 1:13.49.

11-12 Division

Macy Baerman had a very good opening meet for herself for 2016. Macy jumped a very strong 3.17 meters in the long jump, ran a hard 1:23.37 in the 400 meters and finished her day with a 37.41 200 meter race. Charlie Allison took to the track for the first time as well with strong opening performances. He took 2nd in the long jump with 4.49 meters, set a new PR for himself in the 100, winning his heat with a time of 14.42 seconds and taking 1st in the javelin with a toss of 34.29 meters. Jaiden Gilette a new member to the Flyers this year, had a great first meet as well. He ran 16.28 in the 100, ran a strong 200 in 33.34 and threw the mini-javelin for the first time ever and managed to get it 10.14 meters.

13-14 Division

Haila Reed although no PRs last Sunday, still managed three very strong times in her sprints: 13.54 in the 100 meters (4th), 27.69 in the 200 meters (6th) and 62.72 in the 400 meters (4th). Nathan Lind, found some good times as well last Sunday in the sprints. Nathan took 5th in the 100 with a run of 12.77 seconds and took 6th in the 200 with a time of 26.89 seconds. Maddy Shoemaker, stole back bragging rights from one Braden Lolli in the 400 when she crossed the tape in 71.93 seconds and setting a new PR for herself. Maddy also took 2nd in the 1600 meters with a new PR for her of 5:49.04. Carson Dada, seemed to be going through some Groundhog Day like moment, as he ran 1:20.83 in the 400 meters, which was the exact same time he ran at the end of January. Carson also took 1st in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 21.60 to cap off a strong day.

This weekend we were at the Bobcat Relays and I will posting a blog about that meet in the next day or so.

February 29, 2016March 2, 2016

Personal Records Abound at Millennium High School for Flyers

Saturday at Millennium High School on the far west end of the Valley was a first meet for many of our new Flyers, as well as a kick-off meet to the 2016 season for some of our more seasoned athletes. 16 Phoenix Flyers overall competed on Saturday with many strong performances abounding.

8 & Under Division

Simon Reynolds, now the old wily veteran, took 3rd place in the 800 meters with a fine time of 3:22.77 (a new personal record) and also got below the 20-second barrier in the 100 meters, where he ran a 19.25. Solana Leyva seemed to enjoy herself immensely in her first ever track and field meet. She posted great opening performances of 19.76 and 42.39 in the 100 meter and 200 meter races, respectively. Emerson Rhodes, another first-timer, just missing getting to the meet on time for the long jump, was still able to compete in the 100 meters where she ran a 20.83 with I believe a smile on her face from ear-to-ear. Max Columbus, having more verve than the Energizer Bunny on case of Red Bull, competed in his first track meet as well with some wonderful opening marks and times. Max won his heat in the 100 meters with a time of 18.34 seconds, he ran a 41.02 in the 200 meters and threw 8.34 meters in the mini-javelin to take 7th place.

9-10 Division

Braden Lolli, having partied like a rock star the previous night, still managed to come up with some pretty strong performances. Braden took 6th place in a good first 800-meter race of the year in a time of 2:51.29. And he found a new PR in the 400 with a 72.94 finish (and bragging rights over Maddy Shoesmaker in their intra-squad rivalry). Camila Cornejo-Farmer, who had to end her season early in 2015 due to injury, started off her 2016 season with two solid performances. In the 100 meters she slipped under 17-seconds with a time of 16.96 and in the long jump went 2.72 meters in the mid-day sun. Jake Blair, who has been a national qualifier in the mini-javelin the past two seasons, showed why he’s the man to beat again in 2016 with a first place throw and new personal record of 27.55 meters. Levi Shoemaker, obviously put on his rocket shoes on Saturday because he managed two exceptional PRs for himself. In the 100 meters he knocked a full-second off his previous mark and broke the tape in 16.27. In the 200 meters he dropped more than 2-full seconds to run a 35.24. Due to some confusion with the javelin and the 100 meter officials, Levi only got one throw in the mini javelin where he tossed it 13.73 meters.

Benjamin Geist had some incredible improvements from his first meet of four weeks ago. Ben absolutely crushed it in the 400 meters where he chopped off nearly 14 seconds from his previous time and ran a strong 79.26 seconds race. In the 200, he improved by nearly a second-and-a-half with a new best of 34.71. Sean Camping, competing in his second track meet ever, tried the 100 meters and long jump on Saturday. Sean ran a quite respectable time of 16.96 seconds in the 100 meters and bounded to a mark of 2.59 meters in the long jump to round out his day on the west end of town.

11-12 Division

Ella Donovan, our only 11-12 member on Saturday, was initiated to the world of track and field as well at Millennium High School. She seemed to enjoy herself as she ran a solid 100 meter time of 16.38 seconds, a consistent 200 meter run of 36.98 seconds and was able to manage one legal attempt in the long jump with a mark of 2.59 meters to complete her day.

13-14 Division

Haila Reed is one of the two 13-14 sprinters on the Flyers with a lot of upside in the years to come. Haila had three PRs on Saturday in the 100, 200 and 400 meter races. In the 100 she ran 13.43 and in the 200 she took 3rd place overall with a time of 27.05; where she really shined was in the 400, flashing by in 62.58 seconds to take another 3rd place ribbon. Nathan Lind, the other swift-footed sprinter on the Flyers, took 5th place with no blocks in the 100-meters with a strong opening time of 12.76 and rumbled through the 200 meters in 26.85 seconds to complete a very solid day. Maddy Shoemaker, our veteran distance phenom, came out with her first 800 of the season with an impressive 2:39.80 finish and then found a PR in the 400 meters in a time of 73.12 seconds, but as stated previously, losing bragging rights in this event to the young B. Lolli.

15-16 Division

Emily Hancock, the young lady who simply loves this sport and has been part of the fabric of our team for the past two two seasons, came out on Saturday to give it her all with times in the 100 meter (15.52), 200 meter (38.63) and 400 meter (76.18) events. Aria Jones, who has been with us for the past two seasons as well, made a great improvement in the long jump with a new PR of 4.42 meters (3rd place), a 8.39 meter triple jump that got her 3rd place as well and then a strong 100 meter race with a time of 15.16 seconds.

The Flyers head down to Tucson this Saturday for the Walter Wallace Invitational Relays.