USATF AZ | Phoenix Flyers Track Club

May 4, 2018May 4, 2018

Middle Distance Runners Move to Faster Times

Khaleb Henry & Ava Clegg Throw for New Club Records

With Coach Allison at Penn Relays and Coach Todd in the middle of a home move, our outstanding parents and awesome assistant coaches of the Flyers took control of the situation last Saturday for the final regulation meet of the season at McClintock High School in Tempe. There were over a dozen PRs set and a couple of club records in the hot Saturday sun.

8U Division

Rajah Morris is loving the 100 meters and showed that on Saturday as he set a new PR with a time of 21.01. He has a couple of more chances to get under the 21-second mark before the season ends, and we think he can do it! Antonoio Arana made the finals in the mini-javelin and took 8th overall with a solid throw for himself of 7.42 meters. Antonio also got close to his 100-meter PR with a fast time of 18.34.

9-10 Division

Max Columbus running 79 seconds in a 400 meter race would have been a good time for him, but when it is the first lap of his inaugural 800-meter race then it becomes more of a “Houston, we may have a problem” sort of situation. Max ended up taking 6th overall in the 800 m with a good time of 2:56.23. Max also ran 16.88 in the 100 m and threw 19.62 in the javelin. Simon Reynolds was one of many who had triple distance duty on Saturday. Simon ran a PR in the 400 of 1:19.37, a 5th place 800 m (2:55.16) and a 6:00.51 2nd-place 1500 m for a full and rewarding day. Italia Eason, had a good day out on the track. While no PRs were had, she came close in two of her events. Italia jumped 2.93 m in the long jump, ran 17.94 in the 100 m and 40.65 in the 200 meters. Auggie Grimm was given the mighty task of running his first 400 meters and he got by it unscathed. Auggie ran 1:25.03. Auggie came back to run the 100 m in a zippy time of 15.56 seconds. Emerson Rhodes jumped big time on Saturday as she took 6th place with her best jump ever of 3.25 meters. Emerson also ran the 100 m in 17.23. Isa Allison also had a nice jump day at McClintock as she placed 8th with a mark of 3.22 meters. Isa also ran the 100 (17.11) and 200 (37.14) to wrap up a very long and hot day.

11-12 Division

Gael Pacheco is another one of those runners who had triple duty. Gael had three good performances with times of 34.85 (200 m), 1:16.71 (400 m) and 2:56.56 (800 m). Alex Columbus didn’t get DQ’d this week in the 800 and posted an official new PR for himself of 2:57.02. He also continues to throw well, as he took 3rd place in the aero-javelin (21.66 m) and ran a 1:15 400 m to round out his day. Braden Lolli coasted to victory in his first (and maybe only) 3000 m of this year, as he ran a PR and club record of 11:23.72. Braden came back nicely to take 3rd in the 800 m (2:32.82) and then found the strength to run a PR and club record in the 400 (64.32) to take 2nd place overall. Micah Newkirk had a terrific day. Micah had two PRs and a first place finish. Micah won the 1500 in 5:28.17, ran his best time in the 400 (1:11.62) and yet another best time in the 800 m (2:36.38) to take 4th. Maddox Moses is putting the work in and getting his legs back. Maddox took 5th in the 3000 m (12:22.65), ran 79.21 in the 400 m and ran a season’s best in the 800 of 2:50.38. Jake Blair when he doesn’t come right from the football pitch to the track can really get those feet moving. Jake ran a strong PR in the 800 (2:44.83) and took 2nd in the aero-javelin with a mark of 28.71 m. Seth Henry’s ran a PR in the 400 m on Saturday (1:10.81) as well as running 30.53 in the 200 m and 14.53 in the 100 m. Ava Clegg is liking these throwing events as she set a club record and PR in the discus (15.75 m), while also taking 3rd place overall! Ava also took 4th in the shot put with a distance of 6.13 meters.

13-14 Division

Khaleb Henry flexed his muscles and launched the discus 24.80 meters for a 4th place showing, as well as a PR and new club record. Khaleb also took 4th in the shot put with a thud of 8.44 meters.. Matty Braun fighting a cold all week did come out to perform admirably. He jumped a PR of 3.90 meters in the long jump, ran 15.03 in the 100 m and a 1:11.74 400-meter time. Macy Baerman last meet ran a 200-meter PR, and on Saturday ran a 400-meter PR of 1:16.75. Macy jumped one of her better marks of the season (3.62 m) and also came through in 16.26 in the 100 m. Robert Vloemans thought running the 400 was optional, so he ended up just throwing – but throw well he did. Robert sliced the air with a new PR in the discus (22.71 m) for 5th place and took 7th in the shot put with a dust settling 7.85 m throw.

The Flyers are now into “Championship Season” with the USATF AZ State Meet up next on May 19-20 at Mesa Community College.

Go Flyers!

April 24, 2018

Javelins Soar For Flyers at Phoenix Invitational

Lolli Takes 3rd in 1500 Meters

The first two-day meet for the Flyers was last week as over 8 states were represented at the 54th Annual Phoenix Invitational at Mesa Community College. Many great performances and PRs were had by our Flyers over this two-day span.

8U Division

Antonoio Arana had a great meet. He dropped over a second in his 100 meter time to run a season’s best of 18.25 and he also is getting a firm grip on the javelin (literally and figuratively) where he was one of many Flyers who threw for a PR. Antonio launched his rubber-tipped spear nearly 5 meters longer than his last performance with a strong mark of 8.05 meters. Rajah Morris got to the meet on time and was able to compete in the 100 meters as well, where he ran close to a PR with a finishing kick of 21.49 seconds.

9-10 Division

Isaiah Crowder keeps improving in the latter part of the season as he ran a new PR in the 100 meters with a time of 16.29 seconds. Isaiah also ran the 200 meters for the first time with a solid clocking of 33.86 and finished his meet up with the javelin as he threw 11.97 meters. Emerson Rhodes had a nice PR in the 200 meters, as she sped by in 37.20. Emerson also jumped a solid 3.10 meters, but she has her eyes on a farther distance next time around. Emerson also ran a strong 100 in a time of 17.50. Isa Allison just missed a PR in the long jump with a 3.26 mark, but was still quite pleased with her performance. Isa had a huge PR (and club record) in the mini-javelin as she took 3rd place with a 21.35 m toss. I think it was a little early for Isa in the 200 as she ran with great effort, but her turnover got her a time of 35.30, which is a bit off off her fastest time for the season. Max Columbus had a great weekend of competition. Max broke through the 80-second 400-meter barrier with a huge PR of 1:17.28. He also jumped great, as he learns this new event, with a new PR of 3.12 meters. Max also threw the javelin 18.82 meters to round out a fun and rewarding weekend. Italia Eason, due to a house move could only make one of her events last weekend, but the one event she made was worth the trip. Italia leaped a new PR and club record in the long jump with a great mark of 3.27 m – nice going! Auggie Grimm was in and out of the meet due to other obligations, but the time he was there he made it count. Auggie sprinted a new PR in the 200 meters in a time of 32.57 seconds.

11-12 Division

Braden Lolli was not too happy with his 800 meters at first because he was last in his heat; but when he found out that he had set a PR and new club record (2:27.73) his frown turned upside down. With this new confidence, he came out and ran a very strong 1500 meters in 5:04.49, which was again a PR, club record as well as a 3rd place overall finish. Braden was also part of the 4×800 team (Micah Newkirk, Jake Blair and Maddox Moses) that took 3rd overall in a time of 11:05.95. Micah Newkirk was still asleep on the first day, I think, as he ran his open 200 in 33.69, but he was definitely up and ready the following day in the 1500 meters. Micah took 7th overall in a tough field and ran a new PR of 5:26.82. Gael Pacheco each week gets faster and faster. Gael had two great personal performances. He ran a 4-second PR in the 800 with a time of 2:53.39 and came back the following day to run an over 1-second PR in the 400 (1:11.07). Gael also ran the 100 meters in 16.30. Alex Columbus is figuring out the javelin each week more and more. He proved this on Sunday when he threw for a 2-meter PR (27.27 m) and took 9th overall in a very competitive field. The previous day, Alex’s 800-heat, due to an early cut-in by many of the runners, all got DQ’d, but unofficially we had Alex down with a time of 2:50, which would have been a huge PR. Alex did come back on Sunday to run the 400 and ran a gutsy lap in 1:12.73. Lucy Arana, after being sick for the past week, ran two races on fumes, unfortunately. Lucy clocked a 2:49.05 800 m and a 5:47.36 1500 m over the weekend. Once Lucy regains her strength, we know she’ll see those times fall dramatically. Maddox Moses slowly but surely is getting his legs back. He ran a 16.66 100 m, a 2:53.66 800 m, and ran a 2:51 split in the 4×800 relay. Jake Blair had a very nice PR in the open 800 m with a time of 2:45.16 and continues to improve in his javelin throwing as he launched one for 31.83 m for a 5th place finish. Jake also ran a 2:52 split in the 4×800. Ava Clegg continues having a very strong and productive season. Ava took 6th overall in the discuss as she threw a PR and club record of 15.28 meters. Ava ran a PR in the 400 with a smooth time of 1:23.86 and also finished 7th in the shot put with a mark of 6.87 m. The timers mixed up Seth Henry’s time in the 100 m; but after looking at it, we saw that Seth crossed the line in 14.10 seconds. Due to breathing issues, both Seth and Khaleb didn’t come back to compete on Sunday, unfortunately.

13-14 Division

Macy Baerman darted to a new PR in the 200 with a 33.11 effort. She also ran 16.55 in the 100 m later in the day and jumped 3.45 m in the long jump. Robert Vloemans dashed to his fastest 200 meters of the year with a strong finish of 29.27. Robert also placed 8th in the discuss (20.24 m) and thew 7.47 m in the shot put to round out his weekend in Mesa. Khaleb Henry due to the aforementioned breathing issues, only threw the shot put this past weekend and was a bit off his game as he launched it 7.45 meters Charlie Allison while not overall thrilled with his own performances this past weekend, did show some signs of improvement. Charlie ran a PR in the 400 m (62.16) and beat his own club record in the process. Charlie still is figuring out technique in the long jump, but did manage a 5.10 m 4th place finish there. Charlie showed good progress in the triple jump (10.10 m) where he took 1st and lastly, Charlie won the javelin in 40.04 m, which is a bit away from his best throw, but he did throw with an injured finger. Sebastian Arana had two strong 7th place finishes. Sebastian threw over 25-meters for the first time ever (25.02 m) in the javelin and threw another PR in the shot put (8.50 m) for a very good weekend.

The Flyers will be back to the track on April 28 at McClintock HS for the last regulation meet of the year.

Go Flyers!

March 6, 2018March 6, 2018

Flyers Throw Team Improves on Saturday

Lolli, Allisons and Columbus Win

Now that the Arizona “indoor” season is over, on Saturday, March 3rd the Flyers headed to Alhambra High School for their first of many regulation meets for the 2018 outdoor track and field season. As a team, we had many great personal and meet accomplishments. The Flyers throwing crew (shot put, discus and javelin) came to compete on Saturday with many strong marks throughout the afternoon.

8U Division

Antonio Arana who is toying with the idea of throwing the mini-javelin this year, stuck to the track as he streamed around the red-rubberized oval in the 200 meters with a finishing tick of 41.35 seconds.

9-10 Division

Italia Eason was registered for the 100 meters and the long jump on Saturday, but she seemed to only compete in the long jump. Her long jump debut was a good one as she leaped 2.48 m. Emerson Rhodes, a top 8U long jumper who has moved up divisions this year, had a 2.62 meter best attempt. While that isn’t Emerson’s best jump, we did see some awesome improvement with her overall speed down the runway. This was proven as she set a new PR for herself in the 100 meters by over one second (17.47). Max Columbus had to be reminded more than once that he still needs to run forward when throwing the javelin. When he did finally decide to take his first three steps forward the javelin came off his hand like a missal for a new PR (19.90 m) and a 4th place ribbon. Max also had another big PR in the 200 m (35.02) and ran 16.61 in the 100 m to round out his day. Isa Allison was having a hard time breathing all week, so was relegated to just throwing the javelin. Luckily, that’s Isa’s best event. She took first with a throw of 18.36 m, which was also a new club record.

11-12 Division

Alex Columbus had his debut in the aero-javelin on Saturday and took 1st place. Alex threw with conviction and landed a top distance of 22.33 meters for the day. Alex also PR’d in the 400 meters dropping below the 80-second barrier (79.20) and looked like he’s getting into shape with a strong time of 14.95 in the 100 m as well. Ava Clegg continues to show signs that she is going to be a beast in the throws. She threw the discus for the very first time and took third with a very impressive distance of 13.06 meters. Ava also took 4th in the shot put (6.42 m) and ran a 1:28.66 to finish up her Saturday. Braden Lolli didn’t set a PR in the 800 on Saturday, but who cares! Braden had a gutsy kick as he dug deep and sped past another top 800-meter runner, Zuri Glenn of the AZ Burn, to take a one-second victory (2:30.75). Braden had an even more impressive run in the 400 (66.05), which was a new PR and just missed a top-8 place. When Micah Newkirk figures out he’s a bada– on the track, we all better watch out! Micah once again set a new PR for himself (2:41.29) in the 800 meters, slicing three more seconds from his last week’s PR. Micah is still 10 years old (he turns 11 on Sept. 5th) and is competing with some kids more than two years older than himself. He ran a taxing race and just missed out on a ribbon with a 7th place finish. After the hard 800, Micah came back a couple hours later to run a new PR in the 400 (1:13.06) to put a nice bow on this great running day. Lucy Arana was told to get out fast in the 800 and to keep contact with the rest of the runners. She did that well and came away with a new PR and club record (which she already owned) in 2:44.78. Lucy, like Micah, came back to run the 400 and set another PR and club record by turning her legs over rapidly in 1:12.69. Gael Pacheco is learning to run the 800 meters and was rightly aggressive in the first lap. Gael did feel the second lap, but still ran a 3:00.48, which was a one-second PR. Gael came back strong as well and ran a good 400 time for him as he crossed the line in 1:18.40. Seth Henry ran hard on Saturday, but definitely needs to begin doing some block work to help him with his first few steps. He ran 14.29 in the 100 meters and 29.90 in the 200 m to complete his day.

13-14 Division

Every one of our 13-14 athletes had not one, but two PRs on Saturday. Robert Vloemans had great personal success in the shot put, which he PR’d with a new high mark of 7.28 meters. In the discus, Robert found even larger improvement, when he threw a new best distance of 16.76 meters. Robert finished the day with the 200 meters, as he continues to flirt with low-30-second times (31.11). Khaleb Henry is feeling the power as he is a young’n in his new 13-14 division this season. Khaleb just missed the 20-meter threshold, as his discus sliced the air and landed 19.59 meters away from him for a 6th place ribbon. Khaleb also PR’d in the shot, where he got over 8 meters for the first time with a 8.06 m toss. Macy Baerman who is not one of our throwers, showed some sweet improvement with her speed on Saturday as she ran a 16.21 PR in the 100 meters and is obviously getting her wind back because she ran a new PR of 1:17.40 in the open 400. Macy also competed in the long jump, where dirt was displaced at 3.63 meters. Back to our throwers, Sebastian Arana’s new favorite number might be five as he took 5th place in both the shot and javelin, with two new PRs of 8.46 m and 21.95 m, respectively. The saying “talk softly and carry a big stick” is proving to be Seb’s new mantra as each week he improves in the throwing events, while hardly uttering a single syllable. Charlie Allison after an early season departure last year to Honduras for over a month, was back for his first meet of the 2018 season and took advantage of it. Charlie won the javelin by over 17 meters with a PR and club record of 42 meters-even. He then matched is best 100 meter time of last year with a 13.19 second dash and while he couldn’t find his mark in the long jump, still managed a legal jump of 4.68 m to take 2nd place.

The Flyers will be back to the track on March 17th at Copper Canyon High School in Glendale for the next USATF AZ Regulation Meet.

Go Flyers!

January 31, 2018

Good Start for Flyers on Home Track

Grimm takes 3rd in 100 meters – Many other Flyers PR

It was a very long day at the track last Saturday, not because our Flyers didn’t perform well, but because the meet ran for almost 9 hours. But luckily, the meet was at Mountain Pointe High School (our club’s home track) and so that took a bit of the sting out of the lengthy meet. As always, our Flyers performed well, so let’s see how they did.

9-10 Division

Max Columbus, a former 8U standout, now has stepped up to the “big boys” in the 9-10 division. Max headed out to the track for the 400 meters, where he sneaked under 90-seconds with an opening season time of 1:28.52. Isa Allison, perhaps the most veteran 9-year-old on the track (as she enters into her 6th track season) ran the 100 meters in 16.55, which was both a PR and club record. Emerson Rhodes, another former fantastic 8U athlete last season, moved up this year as well and also ran the 100 meters, where she clocked a time of 18.48. Italia Eason, one of our brand new athletes this winter, had a strong showing in the 100 meters where she ran 17.68. Brady Brown, yet another new member to the Phoenix squad, was all smiles on Saturday in his new speed suit as he broke 18-seconds in the 100 meters with a finish of 17.59. But the man of the day was Auggie Grimm, who was with us last year, and now that he is 10 years old has something to prove, it would seem. He was lightning on the track as he set a new PR for himself (15.24) and took 3rd overall in the event – awesome job, Auggie!

11-12 Division

Braden Lolli, who for some reason thought that running 1:11 in the 400 meter in PE class was supposed to make Coach Allison impressed, showed what he was really made of on the track Saturday as he ran two new PRs – 30.91 in the 200 m and 68.46 in the 400 m (where he took 6th). Seth Henry, one of the fastest athletes on our team, showed why on Saturday, as he took 4th overall in the 100 m with a new PR and club record of 13.61. Ava Clegg, one of the “old” Phoenix Flyers, opened the season with a 400 m and did it quite well with a solid effort of 1:28.56.

13-14 Division

Macy Baerman, now a permanent fixture with the Flyers, started the season with the 400 m and ran a 1:25.47, which is a good beginning for her in 2018. Robert Vloemans seems to love the 200 meter distance and so that is what he competed in on Saturday. He crushed his PR by nearly 3 seconds as he finished in 30.45 seconds.

15-16 Division

Maddy Shoemaker, came out to see where her fitness and speed were this time of year. She ran a 15.6 100 m, which is quite a step up from her overturn usually; also, Maddy ran the 800 m, where she got out fast and ended the race with a 2:43.62 time and a 6th place ribbon.

The Flyers will be at Youngker HS on Feb. 10th for the second USATF AZ Regulation Meet of the season. Only indoor events will be competed at this event. Hope to see you there.

Go Flyers!

August 11, 2017August 11, 2017

Three Young Flyers Make Their Mark in Kansas

isa first place at junior olympics 2017 javelin

“Isa” Allison – National Champion in 8U Mini-Javelin

Weather was all-over the map in Lawrence Kansas, the site of the 2018 USATF Junior Olympics National Championship from July 24-30. There was lightning, thunder, flash flooding, wind and sunshine over the four days our three young Phoenix Flyers were competing. Our kids represented both the Flyers and the Arizona USATF Association quite admirably and should be proud of their amazing accomplishments.

8 & Under Division

Max Columbus flew in style to Kansas and made the most of his first trip to the USATF National Championship meet. He took 19th out of 42 athletes and threw a solid 16.35 meters. As stated previously, weather conditions were all over the place that Wednesday afternoon and so PRs were pretty hard to come by. Max seemed to enjoy the moment and being with his fellow teammates for this momentous achievement. Now that Max has this experience under his belt, we know he will be ready in the years to come for future JO Championship events, which he will be participating in most assuredly.

Isa Allison, the #1 ranked 8U thrower in the U.S. this year, wanted to first make All-American (top-8 athletes) status for the second year in a row (and more importantly get those “cool” All-American caps). Isa came out throwing fire and was leading after the first two rounds. She briefly lost the top spot in the third round when Meredith Banner threw 17.49 meters, but Isa being the competitor she is got up to the runway and immediately answered that assault with a 17.79-meter dart on her third throw, which would end up solidifying her top place for the remainder of the event. Isabella took 6th place in last year’s JO National Meet and this year joins her brother Charlie (National Champion in 11-12 Javelin in 2016) as our Flyers’ second National Champion – congrats Isa!

Isa did show us she was mortal by taking 29th in the long jump on Friday, which she shook off quickly knowing that the following day was an all-day adventure at Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun.

11-12 Division

Jake Blair has never missed qualifying for the JO Nationals since joining the Flyers in 2014 – that’s an amazing accomplishment in itself. Last year Jake was a bit disappointed in his 12th place finish and had his eyes at a top-8 (All-American) result in 2017. He was the number 3 ranked thrower at the meet and had been throwing quite well in practice over the past few weeks. Jake’s first throw was an absolute missile, but unlike anytime this year, the javelin drifted to the right and out of the sector making it a non-legal throw. Jake tried to dust off this rogue throw, but the torrential rains would be muddying up his plans and he was unable to crack the top-8 with his next two tosses. Jake ended up taking 12th overall and although he was broken up by this result, we know that next year will be his year and that walk up to the podium will be one that will have been extremely well-earned and oh-so-sweet.

Proud of All Our Flyers

Another year is in the books for the Phoenix Flyers and Coach Todd and I are so very proud of what our kids have been able to accomplish over these past 5 seasons. Every year we get a bit better as a team and we always seem to find new athletes who join us that are not only good competitors, but more importantly, amazing young people. We look forward to the 2018 season (registration is already open!) and wish you all a great fall and winter.

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!

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

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.

June 15, 2015September 6, 2015

End of Season Recap for 2015 Flyers

The 2015 has come to a close for the majority of our athletes, so here’s a quick recap of how the last few meets played out for our fantastic Flyers!

May 16th – Regulation Meet

8 & Under

Isabella Allison – Long Jump – 2.19 m (PR) and 8.59 meters in javelin for 3rd place
Jade Elcock – Long Jump – 1.34 m; 100 meters – 23.04; 200 meters – 50.97
Sofia Jourdon – Long Jump – 2.22 m; Mile – 6:49.48 (PR) for 2nd place
Simon Reynolds – 100 meters – 20.00 (PR) and 3:25.80 (PR) in 800 for 1st place

9-10

Ava Clegg – Member of the 5:47 Medley Relay team; Long Jump – 2.67 m and 4.01 m (PR) in the shot put for 4th place
Braden Lolli – Member of the 5:44 Medley Relay team (took 3rd) and won the mile in 6:24.05
Jake Blair – Javelin – 19.59 m for 4th
Jay Nergard – 100 meters – 18.12 (PR) and 7.7 meters in the javelin
Levi Shoemaker – 15.84 m in the javelin for 8th place
Lucy Arana – Member of the 5:47 Medley Relay team
Macy Baerman – Member of the 5:47 Medley Relay team; 3.0 meters in the long jump for 8th place and new PR
Taylor Pinteric- Member of the 5:47 Medley Relay team
Ty Stinson – 2.52 m in the long jump and 11.00 metes in the javelin

11-12

Charlie Allison – Long Jump – 3.92 meter (4th); 32.83 seconds in 200; 3rd in 80 m hurdles (PR) 17.53
Colorado Stanley – 80 m hurdles – 18.60 (4th); 3:28.39 in 800 m; 13.65 in javelin
Peyton Burnside – 800 meters – 2:58.01 (PR and 8th) and Mile in 6:26.28 (PR and 6th)
Sebastian Arana – 15.32 m in the javelin and 2.93 m in the long jump

13-14

Aria Jones – Member of the 5:10.24 Medley Relay and took 3rd in long jump – 4.23 m (PR)
Emily Hancock – Member of the 5:10.24 Medley Relay; 200 m – 32.37; 100 meter hurdles – 20.59
Maddy Shoemaker – Member of the 5:10.24 Medley Relay
Cole Shapiro – Long Jump – 4.19 (4th); 100 meters – 14.01 (PR)
Roxy Jones – Member of the 5:10.24 Medley Relay

May 30-31 – Arizona State Meet

8 & Under

Jade Elcock – Long Jump – 1.59 m; 100 meters – 18.01 (PR); 200 meters – 47.42 (PR)
Sofia Jourdon – 1500 meters – 6:20.40 (PR) for 4th place

9-10

Ava Clegg – Long Jump – 2.07 m; Shot – 3.53; 100 m – 19.51
Braden Lolli – 800 – 2:46.88 (2nd and PR); 1500 – 5:44.62 (2nd and PR)
Brynn Pickavance – Long Jump – 2.98; Shot – 3.06
Lucy Arana – 1500 – 6:32.91
Macy Baerman – Long Jump – 3.12 (PR); 200 m – 36.55 (PR); 400 m – 1:23.18 (PR)
Jake Blair – 100 m – 17.72; Javelin – 26.10 (1st and PR)

11-12

Clayton Huston – 1500 – 6:14.37
Colorado Stanley – 80 m hurdles – 18.3 (3rd); Javelin – 21.45 (PR)
Sebastian Arana – Javelin – 15.86

13-14

Aria Jones – Triple jump – 8.50 m (2nd)
Emily Hancock – 100-meter hurdles – 23.74
Megan Griffith – Pole Vault – 2.44 m (4th)

15-16

Kaleigh Conlon – Discus – 41.70 (1st); Shot – 10.98 m (2nd)

June 13-14 – Arizona USATF Junior Olympics

9-10

Ava Clegg – Long Jump – 2.71 (PR); Shot – 3.86; 100 m – 18.34 (PR)
Braden Lolli – 400 m – 1:19.45; 1500 m – 5:51.77 (2nd – Qualified for J.O. Region Meet)
Lucy Arana – 1500 – 6:22; 800 – 3:01.38 (PR)
Jake Blair – 100 m – 17.71 (PR); Javelin- 25.85 (2nd – Qualified for J.O. Region Meet)
Macy Baerman – Long jump – 3.23; 400 m – 1:16.89; 200 m – 36.85
Taylor Pinteric- 400 m – 1:18.92

11-12

Charlie Allison – Long Jump – 4.55 meter (PR and 5th); Javelin – 32.65 (2nd – Qualified for J.O. Region Meet); seconds in 200; 80 m hurdles – 16.96 (PR and 3rd – Qualified for J.O. Region Meet)
Colorado Stanley – 80 m hurdles – 17.92 (PR and 5th); Javelin – 24.31 (PR and 6th)
Peyton Burnside – 3000 meters – 13:04.66 (PR); 1500 meters – 6:08.78 (PR)
Sebastian Arana – Javelin – 16.25

13-14

Emily Hancock – 100 meter hurdles – 19.91 (PR); 100 meter – 14.96
Maddy Shoemaker – 3000 meters – 12:26.87
Megan Griffith Cole – Pole Vault – 2.59 (PR and 2nd – Qualified for J.O. Region Meet)

17-18

Chynna Simmons – Triple Jump – NM; Javelin – Long Jump – 5.08
Tria Seawater-Simmons – Triple Jump – 11.64 (1st – Qualified for J.O. Region Meet); Long Jump – 5.17 (3rd – Qualified for J.O. Region Meet)
Isaiah Banks – Triple Jump – 12.76; (3rd – Qualified for J.O. Region Meet); Long Jump – 6.11
Nic Sibley – Triple Jump -13.60 (PR and 1st – Qualified for J.O. Region Meet); 100 m – 11.03

A lot of PRs the last few meets, which is what we are striving for here. Braden Lolli, Charlie Allison, Jake Blair, Tria Seawater-Simmons, Isaiah Banks and Nic Sibley all qualified for the Junior Olympic Region Meet in El Paso, TX on July 9-12, and they all have a good chance of making it to the Junior Olympic Nationals.

Again, thank you to all of you who have made our 3rd season another successful one – see you in January of 2016 for our 4th!

May 4, 2015May 4, 2015

4 New Club Records Set at Arcadia High School

With only about half the team coming out this past Saturday for the USATF AZ Regulation Meet held at Arcadia High School on May 2nd, you would think that maybe the Phoenix Flyers had lost some momentum in the early days of May – nothing could be farther from the truth, as 4 athletes set new club records for the Flyers, with many others setting new personal best marks/times for themselves.

8 & Under Division

Jade Elcock got another PR, this time in the 200 m (22.43) and also jumped for only the second time this season with a leap of 1.52 in the long jump. Emma Fernandez who has run a couple of our Time Trial Tuesday events, hadn’t been out for a meet all year – but wow, did she show her stuff on Saturday! Emma took 4th overall in the 400 with a great time of 1:26.83, ran 18.48 in the 100 m and jumped a 2.11 in the long jump. Isabella Allison placed 5th in the mini-javelin with a solid throw of 8.47 meters and jumped a respectable 1.84 meters in the long jump, as well.

9-10 Division

Ava Clegg just missed her PR in the long jump, going 2.50 meters and ran the 100 meters in 19.27 seconds. Braden Lolli set 2 new PRs for himself over the weekend, one of those being a club record as well (400 meters). Braden ran 15.82 seconds in the 100 meters (not too shabby for a distance guy) and then came back with an 8th place finish, from the outside lane, to run 1:14.02. Brynn Pickavance was ready to go on Saturday with 2 new PRs of her own – got to the 3-meter mark in the long jump for the first time and also broke 18 seconds in the 100 meters with a good split of 17.74 seconds. Jay Nergard running one event all day, made it count as he ran a new PR in the 100 with a time of 18.2 seconds.

Ty Stinson got his feet out in front of him finally and that enabled him a new PR in the long jump of 2.77 meters; Ty also competed in the javelin where he threw 11.66. Macy Baerman came so close to hitting a new PR in the long jump, leaped a very solid 2.86 meters. Macy also ran in the 200 (38.37) and 400 (1:29.34) on Saturday. Taylor Pinteric had 2 new PRs, and one of those breaking her own club record (400 m). Taylor jumped 2.86 meters in the long jump, but took 6th in the 400 meters and went under 80 seconds for the first time with a very strong run of 1:18.21.

11-12 Division

Although Colorado Stanley didn’t have his best jump (2.94) or best throw (18.74) on Saturday, he definitely left it all out there in the hurdles where he ran a new PR and a new club record. Colorado nearly dropped a full second off his best hurdle time and took 2nd overall in the 80 m hurdles (17.93). Charlie Allison having been getting over bad allergies and breathing issues, stuck with field events on Saturday and had some solid performances. Charlie jumped 3.71 m to take 8th and won the javelin with his first throw (37.91), which also is a new Flyers’ club record. Peyton Burnside, who doesn’t usually like the faster races, showed great enthusiasm as she took the 800 and the 400 with gusto and ran two new PRs (2:58.50 and 1:20.92). Clayton Huston had some solid performances on Saturday with a 2.96 jump and 3:02.07 800 meters. Reece Johnson, like Jay Nergard, came out to run only one race (100 meters) on Saturday, but made it count, as she ran a new PR of 17.50 seconds.

13-14 Division

Emily Hancock, our sole 13-14 athlete, had a new season’s best in the 100 (14.95) and ran the 400 in 1:16.89 to finish out her day.

In two weeks (May 16th), the Flyers will be heading west to compete in the new Walter Wallace Relays. It should be a fun and different feel due to the number of different relays the Flyers will be able to compete in.