The Whitesboro Summer Track Program is off to a great start. The young athletes just competed in their first summer track meet in Rowlett, with many bringing home ribbons and top finishes.
Their next track meet is this Saturday, and the program leadership is excited for what lies ahead for the program.
This year’s Summer Track team started with 97 children enrolled in the program. This is the largest number of participants in the program in almost a decade. With the addition of a couple new volunteer coaches, several helping parents and a large influx of children participating in the program, Head Coach Amy Velten is excited for what the summer holds.
“We’ve more than doubled our athletes from last year, which was double from the year before. The year prior to that, Covid prevented any program whatsoever, so to have almost 100 kids signed up in a three-year time frame is amazing,” Coach Velten said.
The Summer Track Program runs for two months over the summer with practices four days a week at Bearcat Stadium. Every Saturday there is a track meet somewhere in the metroplex area that the kids then travel to and compete.
“Several years ago the program was on the verge of shutting down. We lost two long-term coaches who really built the program from the ground up, and then we lost the Whitesboro PARD umbrella to operate under, making a lot of the track families really wonder what the future of the program would be,” Velten said.
“Those of us participating in the program really saw the benefits it brought to our own kids, so we decided to start our own nonprofit organization (Whitesboro Area Youth Summer Sports) to keep the Summer Track program alive. It has really paid off for the children.”
She explained how the program is much more than simply a track and field program. It spans across ages six to 18 and benefits the participating children in many ways beyond simply providing some exercise and athletic competitions.
There is a strong sense of community among the participants. Everybody starts the evening warm-ups together and then older athletes help mentor and coach the younger ones when they break out into specific event practice.
“What sometimes starts off as just a way for parents to get their kids out of the house and a little bit of exercise over the summer quickly turns into the track family,” Velten said. “We work with the athletes in goal setting and learning new skills. They get exposed to what a typical track meet looks like and how it flows before getting involved in Junior High and High School. At meets we set up a ‘camp’ where we are all together to help support and encourage the athletes and benefit from last minute tips and pep talks.”
The track meets are sanctioned by the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (TAAF), and part of a larger national network. The meets follow a system of regional, state and national qualifying events. In July, Regional Meets are held throughout the state, and any state qualifiers will then head to the state meet, held in Brownsville this year.
Last year the Whitesboro program had eight State Qualifiers, four of which qualified for Nationals by placing in the top three spots of their respective events at the state competition.
Of those four athletes, two will travel to San Diego this summer to compete at the national level.
It’s not too late to join the program. There is still plenty of time to get a child enrolled and experience different events before the Regional Meet. Events include all the traditional track and field events -- dashes, distance runs, relays, hurdles, high and long jump, pole vault, shot put and discuss. The competition is divided by age group rather than grade. The cost for the summer is $30, which includes a T-Shirt and Regional Registration Fee (if participating in regionals).
Email [email protected] for more information, or swing by the stadium Monday through Thursday between 6:30-7:30 p.m. and speak to any of the coaches about the program if you are interested.