Page 1 of 13 USATF SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2018 The Holiday Season is a time for celebrating with family and friends as well as planning for the New Year. USATF South Carolina has many reasons to celebrate 2018. From the stellar performances of our Youth, Junior, Open and Masters athletes, to the National accolades for our Officials, to the success of the National, Regional and Association events we hosted, USATF South Carolina continues to grow and improve. We thank all of our South Carolina members for your support and dedication to the sport of track and field, and we look forward to another exciting year in 2019. Happy New Year! The USATF Officers and Board. USATF-SC JO XC Meet November 10, 2018 Photo by PerryMcLeod SCMileSplit SAVE THESE DATES!!!!! USATF-SC Association JO Track & Field Championships June 21-23, 2019 Region 4 JO Track & Field Championships July 4-7, 2019 Both events will be held in South Carolina - Locations TBA in February
Page 2 of 13 This is YOUR USATF! This IS your USATF and we, the Officers and Chairs, are here to meet the needs of the Association members while staying in compliance with National and Federal regulations. To this end, we are working very hard to guide USATF-SC in a positive direction, striving to improve communication and providing needed educational and certification opportunities for our Coaches, Officials and Volunteers. For 2019, USATF National is implementing additional safeguards to protect our young and up-coming athletes. SafeSport and background checks, once only required for Officials and Coaches, are now mandatory for all USATF volunteers. Additionally, Coaching Education is required for all Coaches to be listed on the Coaches Registry. USATF-SC is determined to provide our members with opportunities to receive the appropriate training and will be rolling out an Action Plan in the coming months. Be involved -- USATF-SC is always seeking input and involvement from all members with the goal of making the organization stronger in all aspects. Please contact any of the SC Officers if you have an idea or a desire to help grow the organization. Remember.This is YOUR USATF. Brian Jordan President USATF-SC Association SC Association Junior Olympic XC Championships November 10 th The USATF SC Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships were held on Saturday, November 10th at Darlington Middle School in Darlington, SC. There were 341 athletes from 11 teams in Youth Division (Boys & Girls) 2k (8U), 3k (9-12), 4k (13-14), 5k (15-18). An Open/Masters Championship 5k was also offered. Thank you to the 30 plus volunteers that assisted at various event venues and course zones. Special thanks to Coach Wideman of Darlington High School for his hard work and dedication towards making the event a success. Congrats to all who participated. USATF-SC JO XC Meet November 10, 2018 Photos by PerryMcLeod SCMileSplit
Page 3 of 13 Notable Performances Mt Pleasant Track Club dominated the meet winning eight (8) of the ten (10) team divisions. Five of their teams won with the lowest possible score - 15 points. At Regionals, nine (9) Mt Pleasant teams qualified for Nationals in Reno, NV. Four of their teams made the trip to Nationals with their 8U Boys finishing on the podium with 2 nd place. Their 8U Girls just missed the podium with a close 4 th place finish. Palmetto Track & Field won the 13-14 Girls division with 26 points, narrowly beating the Mt Pleasant Track Club A Team. Palmetto Track Club teammates Victoria Colon-LaBorde and Alexis Taylor secured the win with 1 st and 4 th place finishes Mt Pleasant Track Club 8U Girls, SCMileSplit SC Junior Olympic XC Championship Team Winners
Page 4 of 13 SC Junior Olympic XC Championship Top Individual Finishers
Page 5 of 13 USATF-SC JO XC Meet November 10, 2018 Photos by PerryMcLeod SCMileSplit For more SC JO XC pictures go to: https://sc.milesplit.com/photos/pro/42672 The Youth Committee is accepting bid proposals to host these events: USATF-SC Association JO Track & Field Championships June 21-23, 2019 Region 4 JO Track & Field Championships July 4-7, 2019 Please find the RFP s on the USATF-SC webpage www/usaftsc.org
Page 6 of 13 USATF Region 4 JO Cross Country - Darlington, SC November 17 th The Region 4 JO XC Championship were attended by 580 athletes from Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Teams competed for the five (5) National qualifying spots and the top thirty (30) individuals in each division also qualified. South Carolina was well represented by many outstanding performances, with 115 athletes qualifying for National JO s, including eleven (11) 1 st place finishes. 8U Girls Savanah Hislop & Lilah May go 1 & 2 at Region 4 JO XC South Carolina Top Finishers at Region 4 JO XC
Page 7 of 13 USATF Region 4 JO XC Meet November 17, 2018 Photos by PerryMcLeod SCMileSplit SPECIAL THANKS TO USATF-SC 2018 EVENT PARTNERS City of Myrtle Beach CKET Timing Darlington High & Middle Schools Furman University Greenville Track Club Perfect Timing Group Strictly Running SCMileSplit University of South Carolina Columbia Mark Your Calendars 2019 USATF Youth & Junior National Championships National Youth Championships in Durham NC June 25-30 th National JO T&F Championships in Sacramento July 22-28 th
Page 8 of 13 USATF National JO XC Championships Reno, NV December 8 th Over four thousand athletes from all over the US traveled to Reno, NV to compete in the National JO Cross Country Championships. Forty-three of the 115 South Carolina athletes who qualified for Nationals made the trip to Reno to race in cold and snowy conditions. Ten (10) South Carolina athletes made the podium to become USATF 2018 All-Americans. Meet Our All-Americans Lilah May 8U Girls 2K 9:10.7 14 th Place MPTC Anthony Cote 8U Boys 2K 8:31.4 15 th Place MPTC Mt Pleasant Track Club 8U Boys 2 nd Place
Page 9 of 13 More of Our South Carolina All-Americans 8U Boys: MPTC 2 nd Place - Anthony Cote, Drew Butler, Tanner Volkmann, Mason Miller, Ryder Kotz, Jaybird McLester, Dylan Johnson (w/mt Pleasant TC Coach Tami Dennis & Team Mom) Gabe Hislop 9-10 Boys 3K 11:55.5 10 th Place MPTC MPTC 8U Girls (4 th Place) w/team mascot
Page 10 of 13 OUTSTANDING OFFICIALS The USATF National Officials Committee have recognized Archie Ard, Patricia Frye and Marcus Thomas as the South Carolina Officials of the Year. All three have made significant contributions to USATF-SC mentoring and training new officials. We are happy to see their hard work and dedication recognized. Their awards were presented at the SC and Region 4 JO XC Meets in November. Congratulations! Archie Ard & Patricia Frye @ SC JO XC Marcus Thomas @ Region 4 JO XC John Blackburn Inducted to the USATF Officials Hall of Fame! On Friday, November 30, 2018, John Blackburn of Easley was inducted into the USATF Officials Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was established in 2007 to recognize officials who have contributed locally, nationally, and internationally. Over 60 people have been inducted, and John is the first from South Carolina. A certified official for over 30 years, John has been involved at all levels of the sport, including both the Atlanta and Athens Olympic Games. John Blackburn (left) receiving the Hall of Fame trophy from Tracy Sundlun (San Diego).
Page 11 of 13 USATF National 1-Hour Racewalk Championships Greenville SC! On October 28 th, USATF-SC hosted the USATF National 1-Hour Racewalk Championships on Furman University's track. Under clear skies with cool temperatures, the largest men's and women's fields of the last two decades produced several exceptional performances. Jack Starr of Pennsylvania added the 90-94 age group World record to the collection of records he set at World Masters in Malaga, Spain this summer. Jesi & Tori Heiser-Whatley (SC) near finish Racing in the Open Women's division just 28 days after their 19th birthday, Jessica Heiser-Whatley broke away from her twin sister, Victoria, in the last lap to win the National title. Georgia's Janelle Branch took the bronze medal. It is encouraging to see these local young athletes topping the podium at a national championship. Jack Starr (PA) sets 90-94 National & World Record Champions Jesi Heiser-Whatley (SC) & Ray Sharp (MI) On the men's side, Michigan's Ray Sharp took first ahead of Chicago's Pablo Gomez. USATF-SC would like to thank all the officials and volunteers for making this a memorable and successful event. We were also honored to have USATF-SC's David Hickman firing start and finish guns at this National Championship. Many of our officials and athletes were fortunate enough to have been mentored or coached by David in his long career in Track and Field. We are sad to report his passing in December after a long battle with cancer. National Junior Girls Winners: (Rt-Lt) Jesi Heiser-Whatley (SC), Tori Heiser-Whatley (SC), Caelin Sloan (SC), Katie Haffner (GA) Brittany Sloan (SC) & Emily Kania (NC)
Page 12 of 13 COACHES CORNER The USATF Level 1 coaching clinic, hosted at USC in Columbia, was a great success. Fortynine coaches attended the three (3) days of lectures and demonstrations - December 14-16. These Coaches will be prepared for the new USATF National requirements. Starting January 2019, all USATF Registered Coaches will be required to have completed a Coaching course. See USATF National requirements at USATF Coaches Registry. USATF Level 1 Coaches Education USC University Class of 2018 OPEN & MASTERS NEWS The SC Association Open & Masters LDR 8K Championships were held in conjunction with the Strictly Running Labor Day 8K on September 5th in Columbia. There were 184 participants with twelve USATF-SC Members winning medals. Special recognition goes to Michael Nance (41) of Columbia who place 1 st for USATF- SC, 7 th overall and 2 nd in his age group; and Alsena Edwards (57) of Columbia who placed 1 st for USATF-SC and 1 st in her age group. We thank Strictly Running and the City of Columbia for their continued partnership. USATF National 40K Racewalk Championship, Owego NY On September 30 th in Owego, NY, Greer SC resident, Ian Whatley (right), set an unusual record. Taking the lead at 32Km into the USATF National 40Km Racewalk Championships, he held on to become the oldest athlete ever to win a US national track and field title in any event. His 3:52:48 for 40 laps of the 1 kilometer loop gave Whatley his second national title at this distance, his first win occurring back in 1991. Top National Ranking for Capers Williamson Capers Williamson of Greer SC (left) has been ranked as the No. 1 Javelin thrower on the USATF Top Marks List for 2018. He achieved the top mark with a 79.07 meter throw on June 30 th, in Jena Germany. Capers represented the US at the NACAC Championships in Toronto Canada in August and will compete for a place on the US Team for the World Athletics Championships in Doha next summer. Congratulations and Best of Luck to Capers!
Page 13 of 13 In Memoriam Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same... these were such men...to be missed but never forgotten. Coach Doug Kotti December 14, 2018 Coach David Hickman December 17, 2018 USATF-SC 2019 ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER PUBLICATIONS Please send your news items to the editor email listed below. Ø February/March 2019 Ø April/May 2019 Ø July/August 2019 Ø November/December 2019 2019 Membership & Club Renewals & Updates Please remember to renew your USATF memberships for 2019. Individual memberships may be renewed on-line at Memberships. Club membership renewals must be made by calling National Office Customer Service at 317/261-0500. Verification of background checks through NCSI may need to be forwarded to the USATF National Office. Please remember to save an electronic copy of your Greenlight confirmation page. Finally, remember to update your personal, athlete, coaches, and club information within the USATF membership and/or club management system to reflect any new address, coaching, athlete or official information changes. USATF SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION COMMUNICATIONS PUBLISHING EDITORS. JESI & TORI HEISER-WHATLEY EMAIL: HEISERWHATLEY@GMAIL.COM CONTRIBUTORS SUSAN HEISER, TAMARA SLOAN, TAMI DENNIS, STEVE MULLANEY THANKS TO ALL THE PARENTS, COACHES & ATHLETES WHO SUBMITTED NEWS AND PICTURES. E