2009 National Junior Olympics

August 7, 2009

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

Youth Girls - 4 x 100 Meter Relay to the Starting Line

Preparing for the First Leg

Checking the Starting Blocks

With the temperature in the high 90s and a crowd of 10,000 people, Jayne and her 4 x 100 meter relay team ran their fastest time this season, with a 51.15 second finish in the semi-finals. Their time earned a 19th place finish, which is amazing to know that these 13 and 14 year old girls are in the top twenty 4 x 100 relay teams in the nation. There were nearly 60 relay teams in this age group competing at the National Junior Olympics, and all teams had to qualify in two prior meets to qualify for Des Moines.

Jayne ran the first leg of the relay in Lane 4. Click here for the video.

Thank you to everyone for their support and encouragement. It meant a lot to Jayne, Mark, and me. The Indoor Track Season begins after Thanksgiving, and we will start posting this winter.

AAU National Qualifier

July 18, 2009
Hammond, Indiana

Along with teammates, Jaia, Toney, and Amber, Jayne qualified for the National Junior Olympics in their 4 x 100 Meter Relay with a 3rd place finish. We will be traveling to Des Moines for the 4 x 100 semi-finals on August 7th. If the relay team qualifies that Friday, the finals will be held the next day.

Jayne qualified for the 100 Meter Dash earlier in the day and then placed 6th overall. She placed 7th in the 200 Meter Dash. The runners' times were much faster at this meet compared to Omaha. Jayne actually ran against the National champion in both races, and that young lady from Chicago was fast!

I forgot to bring the camera/video recorder to Indiana with us, but other parents took photos. If I am able to obtain some, I will post them later.

USATF Regional Junior Olympics - Finals

July 12, 2009

Omaha, Nebraska

Jayne with Mustang Teammates Justin and Brandon

USATF Regionals - 100 Meter Dash Finals - 4th Place

USATF Regionals - 200 Meter Dash Finals - 6th Place

Click here to view the 100 Meter Dash Finals. This race was run from right to left, and Jayne is in Lane 3 and finished 4th.

Today, Jayne ran in the finals for both the 100 and 200 meter dashes. She placed 4th in the 100 and 6th in the 200 - competing against 13 and 14 year old girls from six states. The top six finishers received medals, and the top three runners advanced to Nationals. Although Jayne did not qualify for Nationals (this time), it was very fun to see her on the podium in front of such a large crowd to receive both medals.

We will be leaving for Indiana for the AAU Regionals on Friday. Jayne competes in the 100, 200, and 4 x 100 relay on Saturday.

USATF Regional Junior Olympics

July 11, 2009

Omaha, Nebraska

USATF Regionals - 200 Meter Dash - 1st Place in Heat 2

Click here for video of the 100 Meter Dash Semi-Finals. Jayne is in Lane 1 and places 4th.

Sixteen members of the Milwaukee Mustangs Track Club traveled to Omaha, Nebraska yesterday for the U.S. Track and Field Regional Junior Olympics. Athletes from Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin will compete this weekend. Each athlete that placed in the top six of their events in their home state's qualifying meet are eligible.

Today, Jayne ran preliminary heats in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes. She qualified in both events and will run in the finals tomorrow. Jayne was 2nd in her 100 meter dash heat, with a 4th place overall, and in the 200 meter, she won her heat and placed 6th overall.

Unfortunately, a member of her 4 x 100 relay team was unable to travel, so the girls were not able to participate in the relay. This would have been a great race as the Mustangs relay team was seeded first for this event. It would have been safe to say that they would have qualified for Nationals. The relay team will get their chance next weekend in Indiana.

AAU Wisconsin District Qualifier

June 28, 2009 - Waukesha North High School - Waukesha, Wisconsin

Today was a very important meet for Jayne and Milwaukee Mustangs Track Club. Our club hosted the event, which was very successful for Jayne and her teammates. Jayne worked on the starting blocks and her relay hand offs over the past week in practice.

Results:
2nd Place - 100 Meter Dash
2nd Pace - 200 Meter Dash
2nd Place - 4 x 100 Meter Relay

Click here to view the preliminary 100 Meter dash. Jayne is in the third lane, blue uniform.
Click here to view the 100 Meter dash finals. Jayne is in lane 3. She did beat the two young ladies in the red uniforms. You will see how close a race this one was.

We were very happy to see even better results this week than last week. Jayne will be going to AAU Regionals to be held in Hammond, Indiana on July 18th and 19th. The top qualifiers at Regionals will go on to Nationals at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa the week of August 3rd. Her Mustang coaches expect her to be there!

USATF Junior Olympics District Qualifier

June 20, 2009
Carroll University
Waukesha, Wisconsin

Click here to view a video of the 100 Meter Finals. Jayne is in a blue uniform, fifth lane.

This is the first competitive track meet Jayne participated in since joining the Milwaukee Mustangs Track Club. We were all very nervous because we knew that Jayne would have competition for the first time and be running against 13 and 14-year old girls mainly from Wisconsin, but also from Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota.

Results:

5th Place - 100 Meter Dash among 51 entrants

3rd Place - 200 Meter Dash with 62 entrants

1st Place - 4 x 100 Meter Relay

Jayne qualified in all three events and progresses to the Junior Olympics Regionals occurring July 11th and 12th in Omaha, Nebraska. The amazing thing to note is that she was the only entrant in the dashes that did not use starting blocks, because she hadn't learned the skill yet. It did cost her some time, but she did an amazing job. Her coaches said this will be the last time she runs without the blocks. Head Coach Ray Hale said, "Jayne is the real deal."

The top three qualifiers in Omaha will move on to Junior Olympics Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina beginning July 29th. The Omaha regionals consist of teams from six states, so it will be very tough to qualify this year.

The Milwaukee Mustangs

Jayne became a member of the Milwaukee Mustangs Track Club, an elite group of athletes, which boasts the top three female sprinters in Wisconsin High Schools as their members. There are about 75 team members from the ages of 6 - 18. All ages warm up together for practices and then move on to their age groups. The club has a family atmosphere, and all of the athletes and parents we have met so far have been absolutely wonderful.

The Milwaukee Mustangs will help Jayne to develop her gift of speed and improve her form and technique. The coaches see a lot of potential with Jayne. The club competes in two different track and field organizations. The first is the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), and the second is the United States of America Track & Field (USATF). Each group has their own district meets, regional meets, and national meets. Jayne will be running in events for both organizations.

Click for a link to The Milwaukee Mustangs Track Club website.