Today through Sunday, the five-year-old organization will have 108 of its current membership of more than 200 junior athletes competing in the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation’s Games of Texas.
Those events will be held at Dragon Stadium in Round Rock. The experience also will include Olympic-style opening ceremonies, complete with fireworks Friday night at Dell Diamond.
Both the rapid growth and success of the program are points of pride for Rayson-Hernandez, who splits her time between the club and her job as a sales consultant for Omega Home Builders.
“We offer a positive atmosphere and an opportunity for healthy exercise (running),” Rayson-Hernandez said. “This is a program for all athletes, not just the elite.
“We have an excellent coaching staff (of 15 volunteers). We operate with an attitude of encouragement and making things fun for the kids.”
She said her program is supported by a number of corporate sponsors, the athletes’ families and other friends. A majority of its participants are from Temple ISD, but the club also draws competitors from Belton, Academy, Killeen, Salado, Troy and Jarrell.
The TAAF summer program, which sponsors statewide competition in sports ranging from basketball to bocce ball, is not as intensely competitive as the AAU Junior Olympics program that culminates with a national championship competition every year.
The TAAF is a recreational program - featuring competition in six age classes from 8-and-under to 18-and-under - that provides an outlet for both the casual participant and the elite athlete trying to remain in shape for middle- and high-school sports.
“It offers a good way for us to stay in shape,” Academy sophomore Jenny Pekar said. “It’s not real competitive, but it’s fun.”
The program does have its quality, though.
The Flyers will be returning seven athletes who have hopes of defending state titles, including Pekar, the 14-and-under 800-meter champion a year ago.
Other defending champions are Temple seniors Harry Sheppard (16-and-under high jump) and Tevin Reese (16-and-under 300 hurdles), Belton sophomore Regan Tindell (14-and-under 1,600), Jace Peralta (14-and-under 1,600), Chloe Lewis (12-and-under shot put) and Isaac Cole (8-and-under 100).
Sheppard, the Class 5A runner-up in the high jump in May with a career best of 6 feet, 10 inches, is the program’s best-known athlete.
Like his fellow state qualifiers, he earned his spot in Round Rock by qualifying at a recent regional meet at Hart-Patterson Track Complex in Waco.
He jumped a modest 6-4 at Waco on Friday before going to College Station the next day to help his Wildcats football teammates reach the consolation semifinals of the state 7-on-7 tournament.
He is looking for better results this weekend although he’s moving up an age group, a fact that he indicated would also help motivate him.
“I want to go 6-10 again,” Sheppard said. “I’m starting to get back in the flow and working with my Temple High coach (Wayne Ransleben).
“I work hard year around. Cross country, football, basketball, track and summer track.”
Pekar also will be moving up an age group.
“It feels great,” Pekar, who runs as much as 90 minutes a day, said of her return to state. “This is my fourth year in summer track. I never thought I would win a state title.”
