Ohio Lightning

It's mid-August and the summer season has come to an end. Time for back-to-school (yes, I said the S-word) activities and time to start thinking of the next sport. Are you into football, volleyball, cross country, gymnastics, or what? Check out the poll to the right and vote now!

New Links

Check out the links that have been posted. To see how you rate with the Nationals in both the USATF and AAU, see the left sidebar. For future Columbus Running Events, take a look at the right sidebar. There are some fun track links posted for your amusement under "Favorite Track Links" to the right also!

Coming Soon!

Visit the Ohio Lightning site often, because as soon as the club gets details on our Cross Country Fall Clinics on Saturdays throughout September, this webmaster will have the details posted for you on this site!

Also, we should be getting the skinny on the Ohio Lightning End-of-Season Party soon. New details will be posted as soon as they are available!

The Couch-to-5K Running Plan

Click here for the website to read on training for the 5K when you have never run before!

For the Shutterbug

Taking action shots is NOT this webmaster's forte. Go to this link for tips on sports photography. And how is your hand at videotaping? Click here for tips on how to approach filming for track.

It's mid-August and the summer season has come to an end. Time for back-to-school (yes, I said the S-word) activities and time to start thinking of the next sport. Are you into football, volleyball, cross country, gymnastics, or what?

Cross country? You bet! Starting in September, Coach Dwayne will be starting cross country training. For those of you who can't get enough of running and want to keep on truckin', this is an opportunity to keep the ball rolling. It's great conditioning and a good way to stay in shape for the fall. Coach Dwayne will have Saturday clinics going on through September at 9:30 at Franklin Park or Woodward Park. Stay tuned for more information....

End of Season Party!

In the next few weeks we'll be having our end of the season party. Details will be forthcoming!

At least for our 2009 Track Season!

Unbelievably, our season is coming to a close. Our travel team has logged more than 750 miles. Our recreation team has participated in all its meets for the year. Let's take a look back at the season at a glance:

April - we started track practice. Can you believe it? Think how far you have come since we've started. School was still in session; it was a little chilly out, too.

May - we took in a total of four track meets PLUS our Breakout Cookout (Dwayne, keep your SUV off the grass next year, ha!). This was the starting point for many, as our newbies were learning the ropes. Our two-year members continued on with what they did best.

June - the busiest of our months. We took in the local Hershey track meet, the Black Jack Bond Hill Invitational, not to mention or District Qualifying Meet at Jesse Owens Stadium! We also participated in this webmaster's favorite event, the Talley Invitational. What a relief to be close to home after driving so many hours every weekend!

July - three events for this month, including the State Hershey, where our girls 4x100 relay team qualified for the National Hershey Meet! Congrats to Kiarra, Ciara, Ivy and Taylor! Then on to the AAU National Qualifier. Contestants came from more than four different states to compete, and the competition was tough. Congratulations to the following for moving on to the AAU Jr. Olympics Meet next week: 4x400 Girls Relay Team (Ivy, Kiarra, Ciara, and Taylor); 1500 Meter (Sean, Terry, Kiarra and Ciara), Long Jump (Marcus), Shot Put (Jasquan and Taylor), Discus (Angel), 400 Meter (Jayden) and 800 Meter (Terry, Jeremiah, and Jayden). Best of luck to all!

Just for Giggles...

Boys Performance List and Girls Performance List for the AAU Jr. Olympics next week! See what the competition looks like.

Check out the results daily as they happen - visit the main page of the AAU website to see the results for the AAU Jr. Olympics next week as the events are completed! They will provide a link starting this Saturday.

Want even more? You can actually order the events on a daily basis or even get a week pass so you can view the AAU Jr. Olympics at any time. Check it out by clicking here!

Click here to see live results of the USATF National Meet which is going on now through the end of Sunday, August 2nd. Noone from our team is participating, but you can check out times that are winning and see how you compare.

and Silver, and Bronze, too!

In fact, those who finished in the top 4 of their event qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics! This year it will be held in Des Moines Iowa (see Drake University pictured above). Check out the left side panel for fun National Meet information straight from the Jr. Olympics website.

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!

Click here for the results to the 2009 Dayton National Qualifier.

A Big Congratulations to Everybody!

If you were in attendance at the National Qualifier this weekend, congratulations to you! Whether or not you qualified to move on, the point of running AAU track is not about winning, but about personal growth. Sometimes the growth isn't always in numbers, but how you feel about competing in a race too. Did you learn to be more comfortable in something you were afraid of before? Did you learn to become more focused in your event? Did you even decide that maybe an event isn't for you and now you are ready to try something new next year? Click here for one of the most inspiring articles this webmaster has read in a long time.

National Qualifier Meet This Weekend!

This Tuesday and Thursday we will be practicing at Thomas Worthington High School at 6:30 pm (Click here for a map to Thomas Worthington). These are the last workouts before competing at the National Qualifier. Please see schedule below for the list of events that Dwayne emailed out about the Dayton National Qualifier:

Sat 7/18
9am 80m Hurdles Finals
10am 100m Prelims
11:30am 400m Finals
2:00pm 200m Prelims

Sun 7/19
8am 1500m                                                                  
9:30am 100m Finals
10am 800m
12pm 4x100
1:30pm 200m Finals
2pm 4x400

Sun 7/19 Field Events
8am SMB/MB  LJ1     PG SP1   PB SP2   SMG  DISCUS
9am SBB SP1        BB SP2         MG DISCUS
9:30am SMG/MG  LJ1                SMB DISCUS
10am SBG SP1      BG SP2
11am SBB/BB LJ1      SMG SP1     MG SP2
12pm SBG/BG LJ1      SMB SP1     MB SP2
1pm PB LJ1
2pm PG LJ1

Pee Wee City Meet/Jesse Owens Meet this Wednesday!

Pee Wee City Meet for our little bolts only! This Wednesday, our youngest competitors will be attending the Pee Wee City Meet at Walnut Ridge High School (9:30 am). Please wear Gray Shirt, Black Shorts & Sweats and remember - no spikes!

The Wednesday Night Track Series at Jesse Owens Stadium continues this week. It starts at 6:00pm so be there promptly. The following events will be contested:

Long Jump (9 & Older Males only)
Discus (11 & Older)
100m
3000m
Sprint Medley Relay (100,100,200,400)

Enjoy your weekend!

Take in the fireworks, stuff yourself full, and enjoy. For the Hershey State Qualifiers, you'll be at it again next Saturday at Jesse Owens Stadium (watch for details from Coach Dwayne). For those competing in the AAU National Qualifier Meet, you'll be contending on July 16 (Saturday) or July 17 (Sunday).

Click here for the AAU Dayton National Qualifier Order of Events.

For those who like statistics....

Click here to see how others are qualifying around the Nation (be patient - this page takes a couple of minutes to load)! This part of the EliteYouth website is devoted only to athletes who have advanced from their latest qualifier. Find your age group and event, and see what the others are doing.

Click here to see results for the District Qualifiers across the USA. This is the official AAU website, and therefore the official results to the meets.

Coach Dwayne has just put this reminder out about tonight's event at Jesse Owens:

RESULTS ARE IN!!!!!!

Click here for the results to the 2009 Talley Scholarship Invitational.

On June 27 the Capitol City Comets hosted their annual Robert Talley Scholarship Invitational at Eastmoor Academy. It was refreshing to have a meet that was only 20 minutes away! Watch for results to be posted.

City Championship Meet - Ohio Lightning Represented!

Our club attended the local Hershey Track Meet (City Championships) on June 24th. Congratulations to all the Bolts who made it to the Hershey State Track Meet on July 11th!

Check out the Other Region 9 District Qualifier Results!!

The Ohio Lightning belongs to Region 9. There are a total of 5 District Qualifiers, including the Lima District Qualifier our children attended. Ohio Lightning will advance to the National Qualifier on July 18-19 in Dayton, which is one of TWO National Qualifiers for Region 9. So what does all this mean?

• You must participate in the District Qualifier (which Ohio Lightning did) to advance to the National Qualifier Meet
• There are two National Qualifier meets for our region; an athlete may attend either one, but ONLY one
• We will be attending the National Qualifier in Dayton on July 18-19; the other National Qualifier is in Michigan on July 12-13
• The chart below lists all children and times who are elligible to participate in a National Qualifier meet

District Qualifiers in Region 9. Check out the AAU webpage (click here) for a map and more details.

Some Day?

As this webmaster enjoyed the day's festivities at the Talley Invitational, it came into my mind that maybe one day the Ohio Lightning could host a meet. Hmmmmmm...

Stevie Wonder said it all. And it isn't even July yet. Saturday the temperature topped the high '80s. Whew! In a surprisingly tough meet, we did manage to hold our own.

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

CLICK HERE for Results to the Bond Hill Invitational.

NEXT ON OUR LIST OF ADVENTURES: HERSHEY MEET (City Championships)

What: Hershey Track Meet City Championships

Where: Whetstone

When: Wednesday, June 24th

This event has all the basics: Standing Long Jump, Softball Throw, 50 Meter Dash, 100 Meter Dash, 200 Meter Dash, 400 Meter Dash, 800 Meter Run, 1600 Meter Run, and 4x100 Relay.

Coach Dwayne will give the details via email, so stay tuned.

We're sending our Travel Troop to Cincinnati this Saturday to compete in the Bond Hill Black-Jack Invitational. We'll be running against some of our favorite competitors, and some new clubs will be there too. Good luck to our little (and big) champions!

***CORRECTION! THE MEET TOMORROW IS AT WALNUT HILLS HIGH SCHOOL IN CINCINNATI, NOT TAFT HIGH SCHOOL AS PREVIOUSLY POSTED

Map to Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati

Click here for a Google Map to Walnut Hills High School.

Click here for a Mapquest Map to Walnut Hills High School.

Attention Recreation Runners!

For those athletes training on a local level, next Wednesday is their first meet to show their skills. Coach Dwayne will take the kids to the local Hershey Track Meet in Whetstone to compete. This is a fun event that kids and parents enjoy so don't miss out! Travel team is welcome, too!

Click here for the results of the 2009 District Meet in Lima.

Well, we've done it again! After sending over 40 athletes to compete in the District Meet in Lima, we returned home with an impressive number of ribbons and medals. Armed with 7 Relay Teams, our sprinters, our middle and long distance runners, and our field event contenders, the total medal count came to 9 Gold, 6 Silver, and 10 Bronze Medals plus so many ribbons, they were too hard to count! Congratulations!

Kudos to our Hard-Working Athletes

This webmaster would like to take a minute to acknowledge those who continuously improve, with or without a medal or ribbon. This sport is about self-improvement, motivation, and the heart to keep trying.

And who did I see sprint by me so fast that it impressed me? It was a Bolt of Lightning, only 8 years old in her first year of track who placed 6th out of 25 contestants in the 200-meter Primary Dash! You know who you are......