Blazers racing to fundraise for Junior Olympics

Although Mother Nature had a few extra cold days for the New York area in April, warm weather sports, like track and field, are underway in Baldwin Schools. The spring season for the Baldwin Blazers Track Club, a youth organization for 7 through 18 year olds, also kicked off last month.

During the spring, the team consists of younger children since their older counterparts run for their school teams, but the summer is when things really heat up for the Blazers. Head coach Chandel Brown, who founded the Blazers eight years ago, said there are roughly 35 kids on the team each summer.

The highlight of the summer season is the Junior Olympics, which are held toward the end of July. Blazers who qualify to compete on the national stage have been participating in the Junior Olympics since the team’s inception. However, the team also fundraises so that those who do qualify for the Junior Olympics can make the trip. This year, the event is in Houston, Texas, which means airfare and hotel expenses. Brown said the airfare for each person will be around $550.

When Brown found out that this year’s national meet would be in Texas, she knew her fundraising efforts would have to start earlier than in years past. The team has already held an event at a local bowling alley in late 2013 and a breakfast fundraiser at Applebees in January.

On April 13, the Blazers hosted a comedy show at the Love Jones Café on Grand Avenue where about 80 people turned out, Brown said. But their biggest fundraising event will be on June 1, when the Blazers are organizing a USA Track & Field meet at Baldwin High School. Brown is hoping that youth track runners from far and wide attend. The event will mark the first time the team hosts its own meet.

Following the Baldwin meet, the Blazers will compete in a local qualifier where the top six finishers in each event move on to the regional qualifier in mid-July. If a runner places in the top five in an event at regionals (the region covers New York to Maine) then he or she moves on to nationals, also referred to as the Junior Olympics.