Legendary Track Club is seeking donations to send 25 members to the AAU National Championships in Michigan in February. (Brandon Tolliver)
Legendary Track Club is raising funds to send 25 athletes to the AAU National Championships to be held at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan in February.
Legendary Track Club President Brandon Tolliver said the team practices on indoor tracks at Lorain County Community College in Illyria and the Grafton Barbell Club, but also in Lorain, Illyria, Amherst and Medina. The group is said to be comprised of young people from Spencer Village in the county.
The group is aimed at ages 6 to 18, but members practice together so the more experienced kids can teach other kids, Tolliver said.
“Most kids have never run track in their lives,” he said. “I use the older kids as mentors for the younger kids.”
Tolliver said he coaches younger members to help older members if they have an emotional outburst.
“There are a lot of kids who say, ‘I can’t do this,’ so we want to change the mindset from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can,'” he said.
Tolliver said the remaining volunteer coaches play a big role in the children’s development.
Tiyaja Henderson and Katiera Tolliver are two other coaches based in Illyria.
The other two coaches are Miguel Alvarado of Loran and Jessica Thomas of Sandusky.
Loran’s Ana Alvarado will serve as team coordinator.
“It’s great because a lot of us come from track and field backgrounds,” Tolliver said. “Coach Jessica ran with me at Notre Dame.
“She is a national champion in indoor hurdles. Coach Ty is a former athlete who once ran at Illyria High School. Coach Ctierra used to run at Southview. We have a veteran coach, Miguel, and he I’m learning everything that’s going on.”
Tolliver grew up in Cleveland, moved to Illyria 11 years ago and has been involved in the community with volunteer coaching ever since.
He said athletics has had a huge impact on his life, and it’s what drives him today to help provide opportunities for young people in the area.
“I started athletics at a young age, and growing up in Cleveland, there were two paths I could take,” he said. “It’s either street life or sports.
“When I was younger, I was torn between the two, but there was a coach who saw me run and sensed something in me.When I started doing track and field, I realized that I was good at something.” It is.”
Tolliver said the focus of Legendary Track Club is to build skills that extend beyond the world of sports.
“We promote community pride as well as leadership,” he said. “We have peer-to-peer support meetings within this organization.”
During Friday’s practice, Tolliver said the team discusses the emotional and environmental stressors going on in young athletes’ lives.
The club said it also monitors how students are doing academically at school.
The club is not-for-profit and requires external funding in addition to registration fees.
If you would like to donate, please contact Tollive at 440-258-7229 or email nextgeneratonyd@gmail.com.
