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Davidson Arrington, on winning 4x100 relay team
Credit: joe daniels/Carolina Peacemaker
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“Champions” going to California
by Joe Daniels
Carolina Peacemaker
Originally posted 7/14/2010
Greensboro Champions Track and Field Club President Roy Thompson was pleased with the performances and efforts of his athletes in the Region-III USATF-Junior Olympics held last weekend at N.C.A&T’s Irwin Belk Track Complex. More than 3,600 athletes competed in the four-day competition with first, second and third place winners earning a trip to the USATF -Junior Olympic Nationals being held in Sacramento, CA. from July 27 to August 1.
The Region III USATF-JO Championships boosted the triad area economy by $2.8 million, according to the Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Thompson said, “Region -III is one of the toughest and largest in the country and for our club to qualify nine athletes makes me happy.”
Thompson received outstanding performances from sprinter Tevin Hester, who captured two silver medals in the Intermediate Boy’s 100m and 200m dashes; Brianna Haith ran well winning a gold medal in the Intermediate Girl’s 200m and silver in the 400m. Thompson was pleased with the gold medal performance of the Intermediate Boy’s 4x100m relay team composed of Ramone Ramey, Xavier Jones, Davidson Arrington, and Tevin Hester. Xavier Jones was excellent in the 400m claiming a silver medal with a time of 49.01. seconds. BreAnna Warren turned in two outstanding performances in the Intermediate Girls’ shot put and discus, winning gold and silver respectively.
The Champions qualified 18 athletes for the Region III JO Championships and nine advance with a chance to be 2010 National Junior Olympic Champions. The nine athletes who qualified are: BreAnna Warren – Intermediate Girls’ shot, put and discus; Brianna Haith – Intermediate Girls’ 100m and 400m; Dejah Hayes – Intermediate Girls long jump; Alexis Hall – Young Women, long jump and triple jump; Tevin Hester – Intermediate Boys’ 100m and 200m, 4x100m relay team; Xavier Jones – Intermediate Boys’ 400m and 4x100m relay team; Denzel Jones – Young Mens’ discus throw; Ramone Ramey and Davidson Arrington – Intermediate Boys’ 4x100m relay team.
Hayes has been running with the Greensboro Champions since 2003.She is the daughter of Reggie and Serena Hayes and has a brother, Rashad, who also participates in track and field. Dejah attends United Methodist Church and this fall will be a sophomore at Western Guilford High School. She finished second in the Intermediate Girls’ long jump and just missed qualifying for the triple jump, finishing fourth. Hayes posted a personal best long jump of 18-foot, 3-inches at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals finishing sixth. Hayes said, “Track has taught me to be patient and disciplined. It took me a while to get the fundamentals down and the proper training. I am still building on them.”
Before she graduates from Western Guilford, Hayes said she would like to jump 18-feet, 11-inches and triple jump over 39-feet. “One day hopefully I will be an Olympian,” Hayes said.
Hester is a soft-spoken rising Gardner High School junior from Oxford, N.C. This is Hester’s second season running with the Champions. He is the son of Teddy and Linda Hester. Hester had an outstanding Region III Junior Olympics claiming silver medals in the 100m (10.61) and 200m (21.79) dashes and a member of the Intermediate Boys’ 4x100m relay team, which posted a 42.31 second winning time. Hester’s best track memory this season was at the State 2-A Championships where he ran a personal best 100m in 10.61 seconds, finishing second.
Jones is the son of Arthur Hunt and Faye Jones and has four sisters. He attends Evangel Fellowship Church in Greensboro. He will be a sophomore this fall at Southern Guilford High School or Jamestown’s Ragsdale High School. Competing in the Intermediate Boys’ 400m Jones finished with a silver medal with a time of 49.10 seconds. He also participated on the winning 4x100m relay team. His best track highlight of the season took place at the State 3-A Championships in the 400m where he posted a personal best 48.10 seconds 400m, and finished with a bronze medal. Jones added, “Track takes a lot of patience and staying focused. Practice and everything will come in place when you run.”
Warren is the daughter of Thomas and Robin Warren and has been competing with the Champions since she was eight-years old. This August, she will be a sophomore at Western Guilford High School. Warren’s highlight of the season took place last weekend at the Region III Intermediate Girls’ shot put and discus competition. She won gold and silver medals respectively, while qualifying for both in the JO Nationals. She threw a personal best 38-feet, 02-inches and a discus throw of 114-feet.
Warren said, “In the discus you can’t muscle the throw. Be patient and things come to you. If you try and rush things they get worse especially in the discus.” Before she graduates from Western Guilford, Warren said she would like to break the school records in the shot put (41-feet) and discus (125-feet).
Alexis Hall is the daughter of Bernadette Hall and will be a senior a Page High School this fall. Hall qualified in both the long jump and triple jump winning silver medals with leaps of 17-feet, 02- inches and 37-feet, 08-inches respectively. Her highlight of the track season came during the Jim Long Invitational at Charlotte’s Johnson C. Smith University where she acheived personal best triple jump of 38-feet, 11-inches. Hall’s personal goal this fall is to long jump 20-feet and triple jump 40-feet. “In track and field you must keep your emotions in check and things will come to you,” she said.
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