Next Level Track Club alum Shanice Jones takes time to give one-on-one pointers to a young runner.
Phoaoc by Timothy kataacy
Youth Track
from page hi
Next Level has kids as young as 6
years old on the team, and they aim to
groom them until they make the next step
in their athletic endeavors. The club has
graduated many athletes that have gone on
to compete on the collegiate level as well
as international competition.
"We had a real sense of unity, and
everyone always cheered one another on
whether they were good times or bad
times" said Shanice Jones, Next Level
Track Club alum. "We worked hard and
we played hard. It was some of the best
times of my life. I miss the connections
most of all. Seeing the young kids look up
to the big kids and seeing the growth in
myself, it's like a family.
The parents come out in full force to
support the youth on the team. They attend
all of the practices as well as the events the
club travels to.
Yolanda Shepherd-Re id, mother of
club member Derrick Reid Jr., said she
loves to see the kids happy and having fun
no matter what place they finish. She real
ly enjoys the family atmosphere of the
group. Her two older daughters have come
through the program, and the eldest daugh
ter now attends Campbell University.
The team competes all across North
Carolina as well as in neighboring states
like Virginia and South Carolina. Last
weekend, the club competed in the 17th
annual Jim Law Track & Field Invitational
in Charlotte. Their focus during the prior
week at practice was to shore up baton
hand-offs during the relay events to ensure
they do not drop the baton. The 4 *100
meter relay team had some issues with
exchanges during the second and third
legs, so extra time was spent to nail it
down.
Hayes stated he has taken somewhat of
a back seat in coaching and has passed the
majority of the duties to his younger assis
tants. He is proud of what his team has
accomplished and looks forward to where
they can go from here.
"I have passed the torch to the younger
coaches and they all have their own area of
expertise they bring to the team," Hayes
said. *It's not just track and field with us;
we are with the kids all through the year.
Track is just one phase of our activities
because you can't make it through college
by just running. You have to have the intel
ligence to complete the work in the class
room as well."
Yolanda Shepherd-keul, mother of
Next Level runner Derrick Reid Jr.,
is very pleased with the performance
of her son and the team.
Head Coach Buddy Hayes gets
his runners ready for some wind
sprints during track practice.
??K ^,-V I
Pbott* by Timctfky Rauiy
The Burgees family honors and remembers Celeste while doing good deeds for the community. From left to
right Donna, Celeste's mother; Caleb, her brother; and Allen, her father.
Reggie Davit toon for
a thunderous one
hand dunk during the
Celeste Burgess
Memorial Basketball
game.
I The girts fight for the jump ball at the onset of the
Celeste Burgess Memorial basketball game last
Saturday.
Memory
from page B1
The fundraiser helps us
have turkey giveaways dur
ing Thanksgiving, toy give
aways during Christinas
and is going to help some
one go to college.
There were two games
played Saturday night, one
for the girls and one for the
boys. The girl's game
started rather slowly, as
they ran up and down the
*
court getting a feel for one
another. Once they were
into the flow of the game,
the girls started raining
three-pointers left and
right. The game swayed
back and forth until after
half time the pink team
took control of the game
with some timely steals and
pinpoint passes to expand
the lead to double figures.
The pink team extended the
lead late into the second
half highlighted by a
Stephen Curry-like 35 foot
S
three-pointer as time was
expiring. The Pink team
defeated the white team by
the score of 65 to 47.
Next on the court were
the boys, who came out of
the gates reminiscent of an
NBA All-Star game, with
fancy dribbling and alley
oop passes. The boys came
out just as cold as the girls
from downtown but real
ized their bread and butter
was in die paint. The high
flying dunks by Reggie
Davis and Jahlil Rawley
kept everyone on the edge,
even when they missed. As
the game progressed and
the defensive intensity
waned the green team start
ed to assert their domi
nance on the offensive end
of the floor In the end, the
green team ran away with
game, defeating the white
team by the score of 94 to
65.
The players of the
games were made up of old
Celeste's former team
mates, local AAU
(Amateur Athletic Union)
players, and people who
respected her game.
Everyone seemed to enjoy
the game and had a good
time. People were not
there to compete; they were
there to honor a fallen
friend.
"I grew up with
Celeste, and we had been
friends since the age os"4,"
Ciani Byrotn said. "Her
death devastated us but it
motivated us to try harder
Vl
because no matter what,
Celeste played her hardest
and worked harder than
anyone. She had the
biggest heart on the team
and pushed everyone to do
their best ."
Celeste was beloved by
everyone, but her father
said it best when he stated,
"Yeah she was a very good
ball player, but she was an
even better person, and
that's what really matters."
? 4