On March 3, 2013, the day before our family departed for a “vacation”, we surprised Jonathan with the news about the opportunity to train with the Racers Track Club in Kingston , Jamaica . While Jonathan’s visit to Kingston was during his spring break from his high school, Cary Academy in North Carolina, our 15 year old track athlete soon found out it would not be a vacation but rather an opportunity to work hard and train under the mentoring of great coaches and also observe some of the hardest working athletes in the world.
Thus began Jonathan’s sojourn of training with the Racers. For four consecutive days, Jonathan trained twice daily with Coach Jermaine Shand of the Racers’ coaching staff. This meant getting up at 5am in the morning to be on time for 6am training sessions, going back to the hotel, getting breakfast, resting, and returning to the track for the afternoon training session at 3pm. The training was intense and gratifying at the same time.
Jonathan’s experience was great from a training perspective and he immediately learned technique improvements and exercises that yielded immediate and continual benefits during this spring track season. Just as important as the running techniques and exercises, the experience with the Racers Club was a testament to the dedication, hard work, and sense of family and camaraderie which are hallmarks of the Racers Club. Coach Shand was a phenomenal teacher and demonstrated a genuine interest in our son. Jonathan will embrace and apply this experience both on and off the track now and for the rest of his life.
We (Jonathan and his parents) sincerely thank Coach Mills, Coach Shand, Mrs. Cooke, Kevin, Jeffrey, and all of the men and women of the Racers Club organization for the training, hospitality, kindness, and the opportunity of a lifetime to share time with some of the greatest athletes and coaches in the world. The entire Avery family has benefited from this experience. We look forward to seeing you all in the future. Thank you so very much.
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Regards,
Elbert L. Avery
