Soaring Eagles 06

It began on April 22nd. It was rainy and cold. It was hardly the hazy, hot, and humid of July to come. Yet, it was the starting point for every athlete, and each would have to determine where he or she wanted to be in late July. Some would be soaking up the lazy days of Summer, and some may have left for various camp activities. But, a few would be training diligently to earn the right to qualify for the opportunity to showcase their talents on the biggest stage of the year, the USATF National Junior Olympics!

Now, after nearly three months of practices, five competitive meets of the Empire State Liberty Tour, and the Region 1 Junior Olympic Championships, 9 athletes from the original 40 have arrived in Baltimore, MD (just on the outskirts of the Nation’s Capital) ready to test their skills against the very best in the USA. “There is no question that this is our best year ever!”, exclaimed head coach Anthony Mills Sr. He adds, “We have qualified in such a variety of events, both on the track and in the field, that it was a workout just getting from one performance to the next. I am extremely proud of each performance and each athlete! I am very excited and thrilled to have two athletes break into the top 10, which is our best finish at the National JO’s!”

The two athletes Coach Mills refers to are 10 year old Kayla Owens, who finished 10th in the Bantam Girl’s Triathlon ( an event that consists of three different events, Shot Put, High Jump, and 200m Dash), and 18 year old Anthony Mills Jr. who posted his best finish ever at the National JO’s, when he took 9th place in the Young Men’s Javelin Throw.

First year Eagle, Kelsey Hanson, was the first female athlete to qualify for the National JO’s in three events (Youth Girl’s Pentathlon, High Jump, and 100m Hurdles). The only male athlete to qualify for three events was Anthony Mills Jr. back in 2002 (the innaugural year of the Country Mills Eagles). He qualified in the Shot Put, Discus , and Javelin. Two other first year Eagles that qualified were Shannon Lenzi and Katie Wolfe. Shannon qualified in the Midget Girl’s Pentathlon and the Shot Put (also the Country Mills Eagles record holder in both events). Katie is the first Country Mills Eagles athlete to qualify in a distance race at the National level (she is currently the Country Mills Eagles record holder in the Young Women’s 800m, 1500m, and 3000m races).

Unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts, was the Bantam Boys 4 x 100m Relay Team. They are not pictured above, but they certainly deserve recognition for their consistent performances throughout the year that prepared them for their Region 1 Gold Medal performance. These four young lads are: Zach Medick, Mark Tatlock, Jesse Cutler, and Shondelle McCray (who also qualified in the 100m and the Bantam Boy’s Triathlon).

Pictured Above (Left to Right): Kayla Owens, Katie Wolfe, Alex Gaylord (Asst. Sprints Coach), Anthony Mills Jr., Brandon Mills (Official Equipment Manager), Kelsey Hanson, Shannon Lenzi.