TSYF Grant Update From Tavares Middle School + Red Sea Running Club

Coach Kevin Von Maxey of Tavares Middle School + Red Sea Running Club shares updates and gratitude for how Track Shack Youth Foundation (TSYF) grants have impacted their program!   

YEAR IN REVIEW: 

Our boys and girls’ cross-country teams won the district championship and then our girls won the middle school state championship and boys were state runners-up.  As Red Sea Running club, those kids traveled to Louisville to participate in Milesplit Middle School Nationals where BOTH boys and girls won the school national championship!  Our 8th grader Cheyenne Thomas, who has been with our program since 4th grade as a member of Red Sea Running Club, WON the individual national championship on the 4K course.

We are nearing the end of our track & field season with our district championship on Monday which our boys and girls are expected to win.  We were able to start our track program 6 years ago and continue building it each year through TSYF grants for supplies and throwing implements.  We have 80 kids on the team!  This year, while many schools and programs have no one or maybe one person who qualified for the state championship, we have 21 boys and girls who have currently qualified including both male and female throwers in shot put, discus, and javelin, the same implements purchased through the TSYF grant. 

Finally, these grants and the work our youth running programs do for our community is long-lasting and impactful.  High school seniors Riley Novack (Montverde) and Matthew Raucci (Tavares) both started running in our Patriot Mile Elementary race 8 years ago which was partially funded by a TSYF grant.  They joined our Red Sea Running Club and participated in our summer programs which were partially funded by TSYF grants. They attended Tavares Middle School and ran xc and track for us, both partially funded by TSYF grants.  They went to Brevard Distance Runners Camp in North Carolina with us, also partially funded by TSYF grants.  After their tremendous middle school success (won a FLYRA team middle school state championship and an AAU team National Championship) they went on to have great high school careers, medaling in cross and track.  Riley was the only high schooler from Florida to qualify for Champs High School Nationals where he placed 35th in the country. 

Riley Novack signed last week to run on scholarship with the University of Florida.  Matthew Raucci signed last week to run at Clemson University.  Their other former middle school teammate is about to sign with FSU, marking over a dozen athletes from our program since my wife and I started it 20 years ago to run on scholarship in college.  All with the help of the Track Shack Youth Foundation. 

Thank you, Track Shack!

Stay tuned for more good news!

Financial support of local youth athletic organizations is made possible thanks to individual contributions and runners and walkers who actively take part in Track Shack’s local running events. 

To find out more about the Track Shack Youth Foundation, to donate or apply for funds, please visit www.trackshackfoundation.org. 

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