Clintondale middle schoolers qualify for AAU Junior Olympics

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — If there were track and field rookie of the year honors, two Clinton Township Clintondale Middle School sixth graders would without a doubt be on the ticket.

In their first year of track and field, Madison McCann and Alana Coleman hoped to pull off something that had yet to happen during the Blazers Track and Field Club’s six-year run. As the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Region 12 qualifier for the 2023 AAU Junior Olympic Games took place from June 29 to July 2 at Ypsilanti High School, McCann and Coleman showed what they can accomplish in the bright lights.

Finishing in the top six in their respective events, McCann and Coleman became the first girls to qualify for the Junior Olympics in the 12-year-old age division for the Clinton Township Blazers Track and Field Club. The 2023 AAU Track and Field Junior Olympics is slated to take place in Des Moines, Iowa, at Drake University from July 30 to Aug. 5.

McCann placed sixth in the girls shot put finals while Coleman finished fifth in the 100-meter and second in the 200-meter. Coleman also competed in the Blazers’ second-place 4x100 relay team alongside Zariah Smith-Nabors, Breana Jonel Jeffers and Ja’Mia Luckett, who also qualified for the Junior Olympics.

Blazers Track and Field Club coach Dominic Reid said it’s evident from watching Coleman compete that she’s a naturally gifted runner, and he could tell from day one.

“I knew Alana was going to be good just from seeing her practice,” Reid said. “She hadn’t even competed yet, but I knew right away she had the talent to be great. She’s just got to put in the hard work and continue to get better.”

McCann continued to progress all season, both in her spring season with Clintondale and with the Blazers Track and Field Club.

It’s a tough transition at first like any sport, but Reid said McCann’s passion for the sport has elevated her performance.

“I would say it was mental and also her being dedicated,” Reid said. “I could tell she wanted to get better. With her coming to practice every day, being coachable, and taking it seriously, she put in the work to get better.”

Reid, who previously coached high school track and field at Warren De La Salle Collegiate High School, has been embedded in the Clintondale community as both the acting Clintondale Middle School counselor and head coach of the middle school track and field team.

Reid has been running the Clinton Township Blazers Track and Field Club chapter since 2018, which gives kids in the surrounding areas a chance to run track and field competitively.

“I feel like it gives them a different set of purpose, recognizing there’s more to life than to just be on their cellphones, making TikTok videos and playing outside,” Reid said. “I think it gets them involved in sport and builds relationships and (gets them to) interact with other kids their age. I think that’s missed a lot nowadays.”

McCann and Coleman will compete in the 57th annual Junior Olympic Games, and they said there’s some nerves heading into the big meet.

“I’ve never had to compete at something big before,” McCann said.

“I’m nervous about running against other kids that are faster than me,” Coleman said.

For more information about the Junior Olympics, visit aaujrogames.org.