Australia, an 18 hour, cross Atlantic flight to an island with rich history and even richer track opportunities, waits for the arrival of Nevada’s very own athletes. From January 29th through Feb 9th, 24 members of Track and Field’s Head Coach, Mike Smith’s club team, Titan’s Athletics, will be taking the journey and competing for 1st place.
“I would love to take all 200 athletes but as we know that wouldn’t be possible. Both Coach Amber and myself sat down and thought we would look at the kids who went to state/regionals first and see who would be able to do multiple events and be the most competitive,” said Mike Smith, the head coach. “From there we asked about 26 athletes and of that amount 24 responded immediately. We actually didn’t think that many would accept it. Based on chaperones and the amount of people going we had to cut it off right there.”
The only way to achieve this goal of scoring high is hard work, dedication, and a competitive spirit. This team, and the coach, each have the soul it takes to win.
“I have a tendency to want to do things that no other teams do or push our limits. There is an Australian team that comes every year for track and cross country to compete here in Vegas. I said “Why don’t we try going there?” That’s how it all started, and it took off pretty fast. We want to be competitive and give an opportunity for kids that they probably won’t ever get to do in their lifetime,” said Smith.
Now, while this meet is special for the coaches, the students themselves are facing a completely unique experience.
Mckenna Escobedo, a junior, attending the event added, “Overall I feel very joyful and blessed with this opportunity that not many people are able to experience. I’m very excited for the trip. I am a little nervous for the competition just because I don’t know exactly how the other athletes compete or how good they are but also how good the facilities are. As an athlete I think this opportunity will help further my career by getting my name out there, getting my name to colleges for more scholarships and also helping my marks by seeing the other competitors and seeing how they train and how they drive themselves. I think what got me into the team is my drive to not only better myself but better my teammates. We all push and challenge each other to do better and to do our very best in a competitive environment but also in our practice environment.”
Because of how detailed this competition is, there has to be plenty of planning that goes into it.
“There is no way I could give you all the information on how this has happened because it is much more work than people can even imagine. However we have fundraisers a few times but the majority of this is out of the athlete’s pockets. We had to get in contact with the Queensland Athletics in Australia and go through their entire process. We had to also go through USA Track and Field and get their acceptance to travel out of the country. Of course getting all the kids and parents on board. Traveling, training, activities, equipment, etc. all goes into play as well. So many details that it has also at times made me rethink this decision but I’m so happy we are doing this now that it’s done and ready to go.”
