ABOUT US The VS ATHLETICS Track Club is the result of the 2006 expansion of Track West…a USATF club with a 19-year history of success in developing men & women middle and long distance runners. During its 20-year tenure, Track West produced 24 qualifiers for the U.S. Olympic Trials, more than 50 qualifiers for the USA Outdoor Track & Field Champion-ships, and cross country teams that placed among the top-3 at the USA Championships six times and won national titles in 1994 and '97. With the sponsorship support of VS Athletics, the club reinvented itself into a complete track team to support and develop both male and female open athletes in every broad event group…sprints, hurdles, jumps, and throws, as well as the middle and long distance running events. After just 3-years, the VS Athletics Track Club is now Southern California’s largest and most preeminent track & field club. One of 36 USATF Elite Development Clubs in the United States, it has a roster of 40 athletes and its 9 coaches is a “Who’s Who” list of coaches with a proven record of developing athletes to the National and Olympic levels. In 2008, ten VSA athletes competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials. The Club’s Men’s and Women’s teams also won the 2008 USATF West Region team titles and, at USATF National Club Track & Field Championships, its women’s team was runner-up while its men’s team placed 3rd. There hasn’t been a club like this in Southern California in more than 20-years. We believe the mission and structure of the VS Athletics Track Club is what is needed to develop the full spectrum of Olympic hopefuls in Southern California once they leave our college programs. ABOUT VS ATHLETICS INC. VS Athletics Inc. is the result of the 2005 merger of Venue Sports and SpringCo Athletics—creating the largest distributorship of track & field equipment, footwear, and apparel in the Western United States. VS Athletics has its own signature line of uniforms and warm-ups—with which the Club is outfitted. As a footwear supplier, it carries adidas, Asics, Brooks, Nike, Puma, and Reebok—brands from which VS ATHLETICS Track Club members can choose their training and competition shoes. All of the company’s executives are former track & field athletes and coaches. OUR MISSION The mission of the VS ATHLETICS Track Club is to provide promising post-collegiate track & field athletes with an opportunity to continue their development by providing them with expert technical coaching, other quality athletes to train with, access to training facilities, equipment, medical support, and a schedule of high-performance competition…all within the structure of a highly-organized men's & women's team. COMPETITION OPPORTUNITIES In Southern California, we are fortunate to have more than 80 collegiate track meets from January through mid-May that welcome open athlete entries. In addition to these collegiate invitationals, we have local high-profile, elite invitational meets such as the annual Mt. SAC Relays, the UCLA JJK/Rafer Johnson Invitational, and the Adidas Track Classic --part of the VISA Championship Series. The Club also travels to such meets as the Stanford Invitational and Modesto Invitational. After mid-May, the Southern California schedule includes the Jim Bush So Cal USATF Championships which produced 70 qualifying performances for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. Following the USA Championships, there is the USATF National Club Championships and the Southern California USATF Summer Grand Prix Track & Field Series. OUR STRUCTURE The VS ATHLETICS Track Club is guided by nine exceptional Los Angeles-area coaches who work with a select group of VS Athletics men & women team members in their respective areas of coaching specialty: Robert Cannon (LJ/TJ), Tony Ciarelli (Throws), Nick Garcia (Shot & Discus), Cedric Hill (Sprints & Hurdles), Hank Kraychir (Hammer), Jan Johnson (Pole Vault), Dave Rodda (Jumps & Multi-Events), Skip Stolley (Distances), and Brian Yokoyama (Pole Vault). Profiles of each of the Club’s coaches can be found on the “Coaching Staff” page of this website. The Club’s coaches receive no financial compensation. They simply love this sport, believe in this flagship athlete development initiative, and want to repay those who helped them as young athletics by helping you. Skip Stolley is the director and administrator of the Club. In addition to being its distance coach, he coordinates with the Club’s other coaches on logistic support, meet entries, and travel arrangements. Skip is an executive board member for both USA Track & Field and the U.S. Track Coaches Association, chairman of the USATF Clubs Council, and a vice president of the Southern California USATF.
|
