South Texas Walking Club

PRESS RELEASE effective May 13, 2012

From: A.C. Jaime, Coach, South Texas Walking Club, Phone – 956-821-6659

Elementary & Middle School Sponsored Race Walks

The PSJA Elementary School District coaches now completed their fourth year of teaching a three week race walking course to all their 3rd, 4th and 5th graders and held their second annual elementary school sponsored race walks under the direction of PSJA ISD Physical Education Coordinator, Coach Jaime Chavana. They were now joined by the middle school 6^th graders that were also taught race walking by their coaches and the South Texas Walking Club students that attend those schools. The top five girl and boy race walkers in each 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 year age bracket divisions from the twenty-six elementary schools and the seven middle schools were bused to the stadium on Wednesday and Thursday. The results were again magnificent!

The coaches experience, determination and resolve to build a strong race walking program at the PSJA schools was admirable. The form and technique demonstrated by the majority of the more than six hundred young children participating was exceptionally good. The Tri-City staff and school administrations support of the program was also evident since many of the Alamo, San Juan and Pharr city staff and school staff were seen actively assisting during the races.

The students participated in twenty 800 meter race walks over the two day period. Over one hundred volunteers donated their time and energy to help make the race walks as successful as they were. Among the judge volunteers were officers of the Texas Department of Public Safety plus officers from the Pharr, San Juan and Alamo Police and Fire Departments. Other volunteers included many high school teachers and parents.

The PSJA High School track team and South Texas Walking Club children also donated their time helping to run the events very smoothly. There were always three to four high school and club children warming up thirty to forty of the elementary school children and another three to four had another group of thirty to forty children going through the drills while another group of thirty to forty children were on the track walking their 800 meter walk under the watchful eyes of yet another group of club children that were assisting the officers serving as judges. Many positive comments were again heard from volunteers, parents and other spectators that had never witness a race walk before. The children looked very impressive and cheerful since many are not able to compete in other sports.

North Alamo Elementary School edged out last years winner Reed-Mock Elementary School by eleven points, 131 to 120. Last years third place winner, Longoria Elementary School retained 3^rd place. Napper Elementary School was also able to retain its 4^th place finish from last year but Doedyns Elementary School took over the 5^th place spot from Carnahan Elementary School who fell to 6^th place.

Liberty Middle School, led by their 2010 Junior Olympic National Race Walking Champion Julisa Juarez and last years 6^th place National Junior Olympic winner Ryan Hernandez of Pharr, took the top honors among the middle schools with thirty-six points. Audie Murphy Middle School, led by 2009 Junior Olympic National 4^th Place Winner Ivana Cavazos of Alamo, took second place with 29 points followed by San Juan and Kennedy Middle Schools with fourteen and thirteen points each.

North Alamo Elementary School children won four first place races. Ford, Reed-Mock and Longoria Elementary Schools each had two first place winners.

North Alamo and Reed-Mock Elementary Schools placed twenty-one and twenty children respectively in the top ten. Longoria Elementary School placed ten in the top ten while Cesar Chavez, Carnahan and Napper Elementary Schools tied with eight each. Doedyns and Bowie had seven each followed by Ramirez and Garza-Peña who each had six.

South Texas Walking Club head coach A.C. Jaime credits PSJA I.S.D. Physical Education Coordinator Coach Jaime Chavana and all his coaches for the exceptional success of their race walking program. "This is the only elementary school race walking program in the USA," Coach A.C. Jaime said, "and because of its great success, other schools throughout the USA will soon implement similar programs with the assistance of our USA Track & Field National Office.

ATTENTION ALL JUNIOR AND COLLEGIATE RACE WALKERS

Our North American Racewalking Institute (NARI) Board of Directors has authorized a grant of $250 to cover the cost of the Texas Winter Racewalking Camp registration fee for December 26, 2012 through January 1, 2013 for all female and male junior and collegiate race walkers that finish in the top six at any of the following race walks:

1. New Balance One Mile Indoor High School Championship of 3/10/12

2. New Balance One Mile Outdoor High School Championship of 5/25/12                   

3. NAIA Collegiate 3000 meter Indoor National Championship of 3/2/12

4, NAIA Collegiate 5000 meter Outdoor National Championship of 5/25/12

5. USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championship of June 15, 2012  

6. Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships of July 23-29/12 or

7. at any of the USA National One Mile, 3K, 5K, or 10K race walk championships provided

    A. You intend to continue race walking for one or more years.

    B. You will be 14 years old by 12/31/12 or will stay with your parents during the camp

    C. Your verified course time is at least but not more then:

                                   Race                   Female                   Male

                              One mile                    8:45                        7:45

                                   3K                       18:30                        16:30

                                   5K                      30:00                      28:30

                                 10K                      59:45                      55:15

    D. You are one of the first 30 female and or 30 males to register for the camp (www.eteamz.com/stwc).

    E. You obtain your flight ticket within 30 days after you have been accepted for the camp.

    F. You send in a notarized medical Power of Attorney naming AC Jaime, Tim Seaman and Rachel Seaman as your attorney-in-fact (www.eteamz.com/stwc) within 30 days after you have been accepted for the camp.

All junior girls and Coach Patricia Hanna of Missouri Baptist University will stay at the home of Coach and Mrs. AC Jaime.  All junior boys, Tim and Rachel Seaman will stay at the home of Kevin (son) and Anabelle Jaime across the street from Coach Jaime's house.

All collegiate girls and boys over 19 years of age will stay at the San Juan Inn that is located half a mile from Coach Jaime's house under the care of USATF Race Walking Coach and Judges Diane Graham Henry and Janis Bluhm.

Participants will be furnished with all housing, food and all local travel including travel to and from local airport and practice fields. All meals will be prepared by parents of the South Texas Walking Club and served at the home of Coach AC Jaime.

Chavez Wins Nationals

PSJA former high school athlete Alex Chavez, now a freshman at Missouri Baptist University, surprised many as he became the first freshman athlete in more than eight years to win the National NAIA Indoor 3000 meter Race Walk Championship this Friday in Geneva, Ohio.

The former seventeen time high school All-American started out slow as is customary for him and was in fourth place at the end of the first lap but gradually began to gain on his competitors.  He went around the first two that were ahead of him with ease but the leader, Cody Risch, the favorite to win from Cornerstone University in Michigan, had himself pulled away from all and was now more than fifty meters ahead of Alex.  Followed by his former teammates, Ricardo & Roberto Vergara of Edinburg, now seniors at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky, Alex began to reel Cody in a little at a time until the end of the 5^th lap when Alex caught up to him.  Alex seemed to hesitate, but in reality, Cody knew Alex was on his heels and had picked up speed, but to no avail.  Cody could not keep the pace up and Alex went around him and never looked back until he crossed the finish line in an incredible time of 12:40.  Ricardo and Robert, both on full race walk scholarships as is Alex, finished in 3^rd and 5^th place respectively with times of 13:05 and 13:42.

Alex graduated in the top ten percent of his class and is the pride and joy of PSJA High School.  He continues to excel at Missouri Baptist University where he finished his first semester with a 4.0 grade point average.  He, furthermore, joined and played with the college band and ran with the cross country team where he met and became friends with many of the college athletes.

Winning the National Championship Friday was a good cause for celebration and particularly since two of his former South Texas Walking Club coaches, A.C. Jaime and Robert Tarkowski, were on hand to witness the occasion.  Furthermore, Alex was asked to join Coach A.C. Jaime in a two hour photo session of Coach Jaime being taken by a photographer from the national magazine, AARP.  That story of Coach Jaime will appear in one of the AARP spring issues.