Announcement

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Geraldo Flores - National Racewalk Champion

Posted by Adrian Jaime on Aug 22 2014 at 05:00PM PDT

Geraldo Flores

Racewalk National Champion

The South Texas Walking Club gave the PSJA Southwest High School All-American, Geraldo Flores, their last cheers as they witnessed his last lap as a fighting turtle member in Des Moines, Iowa at the AAU Junior Olympics this summer.

There is nothing better than graduating from a team with a high note like Flores did this year. Standing on the summit of the podium, where he was awarded his fifth national championship gold medal, he left a lesson to be learned by all South Texas Walking Club members. He battled against all odds after facing an unexpected obstacle and prevailed.

Flores had suffered from an eye infection for over a month which impeded him from practicing the majority of the summer. Having skipped USA Junior Outdoor Championships and just qualifying for the AAU national championship Flores, along with the club’s head coach A.C. Jaime, had questions over the performance to be expected at nationals.

During the summer his infection recovered and he was given two weeks to get in the best shape he could before departing to the Junior Olympics. For an athlete this situation would be like cramming for a test, they cannot expect the best from it.

Having worked diligently, Flores soon arrived to Des Moines. Not being in the perfect conditions he wanted to be he carefully made a plan to maximize his performance. Before his race, teammate Amberly Melendez had just outpaced two time national champion and record holder Brenda McCollum of Kansas. Flores, being a returning champion, was afraid the same thing could happen to him, lose. What had happened to McCollum was the lack of consistent pacing throughout the race. Melendez, on the other side, did the opposite. Just how people learn, Flores observed the race and listened to McCollum’s and Melendez’s lap splits. When it was time for him to perform, the South Texas Walking Club veteran executed a controlled race for the win.

 He suffered, he recovered, he performed, and he won.

Farewell races don’t always go beautifully as planned. In this case Flores had to cram and intuitively improvise to prepare for one of the most important races he has had. He shows signs of not just a great athlete but one with great potential for the future.

Now, Flores is in preparation to be part of the Goshen University track and field team in Indiana on scholarship. He is leaving but he is not taking everything with him. He has left inspiration, experience, and leadership to his teammate Matias Serna, 16, of Thomas Jefferson EC High School. The young athlete looks very promising. Having placed 8th at USA Junior Outdoor Championship, 3rd at USATF Junior Olympics, and gold at AAU Junior Olympics this summer, Matias Serna has shown he is ready to take over. With three more years left before he graduates from high school, his goals are to one day represent the USA at an international event and become America’s high school champion.

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