Pertaining to youth track & field, it’s extremely difficult to gain national notoriety when you hail from a state [Kentucky] known more for horse racing than human racing. That difficulty further increases when your particular team is all-female.
Most track & field teams are co-ed, which allows support and recognition from multiple fanbases. Not to mention that being a co-ed team, potentially increases the odds of a member qualifying for Jr. Olympics.
Despite facing a myriad of obstacles – the Kentucky Fillies have leaped every hurdle and have managed to send multiple members to the Jr. Olympics, every year since the Fillies were established in 2011.
Being an all-female unit, the Fillies proudly represent their pink colored uniforms at every meet, which often stands out amongst other competitors on the track. When attending meets, Coach T has one simple philosophy for her team and spectators – “Follow the Pink.”
The Fillies are based out of Louisville, KY and compete in the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and USATF (USA Track & Field) leagues. The organization is geographically located in Region 6, which represents athletes from KY, IN, OH, TN, & IL.
“Coach T” (Tamika Townsend) has mastered the art of doing more with less. The Fillies are a grassroots team that don’t have all the bells & whistles of teams supported by large corporate sponsorships. Their funding primarily comes from donations and fundraising.
Adapting to operating on an extremely tight budget, the girls often travel to track meets across the country by carpools driven by “Coach T”, her assistants and parents. The Fillies operate like a close-knit family and Coach T. is not just a track & field instructor to these young ladies – she’s also a mentor and a friend.
One of the standout athletes on team Fillies is 17 year-old Kaleb McDonald. She’s competed in the Junior Olympics over multiple years and in 2018 alone, she’s won gold medals in the 100, 200 & 400 meter dashes in State Class 3A.
“I’m now 17 and have been with this team since I started running track at around 11 or 12 years-old. I love our coach… She actually has a relationship with us. She’s not just coaching you but she’s coaching you to be a better person as well as a better athlete.” – Kaleb McDonald
On May 27, Coach T. took her fundraising initiatives to the next level by allowing the Fillies to host a track meet for the first time in the organization’s seven year history.
The meet took place at Male High School in Louisville and competitors traveled from all over the state of Kentucky and Indiana to take advantage of the opportunity to register qualifying times. Athletes would compete against each other in events such as the hurdles, long jump, 100, 200, 400 & 800 meter races.
“This is our first Kentucky Fillies Track & Field Invitational Youth Meet in Louisville, KY. We’ve had our team for seven summers and this is our first time hosting so we are super excited. We have six different teams who have come out to compete from all over the region but we also have a lot of individual entries also, so hopefully this will set the tone for next year – to have a bigger and better meet.” – Tamika Townsend
Townsend stresses that the goal of the local meets are for athletes to qualify for national meets, such as the USATF Junior Olympic Games, the New Balance Nationals and the AAU Junior Olympic Games.
Team Beastmode of Hardin County, KY was one of the six clubs that made the trip to Louisville to compete. As a result, 11 year-old Kasym Bolinger captured gold medals in the 400 and 800 meter races.
“I ran the 800 meter and the 400 meter dash. It’s a half mile race, which is twice around this track. You do get tired after the first lap but at basically anywhere, you pick a spot, and kinda glide down. That’s when I start to think about something pleasant like my favorite food or something like that – but it has to be healthy. – (right) Kasym Bolinger of Fort Knox KY …(left)Sonny Collins – Assistant Coach and Co-founder of Team Beastmode
Also as an individual entry, 15 year-old Kemari Robinson of Indianapolis secured gold medals in the 100 and 200 meter races.
“I ran the 100 & 200… I was going to do the long jump but I just didn’t do it today. I’ve been involved in track & field since last year. I feel like it makes me better in other sports.” – Kemari Robinson
To enroll, become a sponsor or for more information about the Kentucky Fillies – please access their website at https://www.kyfillies.com/ or email Tamika Townsend at kyfilliestc@gmail.com
Brad Harrison is a journalist/motivational speaker/entrepreneur and on-air personality. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with cum laude honors from the University of Louisville. In October 2015, he started UrbanMaxx Magazine to provide positive role models for Urban residents that reside in at-risk-communities and lack positive leadership in their lives.
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