Sixteen athletes from Wichita’s Team Und3rated have qualified for the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 1-8 — a remarkable jump from just three national qualifiers a year ago.
The accomplishment reflects more than talent. It reflects a coaching philosophy built on developing athletes from the ground up, even those who don’t arrive looking like future champions.
Many successful club programs build their reputation by recruiting athletes who already look like champions.
Patton is just as interested in athletes who are willing to learn as those who already know how to win.
“When a child first joins our program, they don’t even know who they are,” he said. “I like taking the kid that has bad form.”
Most coaches see unfinished athletes as projects. Patton sees possibilities.
He believes nearly every athletic weakness can be overcome if a child is willing to learn and a coach is willing to teach.
“It’s more to it than just getting on the track and running fast,” Patton said. “You’ve got to have proper mechanics. If your running form is messed up, we’ve got to fix it.”
That “fix it” philosophy extends beyond athletics.
“I tell my kids, ‘Be the sponge. I’ll be the water,'” he said.
Patton sees coaching as an opportunity to pour discipline, confidence and accountability into young people, believing those lessons will last long after the final race.
“A lot of kids don’t have hope,” he said. “We want to give them hope, knowing somebody’s going to believe in them, somebody’s not going to give up on them and somebody’s going to invest in them.”
“What we do on this track is going to translate outside the track,” he said.
That philosophy is producing results on the track.
Athletes don’t simply register for the AAU Junior Olympic Games. They must first qualify through district competition before advancing to Region 16, which includes Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Nebraska. The top six finishers in each event and two-year age division advance to the national championships.
“Everybody wants to get to the Junior Olympics,” Patton said.
Patton also understands that earning a spot is only part of the challenge.
Travel, hotels, entry fees and equipment can put national competition out of reach for many families.
As a child growing up in Pensacola, Florida, Patton qualified to compete but never made it to the Junior Olympics because his family couldn’t afford the trip. Today, he works to make sure finances don’t keep his athletes from having opportunities he never had.
“We pick up a lot of kids because they don’t have rides,” he said.
To help families cover the cost of competition, Team Und3rated organizes fish fries, car washes and other community fundraisers throughout the season.
Patton’s wife, Sheda, coaches alongside him and says the team’s success is measured by more than the number of athletes qualifying for national competition.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “We’re grateful for the kids just doing their best.”
As Team Und3rated prepares to compete on one of youth track and field’s biggest stages, Patton hopes the athletes leave with more than medals.
He hopes they leave believing they can accomplish more than they imagined.
For Team Und3rated, that’s the real finish
Team Und3rated Who Qualified for AAU Junior Olympics
Maielle Payne
4×100 – 15/16
Ajay Montgomery
4×100 – 15/16
Smya Greene
4x 100 – 15/16
Raegan Stewart
4×100 – 15/16
Kiera Smith
100 yard dash – 17/18
200 yard dash – 17/18
Kyra Carmenar
Penthalon – 12
Chris Neal
4×100 – 15/16
Kendhari Curry
4×100 – 15/16
Malkai Clark
High Jump – 17/18
Lakeya Fuller
High Jump – 17/18
KD Williams
110 hurdles – 15/16
4×100 – 15/16
Cam Akins
100 yard dash – 15/16
200 yard dash – 15/16
4×100 – 15/16
Jamarian Peters
4×100 – 17/18
Demarco Wilcher
4×100 – 17/18
S’king Neal
4×100 – 17/18
Nico Snell
4×100 – 17/18
