The Midland Crusaders Track Club has kept Tall City kids active in the summer for the past 28 years.
The Midland Crusaders Summer Athletics Program caters to a wide range of male and female athletes ages 7-19.
Tony Goyang – who led the athletics club for 28 years – says the Midland Crusaders attract elite athletes down to the grassroots along with rookies.
Children will join the club because their parents will see their children stay athletically active during the summer, and this will prove to be a blessing as some children will fall in love with the sport of track and field.
The club also attracts children who join in order to improve their skills and athleticism in other sports.
“As a result, I have crossed athletes,” Goyang said. “Some football players who want to train for speed. Some baseball players have gone through this program.
This year, the club meets at the Abell Junior High track on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. until August 5th.
The club trains for nine track and field meets throughout the summer, starting with the United States Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships in West Texas on June 10-11 at Greenwood High. School.
Hence the name Crusaders, the club doubles as a Christian children’s ministry, but Goyang says you don’t have to be a Christian to join.
“No one is turned away,” Goyang said. “We try to motivate the children, to direct them in a positive way. Give them life lessons. Not just a race track, but we make sure to provide social opportunities for them. Everyone is invited to join.
“We have a guiding principle. We try to guide the children in the right way, just try to encourage and motivate them. It’s not just about winning, winning, winning. Of course, even though we are competitive, the main focus is trying to provide a main platform for kids to come together and teach them life lessons.
Goyang knows the value the track has had on his life.
Growing up in Nigeria, Goyang had the option of playing football or running on a track to get out of evening activities after boarding school. Sport allowed him to go to university.
Track and field and football eventually brought Goyang to Stillwater, Oklahoma where he competed in both sports at Oklahoma State.
Today, he passes on his knowledge of athletics to young people in the Ville Haute.
Texas A&M 800-meter runner and Midland Christian graduate Caden Norris, Oklahoma pitcher and Lee Paige Low graduate and Legacy shot put silver medalist Leah Acosta are some of the athletes latest Midland Crusaders track shoes.
Goyang even remembers when legendary Lee running back Cedric Benson went through his running program to work on his speed.
These days, Goyang encounters doctors and lawyers who were fighting over the Midland Crusaders.
The Summer Track Meets consist of six distinct age categories for children, which include the Young Men’s and Women’s Division (2004-2005 birthdate), Intermediate (2006-07), Youth (2008-09) , midget (2010-11), bantam (2012-13) and sub-bantam (2014 and later).
The club will take part in three track competitions in Odessa from June 16-18, June 24-25 and June 30-July 2.
The best players from the first encounters will have a chance to qualify for regional encounters in Humble (July 5-9) and San Angelo (July 8-9).
The season wraps up with the TAAF Games of Texas in Corpus Christi from July 21-24 and national meets in Sacramento, Calif., from July 25-31 and Greensboro, North Carolina, from July 28-August 28. seven.
The cost to join the Midland Crusaders is approximately $175, which does not include the meet sign-up fee.
For more information, contact Goyang at (432) 349-1125 or crusaderstrackclub@gmail.com.
Follow Christopher on Twitter: @chris_MRTsports