Sports

Event Showcases Future Moorestown Track Stars

The World Athlete Indoor Track Academy kicks off next week at the high school athletic center.

When Troy Pappas started the World Athlete Track Academy seven years ago, he was really just thinking how he could make his team better.

“It started in a selfish way as a feeder program for the high school track program,” said the track coach. “What it’s become over the years is a community resource.”

Several years ago, Pappas noticed the increasing popularity of other varsity sports and worried those programs could draw kids away from track.

“I realized my team would be affected if we didn’t have some sort of program to get kids interested at an early age,” he said. And thus the World Athlete Track Academy was born.

The academy holds programs throughout the year for young children, beginning with the annual World Athlete Indoor Track Academy next week. The program, now in its sixth year, will run for six straight Wednesdays at the high school athletic center.  

The first three weeks, children ages 3-14 will be trained in different track events: 40-meter dash, mini hurdles, shot put (age-appropriate weight), etc. The following three Wednesdays the academy will hold meets open to the entire community.

Pappas said last year’s meets featured roughly 180 competitors from three states, with about 500 parents watching from the bleachers. Between 50 and 60 of those competitors were children who had signed up for the training.

“It’s about giving a fun fitness opportunity that keeps them recreationally oriented for life,” said Pappas. “It’s a lot of fun. The kids really enjoy it. They get a lot out of it, according to their parents.”

What’s it like, teaching kids as young as 3 how to compete in track? “Getting them to stay in the lane is interesting to watch,” he said amusedly. “But it’s all in the spirit of fun.”

Though the academy sticks mostly to the Burlington County area, it also holds mobile programs in other parts of the state during the spring and fall, Pappas said, as well as a weeklong summer camp.

The Indoor Track Meet kicks off at 6:15 p.m. next Wednesday, Jan. 4, at the high school athletic center. Parents can still register their children up until Jan. 2.

Registration is $149 for the full six-week session. Registration for the individual track meets is $10, Pappas said.

The World Athlete Track Academy’s popularity grows each year, and the program has a high retention rate, according to Pappas.

And what about its original purpose, as a training ground for future ? Well, that seems to be working too: Pappas said he has two athletes on his team right now who participated in academy meets years ago.

“The original reason for this is working out for me,” he said. “But more importantly, it’s working for a lot of the junior athletes.”

For more information or to register, visit the World Athlete Track Academy website.


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