With
Rolonda Jumbos(Navajo) ninth place finish at the USA Cross
Country Championships while representing Wings of America, she qualified
to be a member of Junior Team USA to run at the North America, Central
America and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) Cross Country
Championships at Chain of Lakes Park in Orlando, Florida on March
7, 2009.
With the weather at 85 degrees and humid, the course was grassy
with little hills. Since Rolonda was use to Arizona cross country
courses, race conditions were the opposite. Under the coaching expertise
of Shaun Martin (Navajo), they knew she had to go out fast, while
maintaining a near all-out effort in order to be in contact with
the front runners at the end of the race. Rolondas race plan
was to go out with her first two American teammates. Then in the
last 800 meters, Rolonda pressed as much as she could until she
crossed the line. One American teammate was able to catch Rolonda
in the final stretch, which pushed Rolonda back to a 11th place
finish overall. Her finishing time was 13:46 for a 2.5 mile course.
Her average mile pace was 5:31!
Rolonda commented on the overall highlight of the NACAC trip, which
was the race and getting the experience to race some of the best
runners thatll someday be the future Olympians. On being a
Wings of America runner and racing at the NACAC Championship, Rolonda
stated, Im happy about making the Wings team and racing
at NACAC, it was a real honor. As Rolonda reminisced back
on those events, she wanted to say to Wings of America: Out of running
Ive always wanted to run in big races to find out how much
more effort I have to put into running, how much harder Id
have work to reach my goals and dreams. . Now I got the experience
that Ive always wanted and its all a BIG, HUGE thanks
to Wings of America. I wouldve never been to the places we
went or raced in these two meets. Thank You!
From Shaun Martin, Rolondas coach:
What Wings of America has provided for her, and all Native American
runners, is priceless. The experience every Wings runner has during
the USATF Cross Country National Championships helps our athletes
see what else is out there in the running world. This experience
helps them see what is possible and set goals for the future. As
the two Wings sponsored trips, she slowly came out of her shell
and grew more comfortable around others. Seeing new areas of the
country, running with other very high caliber athletes and being
a part of team USA was a great experience that may have never happened
without Wings of America. As a former Wings runner, I would like
to thank Wings for all the support I have received. Now, as a coach,
I want to give back to the Native American running community as
much as possible. With running and without Wings of America, I would
not be the person I am today. THANK YOU!
Wings of America is an American Indian youth program operated by
the Earth Circle Foundation, Inc., a non-profit corporation based
in Santa Fe, NM. For further information, please contact the Wings
office at 505.982.6761. Or, visit our website at: www.wingsofamerica.org.
For complete meet information visit: www.usatf.org.
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