Preview: Giants ready to compete in the Sequoias Relays
Running.
Some hate it and some love it.
For College of the Sequoias track and field head coach Curtis Allen, going to a meet one day changed his life forever.
COS will host its annual Sequoias Relays track meet on Saturday, March 18, at the Giant Chevrolet-Cadillac Mineral King Bowl. Admission is $6. Seniors get in for $3, while youth wearing a sports jersey get in free.. Gates open at 9 a.m.
Allen hopes that he can get a good turn out to show kids a sport some may have never thought about competing in or playing..
"I fell in love with track watching the West Coast Relays as a kid," Allen shared. "Watching these athletes, it gives you a motivation to work hard and reach your dreams. I think the youth in this area need to see a big time college track meet."
"We are the only team in the area, so we want to get a couple thousand kids for Youth Day at this meet," Allen said. "Also, we want to showcase these athletes to our fans. You can read about them in the paper, but it is not the same. You can come watch us compete with all of these programs, and appreciate the work ethic our kids have."
Looking on the women's team, Allen raves about Tarika Moses (team-leader in 100m, and 200m), Meleni Rodney (2015 400m champion), and Alyssa Block (leading state in 800m).
"Alyssa Block is unbelievable and can run anything," Allen said. "She is a hard worker and she can run in so many events if she wanted to, and the same thing can be said about Tarika Moses, as well as Meleni Rodney."
For the men, Quincy Hall currently has the fastest 400m time in country at 46.86 and Bryce Huggins is the defending long jump champion.
"Huggins had a little of a hamstring problem so we are taking it slow, Allen said. "You can still see the fire. He wants to win state again."
Some additional competitors you may see at the meet is a trio of Central Valley Conference champions in a different sport.
"We are waiting for a couple of women's basketball athletes to come over and compete with us," Allen said. "Once Idalis Rubalcava, Daniela Mendez, and Dojahnae Senegal come, our team will be even stronger."
A big reason for the influx of talent the Giants have, according to Allen, is social media. He believes that it helps his team of coaches spread the word of what COS can do for runners.
"I think word of mouth definitely helps us," Allen added. "With Dejah Stevens running in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Hakeem Alexander with Florida State at the World Championships, we show kids they can get scholarships here. They post it all over, and the internet is just awesome."
This will be the only time fans can see COS compete at home. With Sequoias going heads up with the likes of defending state champion Mt. San Antonio College, Riverside College and Fresno City, the meet has garnered respect across the state of California.
"Our meet is a fast and athletic meet," Allen explained. "It is becoming known as a preview to the state championships because of the caliber of teams we have coming in. Most of the teams coming, you will see at the state finals, so come support our local athletes and watch a preview of the State Championships."
