CHESTERTON | On the sun-drenched track at Chesterton High School, Sue Brown-Nickerson patiently instructed her 8-year-old sprinters how to exchange the baton for a relay race.
Brown-Nickerson was prepping four of her Calumet Region Striders youth track members for the 400-meter relay at Saturday's AAU District Track and Field Qualifying Championship. The two-day event concluded Sunday, and the Top 10 place finishers in each event and the top three relays qualified for the AAU Region 6B meet, which will be held in Bloomington, Ill. July 3-6.
"We liked to say our strength is the distances, but our team is growing now to where we have sprinters, middle distance and long distance now," said Brown-Nickerson, who started the youth program for the Cal Striders in 2005.
"This is my first 8-and-under four-by-one, so I'm pretty excited. I just hope they stay in their lane. That's my goal -- to say in their lane."
More than 500 participants took part in the meet, including runners and jumpers from Gary PAL, Gary Lakeshore Jets, Merrillville Track Club and teams from Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.
"Our main objective is to increase PR's (personal records)," Merrillville Track Club coach Darrell Reed said. "Obviously, this is our Junior Olympics series, and we want the kids to participate in District, Regionals and Nationals."
The Merrillville Track Club practices on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Merrillville High School and has 60 members in its youth track program.
"This year has been particularly good for us because we have an athlete in every single category," Reed said.
"I get to compete with my friends, meet new people and get medals," said Trenton Brown, 12, of the MTC, who competed in the high jump, long jump and 200.
The 12-and-under competed on Saturday before the 13-and-over concluded the meet on Sunday.
Mariah Mateo, 12, of the Cal Striders enjoyed the competition in the long jump, 800 and 3200-meter relay.
"You know what you have to improve on," Mateo said.
Randy St. Peters and Mary St. Peters, both of Valparaiso, were there with their 8-year-old daughter, Lindsey.
"She likes to run," Mary St. Peters said of Lindsey, who runs the 100 and 200, and two relays for the Cal Striders.
Meet director Joe Mis, a Hammond native, has overseen the meet for AAU for 35 years.
"It's a feeder for a running program," he said ."You get the kids starting in athletics earlier, running."
Brown-Nickerson, who was a miler at Chesterton High School from 1975-78, enjoys giving back to the running community.
"I always wanted to coach," she said.
