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City Youth Headed to National Track and Field Championships
City council
members pledge support
By
Cheryl Scott
Bulletin Staff Writer
Compton
resident Leon Dillihunt, a junior at Dominguez High School, made an
appearance at the City Council meeting last week letting the community
know that he and members of his track club will be competing in the
National Track and Field Junior Olympics in Omaha. The meet will run
from July 24 through 28.
Dillihunt has logged the fastest time in the nation for the 400-meter
run. He is a member of the Imani Track Club, which is affiliated with
U.S.A. Track and Field (USATF). Coach Steve Todd founded the club seven
years ago. The young athletes meet three or four evenings a week to
practice at Dominguez High School.
“We hope to get some donations from people in the community to
help us pay for the trip,” Dillihunt told the Council July 8. “We
are representing Compton in a good light in front of the whole country.
We want to let everyone know that lots of good things are going on
in Compton, that this is a great community to live in.”
All of the council members and mayor pledged support to the team. Councilwomen
Yvonne Arceneaux and Lillie Dobson each wrote a check on the spot.
Dillihunt will compete in the 400-meter race. He is also a member of
the relay team that will be competing, along with Cameron Harris, Michael
Grim, Jerome Bragg and Bryan Hayes.
The relay team competed in the CIF State Track Meet in May, coming
in second. Dominguez High walked away with the CIF champ title.
The team competed in the USATF local level championship earlier this
year. The top eight runners went on to the regional competition in
San Diego on June 22. The top three individuals in that competition
and the relay team are competing in the Junior Olympics.
Todd has been coaching track at Dominguez High School for 26 years,
sometimes as a volunteer and sometimes as a paid staff member. He attended
California State University Long Beach, where he ran hurdles.
“I started Imani to give the kids in the community something
I didn’t
have when I was growing up,” Todd told The Bulletin. “Many
of the students who were in our program have gone on to win athletic
scholarships to colleges like Stanford, Berkeley and the University
of Arizona. There is a rich heritage of track in Compton. We hope to
continue that tradition.”
Dillihunt started running track when he was in eighth grade. He had
no intention of running track, but his coach from the Mona Park football
team was impressed with his speed and took him to meet Todd.
“I didn’t really like track at first,” he said. “The
workouts were really difficult and my interest was really in football.
But if I start something, I will stick with it. I stuck with track,
and the more events I won the more I liked it.”
According to Todd, Dillihunt has a great future in track if he wants
it. “He was only a sophomore last year, but already UCLA recruiters
have expressed interest,” he said. “I expect that recruiters
from colleges throughout the country will be in touch with him during
his junior and senior years.”
Todd believes competitive sports teach kids lessons that apply to their
future lives.
“When you think about it, the skills you need in competitive
sports are the same skills you need for your life. Diligence, discipline,
respect for others, teamwork, work ethic – it’s all there.
Sports is sort of a microcosm of life.”
The team needed a total of $6,000 to cover expenses for the event. “There
are grants available, but it’s difficult to get them because
there are so many teams applying,” Todd said. “We have
a little more than half saved, so they boys will go regardless. But
any support we can get from the community will be most appreciated.”
Anyone wishing to donate funds should call Todd at (310) 438-3004.
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