KC Smoke Places 3rd at '04 Club Championships

One of the strongest emerging elite clubs in the country is from Missouri. In 2004, the Kansas City Smoke men's team came away with a stronger than expected third-place finish at the USATF National Club Championships in Bloomington, Indiana.

The meet was held over the July 4 weekend at the University of Indiana, and hosted by the reigning national champions, the Indianapolis Invaders. Kansas City came into the meet with almost a totally new lineup from the very successful 2003 club. They were missing key players in 400-meter specialist Kendall Pyant, Andy Nelson currently at Nebraska, Elliot Morant the speedster from Mississippi State, all missing this year.

The Smoke were also without distance standouts Rikki Hacker, who posted 3:00 for the key 1200 leg on the DMR last year, and Olympic Trials 800-meter athlete from Missouri, Timothy Dunne.

This team was scrambling to put together another run at the championship. Luckily for the Smoke, some local athletes stepped up to the challenge. Joining the team for 2004 were Rodrae White, Jermaine Boyd, Damond Berry, Charles Burney, Dale Dexter, and Blake Boldon. They joined a very talented group from last year, which included Ryan Drake, Justin Sherman, Jamel Sims, and Misgina Kifleyesus.

Most of the Smoke competed in more than one event. It was truly a team event, as the sprinters entered multiple open events, then came together in the relays, as they did last year, to solidify themselves as one of the top three teams in the country. The competitive highlight of the Championship came from the relay events as the second, third and fourth place finishes for both men and women were
determined by team finishes in the relays.

Occasional torrential rain during the relays did not stop competitors from battling for points and the rain solidified team spirit by adding an extra element of excitement to the all-relay finale of the 2004 Championships.

Meet Director Greg Harger said, "This was an outstanding weekend with several athletes qualifying for their first US Olympic Trials. Francesca Green's story of qualifying for the Olympic Trials on her final jump, in the final qualifying meet on the calendar, and as the 'final' athlete to qualify for the Olympic Trials represents one of many great stories to come out of the Club Championships this weekend.

"Through the hurricane-like conditions during the relays, the hunger and desire that comes with team pride and honor to win in the relay events speaks volumes about the future of this event for the growing US club system. Team-scored competition at the highest level of our sport represents the dawn of a bright future for our growing club system."

Harger added, "The prospects of additional growth in the support from USA Track & Field for this event and the acceptance by the newly designated USATF Elite Development Clubs for responsibility in the direction of the development of our club system will deliver events marked by excellence for fans and athletes alike in the very near future. We have much work remaining in front of us but we are very encouraged by the prospects and possibilities for the continued growth and development of all of the national club championships."

The Kansas City Smoke would like to thank Mid America Running Association (MARA), a USATF Club, for awarding the Jack Boyer Memorial Award to USATF. This money was used for the athletes on the Smoke, as many had been training, and attempting to qualify for the Olympic Trials at the Club Championships. Jack Boyer was a very instrumental part of the Kansas City Running Community. Running was his life, and it was truly an honor for these athletes to benefit from this award.

Top 10 Men's Teams:
1. Indiana Invaders 167
2. Greater Boston TC 93
3. Kansas City Smoke 81
4. Club Northwest 54
5. First Step Track Club 45
6. ConnQuest 34
7. Central Park TC 23
8. Mid Atlantic Elite 22
9. Ashland Elite 20
10. Roland Intl 20