PC Striders
Our Club
PC Striders is a youth track and field club, registered with both the United States Track and Field Association (USATF) and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). Our program is designed to meet the needs of all participants, regardless of their performance level.
Need for
the club
History
Poughkeepsie City Striders youth Track and Field club was established in 2012 by Damien C. Powell. He was born in Dutchess County, and competed on the track team at Arlington High School in Freedom Plains, before moving to Texas.
In 2012, he and his family moved back to the area, and he wanted to get his oldest son involved in a youth track and field program. Xavier, who was 11 years old then, had developed an affinity for running and competed with a local team in Abilene, Texas, so the hope was to continue that in his new hometown.
Damien Powell earned coaching certifications in spring 2012, and reached out to anyone in his community who had similar interests. In 2014, outdoor practice sessions were happening on a weekly basis, and that is how the Poughkeepsie City Striders, an AAU and USATF affiliated youth track and field club, got started!
Since that time, attendance and membership has grown steadily, from an initial seven members, to now over 50 every year, with increased participation at outdoor regional meets, to include qualifying for national championship multi-day competitions in other states, and now an indoor practice and competitive season, which also includes national youth championships.
The club is now looking to support and administer to this growing group of athletes, by adding additional volunteer coaches, a Director of Fundraising/Community Engagement, a Team Manager/Bookkeeper/Statistician, Video/Photographer, and an Equipment Manager--- if you are interested, or know someone that may be interested in any of these positions--- please let us know by using the "contact us" menu on this website, and become an integral piece of how the PC Striders club will make even bigger Strides!
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Our Guiding Principles
We encourage our youth athletes to focus on achievable objectives and goals:
1. Perform to the best of their ability
2. Set and reach personal goals
3. Learn to be a great teammate
4. Allow our athletes to earn scholarships
5. Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
6. Compete against elite competition
7. Proudly serve their local community
We are a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that works primarily with youth ages 6-18, living in the City of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, mid-Hudson Valley, New York, and club membership and participation is open to anyone.
The mission of PC Striders is to provide the basis for athletes to aspire to achieve the qualities of leadership, discipline, and integrity, and foster an attitude of achieving excellence in education, through the sport of track and field.
We will provide athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest level of youth competition, while emphasizing hard work and personal growth, in order to create value for themselves with their talent.
Our club philosophy revolves around providing a safe, positive, environment, to give our athletes the opportunity to improve in the development of their physical skills. At the same time, athletes will increase their leadership skills, public speaking and critical thinking skills, and opportunities to serve their community. Members of the PCS track club will grow in their sense of ownership and minimize their sense of entitlement.
Studies have found that 1 out of 5 kids are now considered overweight or obese in the United States.
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity
According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, close to half of all children will experience bullying while at school.
https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Bullying-080.aspx
These statistics, among many others, are reasons we believe the PC Striders track club is needed today. Providing an environment in which our young athletes can feel free and willing to discuss issues, is essential to the building and future development of our children and future leaders.
