Winning medals, qualifying for national meets and setting personal records has been the summer vacation plan for a group of Pelham track athletes.

Several athletes ranging from ages 11-19 competed with the Alabama Heat track club in U.S.A. Track and Field and Amateur Athletic Union sanctioned track meets this summer. They all participated in the Alabama Youth BTC Classic and the Alabama Association Championship meets held at Hoover High School in June. The group won a combined 41 medals in the two meets.

All 16 qualified for the USATF Regional Championship meet in Monroe, La. Nine of them qualified for the National Junior Olympics in Sacramento, Calif. at the end of July, including four relay teams comprised mostly of Pelham runners. The Pelham relay teams included a midget boys 1600-meter relay team consisting of Mario Davis, Jansen Murray, Jalen Smith and Cameron Covington; the intermediate boys 1600-meter relay team including Jacob Nichols, Chisom Muruako, MJ Brown and Tre Eatman; the intermediate boys 3200-meter relay team including Herbert Moye, Jacob Nichols, Randall Tigner and Eatman; and the young men 1600-meter relay team including Jamel Ardis, Fabian Traylor, Brock Gaines and Percy Heard.

These relay teams joined several individual athletes in qualifying for Nationals. Caitland Smith qualified in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. Jalen Smith qualified in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. Cameron Covington qualified in the 1500-meter run and 3000-meter run. Fabian Traylor qualified in the 400-meter dash and Briana Gunn qualified in the 800-meter run.

The athletes practiced at Pelham High School during the summer.