Full Stride Track Club has Travis ties

  • Published
  • By Nick DeCicco
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  A track squad started by Team Travis members four years ago now has children sprinting all the way to Michigan.

The Full Stride Track Club is sending 19 children from the Solano County area - including seven children with ties to Travis - to the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics scheduled for July 23 through Aug. 2 in Detroit.

Senior Master Sgt. Donna Broussard, 349th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, and her husband, Greg, are the coaches of the teams. The club is split into two regions, pooling youthful runners from the North Bay and East Bay regions.

Sergeant Broussard started the team in 2005 in an effort to keep running and stay in shape. Beforehand, she was doing so by running with others from the 349th.

"For me to keep in shape, I might as well do it with them," Sergeant Broussard said.
Sergeant and Mr. Broussard's son, Kieren, 16, is a qualifier in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter races, missed a record mark by .01 seconds in a recent race in Florida, said Gina Myrick, mother of one of the team's members.

Mrs. Myrick's son, Brendan, 10 - whose father is Lt. Col. Charles Myrick, 615th Contingency Response Wing - is another member of the team with Travis ties making the trek to the Motor City. He'll compete in the 1,500-meter race.

During the Region 14 USA Track and Field Championships held July 12 to 13 in Livermore, Kieren Broussard finished first and second, respectively, in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter runs. Brendan Myrick captured the top spot in 1,500 with time of 5 minutes, 29.32 seconds.

Mrs. Myrick praised the involvement of the Broussards with the children in the community.

"The Broussards are truly special and dedicated people who care about the children in our area," she said. "Not only do the coaches help our children mature in track and field, they also teach them to be self-confident, work hard, show dedication and be a supportive team member."

Another standout on the team Sergeant Broussard mentioned is Jaxin Woodward, a 6-year-old from Vacaville who runs in 800-meter competition. Woodward competes in the 8-and-under category, one of few 6-year-olds who does, according to Sergeant Broussard.

Yet one more is a 13-year-old who finished fourth last year in the long jump and has notched a 17-foot, 4-inch jump already this year, Sergeant Broussard said.

The team's refines its chops at Vanden High School in Vacaville, which has allowed the children use of its track.

"The school is always very supportive of the base and community children," Sergeant Broussard said. "If it wasn't for the supporting of Vanden using its track field, this wouldn't be possible."

Though it practices at Vanden, the club usually hosts a meet once a year in April at another site in the area, such as Rodriguez High School or Pittsburg, the latter of which allowed free use of its track.

Presently, the team is looking for volunteers. A number of them come from the Travis community, especially her cohorts in the 349th AES, Sergeant Broussard said. 

For more information on the club, visit www.fullstridetc.com.