Photo By Sgt. Raymond Lott | Master Sgt. Larry Menendez Jr., speaks to a member of the DFW All-Stars Track Club...... read more read more
FORT WORTH, Texas — In May 2008, Master Sgt. Larry Menendez Jr., a career recruiter in Fort Worth and father of two girls, experienced life changing news dreaded by every parent: his youngest daughter Briana was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, a rare cancer of the blood and the most common childhood lymphoma.
After a 19-month battle with cancer, Briana passed away. Menendez decided to do something to remain close to his surviving daughter, Ashley, so in April of 2010, he developed the Dallas/Fort Worth All-Stars Track Club to get her involved with helping other young people in his community.
“A lot of people knew that my 13-year-old daughter passed away because she had cancer, said Menendez. “Both of my daughters were in track so it was kind of a way – after she passed away – to spend more time with my oldest daughter.”
The club started with just a few girls but soon grew into a large family of local boys and girls and their parents.
Menendez’s mission for the DFW All-Stars Track Club for boys and girls ages five to 19 is “to train the mind, body, and spirit of each young woman and young man.”
The DFW All-Stars Track Club is certified and registered with USA Track and Field, the largest organization for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States.
The club’s purpose is to help its team members gain confidence and learn the value of hard work and team mindset.
“There are three things I mainly concentrate on: spiritual, mental and physical,” Menendez said. “Spiritual, meaning we pray at every practice, and every meeting. I teach them how to have mental toughness while they’re running and that goes with physical toughness for the training they do on the track.”
Menendez said he and the other coaches spend time with the team members every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday working on form, and running different distances.
“We’ll split them up and we work according to races,” Menendez said. “We have a long-distance coach, a mid-distance coach and a sprinting coach. My coaches are parents as well, so they understand my vision and goals for the team and we work together to reach them.”
According to Gunnery Sgt. Roydrick Jackson, an assistant coach for the DFW All-Stars, the team consistently has 23 to 27 members at any given time. More and more parents want their children to reap the benefits and opportunities the club has to offer.
“The kids deal with other kids from all kinds of different backgrounds, so they learn to accept each other and respect one another,” Jackson said. “They learn strength and self-esteem as they get better. They have a different attitude toward the team concept and winning.”
Kay Randall, the official team photographer, agrees that the track team has helped her 9-year-old daughter, Shakiah, with her attitude and self-image.
“[Shakiah] was having problems in school, her self-esteem was low and she always second-guessed herself on whether she was doing something right,” Randall said. “Then she told me, ‘Mommy, this is something I was born to do. I know how to do it.’ Her confidence level has gone up because now she has her coaches critiquing her and making her better.”
Shakiah has competed in, and won, many competitions, like her teammates, because of her consistent participation in the club.
Menendez said that the team is open to many more track meet opportunities because they are not directly affiliated with a school.
“We’re not captive to the school system, so we’re allowed to participate in as many meets as we want,” Menendez said. “We also participate in the Junior Olympics, which is a national competition.”
As well as exposure to many different track-and-field meets and improved esteem, the DFW All-Stars Track Club has also given some students educational benefits.
“Last year I had a girl that wasn’t very fast,” Menendez said. “She got faster. She made it to the Junior Olympics and she actually got a five-year track and cross country scholarship and I actually was the one who talked to the coach for that college. We have kids right now that are probably going to get scholarships and they will as long as they stay with it and keep their heads straight.”
Menendez said he is proud when one of his runners ends up with a scholarship for all his or her hard work, but his most rewarding moments come from watching the kids steadily improve on their runs and techniques.
“The biggest joy I get out of it is watching them drop their times,” said Menendez. “Whenever they drop times, and do better than they did the week prior, that’s a joy for me. I don’t care about them winning the gold medals. I don’t care about them winning the races. I just care about them working hard and seeing their efforts actually pay off for them.”
Menendez gained his track and field experience as a student at Eastern High School in Louisville, Ky., where he was a sprinter for the track team that won the only state title in the school’s history. After he became a Marine, he coached basketball teams for Marines in Parris Island, and volunteered as a basketball coach for the YMCA.
Menendez started coaching track teams in 2000 and became certified to be a track coach in January 2011.
Jackson, who works with Menendez on and off-duty, expressed a high opinion about Menendez as a coach.
“Coach Menendez is great,” Jackson said. “He knows what to do, he spends his time studying the different workouts. He has the kids do workouts based on their goals. He makes sure they improve overall, and he has a positive attitude.”
Menendez continues to coach the DFW All-Stars, teaching them about spirituality, mental and physical toughness, and continues with his mission “to train the mind, body, and spirit of each young woman and young man.”
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2013 17:37 |
| Story ID: | 118343 |
| Location: | FORT WORTH, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 219 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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