Local Track Club Builds Champions

For the first time since 1972, the Deerfield Warriors had an individual state champion in Track and Field this May. His name is Chris Douglas, and he is the current reigning state champion in the 300m intermediate hurdles. For knowledgeable track and field fans, this accomplishment is monumental. For our community, it is relevant because Chris was able to achieve this lofty goal not only because of his own commitment to training, but because of a local track club willing to provide off season coaching.

Orion Track Club began in 2010 when Ryan Brown, an assistant track coach at Deerfield High School decided he wanted to give his and other committed local athletes the opportunity to continue to work towards their goals during the off season. Starting with just a couple of dedicated DHS juniors in 2010, the club has grown to include students from Glenview, Northbrook, Lake Forest and Highland Park.

Danny Katz, one of the 2010 athletes, is now a junior running hurdles for Dartmouth College. Danny went to the AAU Junior Olympics with Coach Brown in New Orleans that first year. He credits the success he had in high school in part to the coaching he received from Orion Track Club. “Coach Kauffman (head coach of DHS track and field) believed that with training and focus, I could make it to the state meet and I made that my goal. Orion Coaches Ryan Brown and Bruce Mills were with me for that journey.” Danny’s commitment to year-round training inspired Chris Douglas, an incoming freshman at the time, to join in the fun.

Current Orion athletes see the success that Danny and Chris have had and it motivates them to stick with the program. They gather every weekday evening at Deerfield High School to train, and travel to AAU and USA Track and Field meets in the area. Current Deerfield Orion athletes include state qualifying high jumper Hank Flury, versatile sophomore Mark Mahoney who competes in five track and field events, and junior sprinter Jacob Avenaim. Additionally, incoming freshmen Nicole Chiapetta and Zoie Richardson are trying out different events and developing skills that will put them in a position to contribute to the success of the DHS girl’s track and field team.

Traveling with the team to Benedictine University a few weeks ago, I met Gavin Hoch, a senior from Lake Forest High School. In his first year with Orion Track Club, Gavin is hoping to build on the success he had last season when he qualified for the state meet in the hurdles. Gavin met Chris Douglas at some meets during the school season and Chris told him about Orion. Later, his dad brought home a flyer, “I realized I could make something out of my track career, and I would love to run track in college.”

USA Track and Field allows athletes to compete until they reach twenty years of age; Deerfield’s Matt Gibson, who just finished competing as a freshman pole vaulter for University of Rhode Island, recognized the opportunity to continue to improve by returning to DHS and Orion Track Club. “I am really grateful to have great coaches like Matt Brown, that helped me place third at regionals and qualify for Junior Olympics in Jacksonville, Florida this summer. I know I have achieved more because of Orion.”

Hank Flury is also having great success as a high jumper with Orion. Hank has been with the club since he was a freshman, ”When I started out people used to say I was suspiciously bad for how tall I was. I just wanted to get better, and I knew this would be the way to move up in the ranks.” Hank went from working to clear five feet in high jump as a sophomore to clearing six feet four inches to finish tenth in state during the school season.

Head Coach Ryan Brown is the founder of Orion Track Club; “I had participated in a summer club team when I was in high school so I thought we’d try to form our own club so they could practice and then complete in a few meets.” The club has grown tremendously from there. Coach Brown’s brother Matt as well as fellow Deerfield High School Track and Field coaches Bruce Mills and Brandon Kiraly have been part of the team since the beginning, and Coach Lasky from Glenbrook North serves as assistant Head Coach. All know the value of summer training and coaching; Coach Brown explains, “Off-season training is huge for high school kids because it allows them to not only stay active and in shape over the summer but it allows us to work on technique in much smaller groups than what we can do during the regular high school season.” The coaches’ efforts have paid dividends, and they have had National Junior Olympic qualifiers like Matt Gibson in pole vault, as well as in triple jump, high jump, and hurdles over the years.

Orion Track Club provides a foundation for long-term success in the area for local track and field athletes. What began as a few ambitious athletes and devoted Deerfield coaches in 2010 has grown to inspire many students to set high goals for themselves, as well as the tools to reach them.