The Pharr–San Juan–Alamo Independent School District, more commonly known as PSJA, has adopted a developmental elementary school Racewalk program that is proving to be a big hit with school coaches and parents.

 Recently, 131 elementary school physical education coaches from PSJA and surrounding school districts attended the second coaches-level Racewalk clinic sponsored by the South Texas Walking Club.  Led by national team member and noted Racewalk author Dave McGovern, and assisted by accomplished national-level Racewalker Loretta Schuellein, the second clinic proved to be just as inspiring and motivational for the coaches as was for the first clinic given by international-level judge Gary Westerfield back in March. 

Taking the lead after the clinics, PSJA ISD plans to educate all its elementary school coaches on the “Art of Racewalking” before November 1.  Then, the coaches will begin teaching Racewalking to the district’s entire third, fourth, and fifth graders--approximately 6500 youngsters.  The administration has also requested that all coaches teach Racewalking at their 26 elementary schools for a period of three weeks and to allow any child that desires to continue Racewalking do so during their Friday classes.  

At our request, PSJA ISD is considering allowing 7^th and 8^th graders, and high school students, ½ credit per semester for participation in the existing Racewalking program.  Other area school districts are considering starting a similar effort—a major reason why clinic attendance significantly increased from 57 in March to 131 in August. 

To give developing athletes, supportive parents, and involved coaches an additional long-term resource, the club commissioned Gary Westerfield and University of Maine’s Dr. Tom Eastler to write a children’s Racewalking book that may be used in this racewalk pilot program.  Eventually, the book will have contributions by Dr Eastler, Gary Westerfield, Diane Graham Henry, Dave McGovern, Vern Muck, Jeff Salvage, Vince Peters, Chris Real, Mary Kirk Cunningham and other prominent names from the world of Racewalking.  We expect the book to be finished soon and in the hands of Bedazzled Ink Publishing Company—hopefully in time for the pilot program. 

Obviously, much remains to be done to make this pilot program a viable success.  We have invested much of our funds in this project but could use further assistance from businesses and parents. Any financial assistance would be greatly appreciated.  

 In December, Gary Westerfield has been invited to give a program update to all teachers at the Texas Teacher State Convention in Corpus. We hope that coaches will adopt Racewalking as a key fitness tool to their training programs.  We see an enormous amount of potential for South Texas youngsters to learn the long-term health benefits of Racewalking, and have fun while in physical education classes.  

A.C. Jaime

621 N. 10^th St.

McAllen, TX 78501

956-686-2337(o)  956-821-6659(c)

 800-383-5733                                                        

Please click the above link to see the flyer of the clinic/training camp in South Texas for the Jr. Team.  Sr, athletes are encouraged to contact Tim Seaman or Coach AC Jaime for more information.

This will be more of a training camp than a "talking" camp.  Athletes should make sure that they are training before they come to the camp because they will be training twice a day with some classroom sessions in between.  Please bring both racewalking shoes and running shoes, as well as two water bottles.  If the athletes have a specific drink that they like to use, they are encouraged to bring that drink with them.  

 Additional informaiton will be posted here soon.

We will be having a Jr./Sr. Training camp in the McAllen/Pharr area from December 26th thru January 4th.  This is going to be a training camp not a "talking" camp, so if you are interested in attending, please bring your walking shoes and contact Coach Jaime.

Tentative Schedule:

Friday December 26th - Arrival

Saturday December 27th - 1 hour RACE on the track in honor of 1956 Olympian Elliott Denman

Sunday December 28th - 20-25km walk for the Sr. Athletes, 12-15km for the "kids".

Monday Dec 29th -12-15km in the morning + technique work, 8km run in the afternoon. (kids do less)

Tuesday Dec 30th - FARTLEK

Wednesday Dec 31st - 20-25km for the Sr. Athletesin the morning, 6km easy run in the afternoon?

Thursday January 1st - TBD

Friday January 2nd - 1-Mile walk for the kids to qualify for the Indoor Nationals

Saturday January 3rd - Largest Judged 5km racewalk in Texas

Sunday January 4th - 20-25km in the morning, in the afternoon Training Camp ends, travel home.

Ricardo Vergara became the only youth to ever win the High School National Scholastic Indoor One Mile Race Walk Championship in New York for three consecutive years on Sunday, March 15^th.  Three other boys had won this high school championship for two consecutive years but never for three as did the seventeen year old Edinburg High School Senior twin. 

Winning this race proved to be difficult for Ricardo.  He had just won the High School Nike Indoor One Mile National Race Walk Championship in Maryland the day before even though he complained of having difficulty breathing due to a throat infection.  That race had been won by his twin brother Roberto the previous two years but this time Roberto was the one struggling with excruciating pain to his joints which is a side effect of a prescription medication he is taking.  Being able to walk at a six and one half minute per mile pace, as previously planned, proved to be too much for Roberto as Trevor Baron, a high school sophomore from Pennsylvania, went around him half way through the race.  Trevor then went around Ricardo with two of the eight 200 meter laps remaining.  Ricardo, seeing that Roberto was unable to respond to Trevor’s move, put on his after burners and overtook Trevor at the beginning of the last lap to win that Championship in a time of 6:34 with Trevor and Roberto three and ten second behind respectively.  P-SJ-A High School freshman, Alex Chavez, finished the race in fifth place with a personal best time of 7:13 allowing the South Texas Walking Club to place three of its own on the top six All American Team for the forth consecutive year.

As it’s often said, “What goes around, comes around!”  Coach A.C. Jaime had expected Ricardo to set a new record last year at the AAU National Junior Olympic Championship in Tennessee.  However, because Ricardo was having the same problems then that Roberto was experiencing this time around, it was Roberto who stepped in and brought the existing 17-18 year age division record of 13:18 down to 13:15, hoping to once again break that record this year before graduation.

Trevor, being one of the many juniors coached by A.C. Jaime in the past, saw the condition the twins were in and planned to grab hold of the situation.  “Coach, I beat Roberto today, and tomorrow, I also intend to beat Ricardo!”, he snickered to Coach Jaime over dinner Saturday night on their way to the New York race.  He was not the only one wanting to out pace the country’s top two junior race walkers.  Eleven of the top twelve junior walkers were in attendance and anyone of them would have been capable of outpacing the twins on a bad day.

Ricardo was well aware that Trevor knew what and how Coach Jaime trains his team since he had spent two weeks living with Coach Jaime and training with the South Texas Walking Club in Texas.  Furthermore, Ricardo knew that Trevor was now being well assisted and advised by Vince Peters, the U.S.A. Track and Field National Race Walk Chairman and that he no doubt was going to be well prepared in the morning.  The Club’s Assistant Coach, Anelle Chavez, R.N., checked Ricardo once again and had him gargle with medication several times during the day and night.  Even though Ricardo never became febrile, his throat continued to worsen causing him more discomfort and difficulty with breathing.

The morning of the race, Ricardo and Roberto greeted Trevor and the rest of the contenders with the same “gusto” they’ve always had for each other.  Since the majority of the top twelve juniors in the country have trained together with A. C. Jaime, Vince Peters and the other Race Walking coaches, they all see each other as a team and travel together to these meets.  Each of them was introduced as they walked up to the starting line with Ricardo being introduced first.  The boys jockeyed for position at the start of the race with Ricardo out front surprisingly followed closely by Tyler Sorensen, of California, who along with Chavez, were two of the two youngest in the group.  Roberto was right behind Sorensen followed by Trevor who soon went around Roberto at the start of the second lap.  It soon became a four man race each within striking distance of Ricardo who intended to and was setting the pace for all to follow.

Roberto took over third place at the start of the fifth lap, but Sorensen refused to fall back and lingered but one second behind him, just as Trevor remained behind Ricardo and Roberto behind Trevor.  Sorensen began to fade a little at the beginning of the seventh lap as did Roberto at the start of the eighth lap.  Trevor stayed with Ricardo throughout the seventh and part of the last lap but did not have the stamina to keep up to Ricardo’s riveting forty-five second lap finish.  Meanwhile, Sorensen, who was three seconds behind Roberto half way through the last lap, was able to pass him during the last fifty meter stretch but was disqualified for lifting.  This allowed Roberto and Alex to finish in third and fifth place respectively once again just as they had done the previous day in Maryland.  Matthew Forgues and Tyler Campbell of Maine, finished in forth and sixth place respectively making up the All American Team.

Thirteen year old eighth grader, Diana Flores of San Juan Middle School, had a fantastic race finishing in twenty-second place in a field of forty high school girls.  She, along with seventh graders, Ariana Guzman of Sharyland, and Nicolette Sorensen of California, were the only non-high school girls to qualify for this meet.  Nicolette finished in third and forth place in Maryland and New York respectively.  She raised many an eyebrow with her style and ability.  She walked miles of 7:52 and 7:54 and will be one to contend with next year.  Ariana had an eleventh place finish in Maryland behind tenth place contender Claudia Ortiz, a freshman from Sharyland High School.

The team’s only High School All American girl, Jessica Reybal of McAllen, could not compete well after recovering from knee surgery this past December, but is expected to return within a few months.

Click the above link to see the start list for the IAAF Racewalking Challenge that both Ricardo and Roberto will be attending in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Also walking are Americans John Nunn, Philip Dunn and Susan Armenta.

Never in the one hundred year history of the Millrose Games held at the New York Madison Square Garden had two high school boys won the top two places in the one mile Racewalk until today.  The seventeen year old Edinburg High School Vergara twin brothers now hold that distinction coming home with the top two medals and a beautiful 12” high crystal cup to prove their success.

 The event usually attracts some of the top twelve Racewalkers in the country and this year was no exception. The high school senior twins were ranked forth and fifth among those registered and that’s exactly where they found themselves at the end of the first lap.   Michael Kazmierczak, a sophomore at the University Of Road Island and one of the top two college youth in the country, jumped out front at the sound of the gun and walked his first lap at an incredible five minute twenty second mile pace.  Twenty-four year old Richard Luettchau, a graduate of Stockton College in Missouri and a top contender for the Olympic trials, was right behind Michael. Kurt Clausen, our three time USA Olympian, was not about to let Michael and Richard walk away on their own and was in hot pursuit behind them as part of the lead pack.

 Ricardo and Roberto made up the second pack along with fourteen time U.S. National Champion Dave McGovern of Alabama who was right on the twins heels from the outset and had no intentions of letting them out of his sight. 

Michael maintained the lead until Richard took over at the end of the sixth lap.  Ricardo and Roberto, in the meantime, exchanged leads in the second pack as is their trademark with Roberto taking over at the end of the third lap.  Ricardo then came around Roberto at the beginning of the fifth lap and gradually overtook three times Olympian Kurt Clausen with Roberto and Dave McGovern close behind.

 Breaking up the lead pack was just the beginning for the second pack for they gradually also started to gain on Michael who had reluctantly relinquished the lead to Richard. As it turned out, Michael started to slow down a bit and all three in the second pack were able to overtake him in the seventh lap.  Now it was Richard, Ricardo, Roberto and Dave. 

Richard seemed to have an attitude of “Catch me if you can”. He had a pace that could not be overcome by anyone in the second pack; however, he had accumulated two red cards while maintaining the lead until Ricardo was finally able to go around him at the beginning of the ninth lap.  Once again Richard attempted to take the lead on the last two laps but received his third red card and thus was disqualified allowing Ricardo and Roberto to finish first and second respectively, becoming the first two high school boys to ever finish in that order at this prestigious national event. Roberto maintains that he, out of respect, allowed his older twin brother to finish in first place and win the beautiful crystal cup Ricardo bought home after finishing the race in a time of 6:29.92. Times for Roberto, Dave, Michael and Kurt were 6:37.17, 6:39.64, 6:40.15, and 6:51.95 respectively.  Other walkers and their times were Mathew Forgues 7:00.68, Julio Alva 7:27.42 and Geoff Karhoff 7:30.48. 

Who is the fastest Vergara?  The same person who is the fastest 1-mile racewalker in America.  Last night at the 101st Millrose Games in New York City at Madison Square Garden, Ricardo and brother Roberto put on a show.  Ricardo walked 6:29, to take the Cup home, while Roberto out sprinted Dave McGovern to place 2nd in a time of 6:37.  Dave McGovern placed 3rd in a time of 6:39.  Make Kazmierczac was 4th in a time of 6:40.  3x Olympian Curt Clausen, recoverying from the flu was 5th in a time of 6:51.

 This was only the 2nd time in the 101 year history that a high schooler won the 1-mile walk.  The first time was by Zac Pollinger in 2003 when he won in 6:41.