AAU Track and Field Day Was a Hit on Social Media
06/17/2020
The AAU Track and Field family came together and showed off their AAU pride on June 1 to participate in AAU Track and Field Day.
ORLANDO, Fla. – The first of June was a celebration for all athletes, coaches and volunteers who participate in one of the Amateur Athletic Union’s biggest sports, track and field. The AAU track and field family came together and showed off their AAU pride on June 1 to participate in AAU Track and Field Day. Participants were encouraged to post photos and stories and themselves wearing AAU attire and memorabilia.
AAU Track and Field National Chair Charles Oliver, “Coach O” decided about three or four years ago to dedicate a day to celebrate the sport and to kick off the summer outdoor track and field season.
“We came up with the idea to have an official launch of the summer season. This is an opportunity for our people to reflect on being a part of the sport of track and field,” said Coach O.
Since then, the day has grown to become a hit on social media with AAU members from all across the nation posting pictures, videos and testimonials about how much their favorite sport means to them. Many AAU members post photos of themselves participating in their events, while others share stories of their favorite meets or personal bests. Using the hashtag #AAUTrackDay, this year’s social posts became the largest influx of posts that AAU Track and Field has seen yet with 41,340 impressions across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The winners of the social media contest are shown below.
AAU Track and Field National Chair Charles Oliver, “Coach O” decided about three or four years ago to dedicate a day to celebrate the sport and to kick off the summer outdoor track and field season.
“We came up with the idea to have an official launch of the summer season. This is an opportunity for our people to reflect on being a part of the sport of track and field,” said Coach O.
Since then, the day has grown to become a hit on social media with AAU members from all across the nation posting pictures, videos and testimonials about how much their favorite sport means to them. Many AAU members post photos of themselves participating in their events, while others share stories of their favorite meets or personal bests. Using the hashtag #AAUTrackDay, this year’s social posts became the largest influx of posts that AAU Track and Field has seen yet with 41,340 impressions across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The winners of the social media contest are shown below.
Having participated in track and field as an athlete and later as a coach and volunteer, Coach O believes that the lessons that can be learned in athletics are invaluable. He remembers fondly the guidance that he received from his coaches.
“I ended up being a pretty decent athlete, but I always felt that the coaches the came through have felt more about me as an individual than they did about me being a pretty good athlete. As I look back on that now, that means a world to me,” said Coach O.
Memories and life experiences like his make participating in AAU track and field so valuable, according to Coach O. Knowing that not all who participate in track and field in their youth can go on to become a professional athlete or have a career in the sport, Coach O still sees many worthy traits to be learned by anyone who participates in AAU athletics. Those lessons can last a lifetime, and lead to success in many different fields.
“A lot of the examples that I always use is that the last face you see going into surgery, your doctor’s face. You trust your doctor, but he might have been last place in a race. He might have never beat anyone in a race, but [the running in the race] taught him togetherness, team unity, camaraderie, persistence, all of which he took into the medical field,” said Coach O. “He may or may not have gotten that in any other areas of his life. So look at it as being more than about just athletics.”
The involvement of the AAU Track and Field membership on June 1 was uplifting to all, especially during the challenges that 2020 has brought. Coach O knew it would be a good thing to celebrate something that brings joy to so many.
“There must be some positivity being shown and I thought, if you look at what was going on June 1, with a pandemic and protesting, do we want to celebrate anything? And I thought, yes, we’ve got to celebrate positive things that are going on with the world and anytime there are negative things going on, one of the things that the world turns to is sports,” explained Coach O. “Let’s celebrate the foundation and the development of the kids in the sport and in the future.”
The next major event on the summer AAU Track and Field schedule will take place at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in the Space Coast of Florida. Track and field events will be held at Satellite High School on Satellite Beach August 5-8.
“I ended up being a pretty decent athlete, but I always felt that the coaches the came through have felt more about me as an individual than they did about me being a pretty good athlete. As I look back on that now, that means a world to me,” said Coach O.
Memories and life experiences like his make participating in AAU track and field so valuable, according to Coach O. Knowing that not all who participate in track and field in their youth can go on to become a professional athlete or have a career in the sport, Coach O still sees many worthy traits to be learned by anyone who participates in AAU athletics. Those lessons can last a lifetime, and lead to success in many different fields.
“A lot of the examples that I always use is that the last face you see going into surgery, your doctor’s face. You trust your doctor, but he might have been last place in a race. He might have never beat anyone in a race, but [the running in the race] taught him togetherness, team unity, camaraderie, persistence, all of which he took into the medical field,” said Coach O. “He may or may not have gotten that in any other areas of his life. So look at it as being more than about just athletics.”
The involvement of the AAU Track and Field membership on June 1 was uplifting to all, especially during the challenges that 2020 has brought. Coach O knew it would be a good thing to celebrate something that brings joy to so many.
“There must be some positivity being shown and I thought, if you look at what was going on June 1, with a pandemic and protesting, do we want to celebrate anything? And I thought, yes, we’ve got to celebrate positive things that are going on with the world and anytime there are negative things going on, one of the things that the world turns to is sports,” explained Coach O. “Let’s celebrate the foundation and the development of the kids in the sport and in the future.”
The next major event on the summer AAU Track and Field schedule will take place at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in the Space Coast of Florida. Track and field events will be held at Satellite High School on Satellite Beach August 5-8.
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