Grand Rapids Fire Continues Tradition
During the Pandemic, members of the youth track and field team the Grand Rapids Fire were reduced to practicing in doors and were sent individual plans so that the athletes could still work out at their own leisure, but as the state of Michigan opened up, they were able to work out on an actual track. Yamaka Bracey started the team with the huge help of Don Ebright's support along the way as a coach for distance athletes and bringing the team under his umbrella at GRTC.
"We couldn't have track meets so we turned our practices into time finals so that the athletes could get times for that year even though they would not be running in any track meets. They were able to clock those times and claim them because they were official. Because their were no indoor tracks available because of the Pandemic, we had a group of athletes who worked out at the Y.M.C.A.," said founder Yamaka Bracey.
Since the opening of the state, she has also noticed the increase in interest from youth from all over the city in the Grand Rapids Fire track team program.
"There are so many kids and families who just want something positive to do," said Bracey. "There is a huge overflow of athletes and parents. It feels good to be back into it. We started back up in May with our ages 7 – 18 and we had one of our biggest turnouts with about 56 kids participating. We practice two days a week at East Grand Rapids High School and at East Kentwood High School."
The GR Fire is currently at the end of their big season as far as outdoor track meets and just held their 10th annual meet at Houseman field last week. There were nearly 400 participants, from Ann Arbor, Flint, and Detroit at the Grand Rapids Invitational.
"That is our half way mark for the athletes who didn't make it to the nationals," said Bracey. "We took about 36 athletes to the nationals and 28 of the qualified to go to the nationals in that will be held in Humboldt, Texas in July 31st – August 7th. We are trying to become a program for our athletes. We are investing in our coaches and our program to help athletes as a whole. I have skill-trained coaches in different areas. I have a high jump coach, a shot-put coach, a hurdles coach, a discus coach, a high jump and a long jump coach. We are now able to offer athletes specific training in different areas of track and field. Our coaches have committed to our team and they are truly amazing."
Coach Ryan Roberts got involved with the GR Fire when his cousin who was working with the team would call him and ask for workouts and when he graduated, he eventually began helping out as an assistant coach and then a few years ago there were some coaching changes and became the head coach.
"I have been with the team since 2008 and we have had our ups and downs, I like being able to teaching kids things that I never learned growing up as far as sports in general, such as learning how to recognize things in their bodies, their health and their minds and how they all tie together," said Coach Roberts. The biggest challenge is the size of the group and the age ranges, because we go from ages 7 to 18 years old, it becomes a question of what's too much for the younger kids and what is not enough for the older kids. Sometimes nutrition is a challenge once they leave track practice because once they leave track practice they are on their own. It is a lot of teaching and preaching and hoping that some of the things that I teach them stick."
"I know the behind the scenes and what it takes and I am extremely thankful to my coaches because we practice five days a week and we are traveling almost every weekend and my coaches have families, plans, and agendas but every single day and weekend when they are assigned to come, they are there," said Yamaka.
Family has a lot to do with the success of these athletes.
Owner Yamaka Bracey's youngest daughter Alana has made it up in her mind that track and field is something that she truly wants to excel in. Alana took second in both the 100 and 200 and third in the 409 meters at the AAU Regional Qualifier.
Another great support for the GR Fire has come from Owner Yamaka Bracey's Father Rev. David May who has attended just about every track meet that his grand children have participated in all the way down to the youngest grand child.
"I am very proud of my grand children," he said. "They have been children that any parent or grand parent would be very proud of academically and because they are very committed to their gifts given to them from God. I am particularly proud of the way that they have been committed to athleticism and how they have made the kind of personal sacrifices that are needed to excel in their particular events on the track. They make sure that they are eating and sleeping well and are maximizing their efforts in practices and they are very determined in those regards. One of the biggest things that they look forward to is a big family dinner prepared by my wife when we come home from track meets. It gives us a chance to eat together and enjoy each other's company as a family. They have been instilled a since of commitment and dedication by their parents and I am proud of them as well."
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