As the spring track season continues, athletes are getting into their best shape; however, sophomores Phaelin Jones and Jazzmyne Means have been rigorously training all year with the running club KC Flyers. 

Jones has run with KC Flyers since the summer of 2019 and Means has run with them for almost a year. The runners practice four to five days a week for about three hours each day, putting in extensive work and honing their skills in order to participate in both the 200- and 400-meter dash. 

For Means, track has become a passion over the past year.

“When I started running freshman year for the school, I realized it is something I really wanted to do and something I would like to get better at,” Means said. “I wanted to do it more than just at school.”

KC Flyers helps athletes with their endurance and overall speed while preparing them for their high school season.  

“It’s mostly long distance [and] long sprint stuff,” Means said. “To help us prepare for the 400, we run around 450s and 600s. It’s just a lot of footwork, form and long sprints.”

With the club, athletes compete in competitions around the country. Thorough training comes with a worthwhile reward for Jones.

“I love being able to travel to new cities and states to run at different tracks,” Jones said. “It’s always great being able to compare the tracks and to see different colors or shapes from what I’m used to.”

The club’s recent travels include indoor events in Topeka, Wichita and Arkansas.

“The most exciting was definitely the meet at Arkansas,” Jones said. “It was great to be at the place where so many top runners ran and one of the best indoor tracks in the nation.”

Training with KC Flyers helped Jones and Means jump right into the high school season. 

Girls track head coach Andrew Reeves believes it’s important that all athletes participate in off season training.

“Track and field is a very hard and demanding sport on your body, and it’s important to prepare your body for those demands,” Reeves said. “Athletes that come into the season who haven’t been preparing have a much higher risk for injury.”

Due to the preparation from Jones and Means, Reeves has noticed tremendous improvement from both. 

“They honestly look like two completely different athletes,” Reeves said. “Phaelin was injured for most of last season so we were never able to see her true potential, and Jazzmyne had a great freshman season but you can tell they both came into this season with much more to prove. They are going to be major contributors to our sprints group this season and I’m excited to see what they can accomplish — I think we’re going to surprise some people.”