Gladewater High School incoming junior Kingston Sheffield, right, has collected a pile of metal so far and is angling for more when he heads to the 2024 Junior Olympics in Greensboro, North Carolina, later this month alongside track and field coach Eric Hawkins.
Kingston Sheffield says he doesn’t burn much energy on visualization or mental prep. No, the local Junior Olympian saves it all for the competition.
“I just go and jump.”
The incoming Gladewater High School junior is bound for Greensboro, North Carolina, later this month. It’ll his second year competing in the Junior Olympics after representing Gladewater and Texas there at age 15 in Summer ‘23 ñ he finished his competitions ranked 21st in the nation.
“It is a good experience, and it is a big deal that someone from our small town worked this hard and gets to go and compete on such a high level,” says mom, Demesha Crain. “They’re competing with the best of the best in Texas then they go on to compete with the best of the best in the nation.”
There’s a healthy contingent of young East Texas athletes heading to the 2024 AAU Junior Olympic Games July 24 through August 3.
“There’s actually several kids from Union Grove and Hawkins who are really, really talented,” Crain said. “They work really hard to get there. They train like pro athletes almost. They compete in a number of track meets. Each track meet qualifies them for the next level.
“These kids are potentially headed to go do the real thing one day.”
Kingston set a new personal best in long jump at the end of June, earning a second place finish at 22 feet, four inches. His personal record in triple jump is 45 feet and 5.5 inches ñ tackling the sport for the first time as a freshman, he took first place in the most recent qualifier June 27.
Departing East Texas July 29, Kingston’s long jump trial is set July 30 then triple jump Aug. 1.
For the upcoming competition, “I’m focusing more on long jump when I did on triple jump last time.”
Crediting GHS coaches Quinton Thomas and Caleb Williams for their training, Kingston is heading to North Carolina alongside Eric Hawkins, a coach at Longview ISD coach and his own East Texas Infinity Track Club.
“Both programs have been a huge influence on his performance,” Crain said.
For Hawkins, his key goal is to make sure Kingston and his fellow athletes relax and have fun.
It’s certainly a change leveling up from scores of onlookers to hundreds to thousands.
“It can get a little nerve-wracking,” Hawkins said. “Remember, it’s a game. You’ve got to have fun. That’s the hard part – the results will come, you’ve just got to have fun in the middle of all the competition.
“You want to be competitive, but if you forget to have fun you lose sight of what it is you’re doing.”
Looking ahead to his second Junior Olympics berth, Kingston says the tension feels a bit “normal” at this point ñ it’s the next level on a steady progression.
He has one thing on this mind: “What place I’m going to get.”
Last year, the goal was to get there, Crain said, to improve along the way. This year’s about jumping toward the future.
“They are helping these kids to reach their goals and potential, and at the end of it the goal is to get to college.”
Hawkins launched the track club in 2021 alongside his wife, Brianna, and mother, Veronica. The goal was to give local student athletes an opportunity, he said, reminding everyone they don’t have to travel to the Metroplex to get the training they need in track and field.
“Track has taken the backburner to a lot of sports,” Hawkins said. Football is king, baseball second, “Track and field gets overlooked quite a bit.
“We’re just giving them an opportunity to go out and prove East Texas is still here. Thereís a lot of talent still here.”
– By James Draper