President's Corner

We are one month out of a remarkably successful Main Games Weekend at Liberty University. We were fortunate to have Coach Deletha Quarles as our Olympic speaker. She delivered an inspiring speech to thousands of Virginia Commonwealth Games athletes and their families. That following Wednesday she was on her way to Paris France. The Director of the James Madison Track & Field, Coach Dee aided Team USA by coaching the jumps and multis. Under her leadership, the United States tallied a gold medal and pair of bronzes in jumping events. Team USA secured gold and bronze in the women’s long jump and a bronze medal in the triple jump. Please read a great article on Coach Dee in this newsletter.

We are gearing up for our annual golf tournament at Hanging Rock Golf Club on September 19th. It is a memorial tournament in honor of a former VAS employee who left us too soon in his battle with cancer. Get your team signed up here. It is always a fun day at the course with lunch and nice prizes.

As always, we appreciate your support and participation. Continue to train, practice, and prepare and I look forward to seeing you all out there!

Games Information

• Field Hockey – Gloucester – August 24
• Able Soccer – Amherst – October
• Darts – Lynchburg – November 16-17
• Able Rugby – UVA – Fall
• Cheerleading – Virtual - Fall

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped support our events, we appreciate you!

Upcoming Special Events

From the halls of a small Virginia high school to the bright lights of Paris, Coach Delethea Quarles has traveled an amazing route. Her journey hits its pinnacle in early August when she will be one of the coaches for Team USA track and field at the   Olympics in Paris.

Quarles, known universally as Coach Dee, will coach the women’s jumping events and the heptathlon.

Quarles, now the director of track and field at James Madison University, this is her first chance to be on the Team USA coaching staff at the Olympics, although she has coached the United States’ team in other international events, including serving as head women’s coach in IAAF World Championships in Beijing in 2015.

Earning a spot as a coach for Team USA is a high-pressure, performance-based selection akin to making the team as an athlete. It starts with an application to be a coach for junior events and lower-tier international meets. In those roles, Coach Dee has traveled to Russia, Qatar, South Korea, Canada and Brazil. Along the way, she made the grade that allowed her to apply to remain on the international staff.

“You’re graded on performance,” she said. “You have to get a certain grade to be able to apply again. It’s a great time but a high-pressure time.”  (Read More)

Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons