Title
Recognizing and honoring the United Age Group Track Club Association (UAGTCA) for its dedication to the development of young track and field athletes; and further authorizing the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs to hold public hearings on the state of track facilities in the City of Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, Since 1977, the United Age Group Track Club Association (UAGTCA) has worked tirelessly to provide a quality, organized track and field program for the youth of the Philadelphia area; and
WHEREAS, The group was founded primarily to address the concern that Philadelphia area athletes, in order to compete effectively, had to travel great distances in order to participate in competitions that could very easily be conducted in the local area; and
WHEREAS, The UAGTCA recognizes the importance of competitive track and field events in Philadelphia, and ensures that young athletes are not excluded from competitions based on an inability to travel far distances to track and field events; and
WHEREAS, As a new non-profit organization, the UAGTCA overcame financial hurdles as well as a lack of access to facilities suitable to hold track and field events. The UAGTCA sponsored a spring competition series in its first year which raised the profile of the organization and encouraged more teams to compete in its future meets. The “Spring Series” is stilled conducted every year and attracts elite athletes throughout the area; and
WHEREAS, Since its inception, the UAGTCA has increased its participation from modest meets with 300 athletes in its first year of competitions, to meets that draw over 1,000 athletes every week from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and New York. The organization’s annual youth invitational is used by many athletes as a springboard to national competition; and
WHEREAS, The UAGTCA is powered by volunteer coaches and has produced some of the finest track and field athletes in the City’s history, such as Jacqueline Daniels, Jon Drummond, Toya Brown, Shelly Turner, Rodney Wilson, Dr. Carlton Young, Rodney Wilson, D’Andre Swift, Aja Wilson, Terrance Lairs, and Latavia Thomas; and
WHEREAS, The UAGTCA has trained and mentored professional athletes such as Kyle Pitts, a tight-end with the Atlanta Falcons, DJ Moore, a wide receiver with the Carolina Panthers, and Nia Ali, a Silver Medalist in the 100 meter hurdles at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and
WHEREAS, The UAGTCA has allowed countless young people in the City of Philadelphia to compete at the highest level for over 40 years. The work of the UAGTCA benefits not only the individual athletes, but the Philadelphia community at large; and
WHEREAS, Despite the tremendous work that UAGTCA has done to bring attention to the sport of track and field in Philadelphia, the City still suffers from a lack of indoor track facilities; and
WHEREAS, The lack of indoor track facilities in Philadelphia creates an unnecessary burden on the ability of young Philadelphia athletes to train and compete at their greatest potential. Therefore, the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs should explore the state of track facilities in Philadelphia in order to improve the future of the sport within the City; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes and honors the United Age Group Track Club Association for years of dedication to the development of young athletes through the sport of track and field; and further authorizes the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs to hold public hearings on the state of track facilities in the City of Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to The United Age Group Track Club Association as evidence of the sincere respect and admiration of this legislative body.
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