On your mark, S.E.T., go!

The Southern End Tracksters are in the starting blocks, preparing to start a third season.

The Tracksters are an Amateur Athletic Association (AAU) track and field team operated by Solanco High School head coach Jen McDowell. It is made up of athletes ages 4 through 18 from the Solanco, Penn Manor, and Lampeter-Strasburg school districts.

"We have started this camaraderie in the Southern End," said McDowell. "That was the whole idea of the Southern End Tracksters. To get other people involved. Track is one of those unique sports. We've got rivals, but not like you do in a lot of other sports. We are there to support and guide each other. My kids are learning from some of the Penn Manor coaches. Penn Manor kids are learning from us. We're seeing it pay off already at the high school level."

There is no cost to join the Southern End Tracksters program, but participants must pay to join the AAU and pay an entry fee for meets. Athletes can pay for a uniform or borrow one. Anyone interested in joining the Tracksters can email McDowell at southernendtracksters@gmail.com.

The Tracksters club is a W-9 nonprofit seeking business sponsorships as the team continues to grow. There were 12 members in the first season, most of whom were on Solanco's high school squad. That number grew to 55 last year. "It was a goal of mine when I took over the (Solanco High School) track program (five years ago)," McDowell said. "My goal was to get some of those younger ones involved in it. Last year, when word started getting around that I was getting all these kids, I was still getting lots of emails. We want the parents to know there is an option to do something over the summer."

Twice-weekly practices will begin in early May for athletes in sixth grade and younger. When junior high and high school athletes join once school ends, there will be three or four practices a week, most in the evening, but McDowell is considering adding some morning workouts. "None of the practices are mandatory, but obviously if you practice more, you learn more," McDowell said. Some practices will be held at Solanco High School, and others will take place at Penn Manor High School. The first meet will be in Coatesville on Saturday, June 14.

"I am hoping they will enjoy track, learn the events, and be part of our team when they hit junior high and high school," said McDowell. "But most importantly, I hope they learn how to work as a team, set goals individually, and learn lifelong lessons."

Until McDowell started the Tracksters, there was no club in the area for younger track athletes to practice with experienced coaches. "Track and field doesn't have a feeder program," she said. "We're not like soccer and football, where they start really young, and a lot of them aren't exposed to it. That's one thing we noticed last year when some of the younger ones came in and said, 'Oh, this is fun, and it gives us something to do over the summer.'"

AAU also offers the chance for athletes to learn events such as the javelin or hurdles that are not held during junior high meets. "Kids will come to me next year with two years of jav experience. Normally, I get a freshman in, and I have to explain to them, 'OK, this is a jav.' They can start hurdles at age 11 in AAU. That's a huge help. There are a lot of opportunities for them."

After the regular season is completed, athletes can compete in a district-qualifying meet at Millersville and a regional qualifier meet in Coatesville for the opportunity to earn a trip to the national event. The AAU Junior Olympics will take place Monday, July 28, through Saturday, Aug. 2, in Humble, Texas, a suburb of Houston.

In its first two years, the Tracksters sent several performers to the Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa, and Greensboro, N.C.

"Ultimately, as these kids get more advanced in AAU, there's an opportunity for them to go to the national level, and scholarships are available," said Tracksters' assistant coach Joe Rineer.

Mason Shertzer, an eighth-grader from Solanco who throws the shot put, discus, and javelin, competed in North Carolina last season. "It's cool I get to travel to someplace new," Mason said.

Solanco fifth-grader Kennedy Burrell and eighth-grader Jose Dominguez have enjoyed their experiences with the Tracksters and plan to compete again this summer.

"I like throwing, and I like my coaches," said Kennedy, who participates in the discus and shot put. "All the coaches really help, and everyone encourages me. It's a good environment."

Jose is currently competing in the shot put and discus on Solanco's junior high team and will be able to throw the javelin with the Tracksters this summer. "Everyone supports each other," Jose said. "It's an extra time to practice and compete."