No Speed Limit platform produces love for track, champs at multiple levels
Jun. 16—Don Mayes' amazement shines when he talks about it — the platform he, his brother Ron and others put into place that has evolved into No Speed Limit, a summer track program for area kids.
The evolution has even caught him off guard.
"This spring we got 42 kids out and ran out of suits (ordered) and it's like, well, sign up early next year," he said.
Suits are required for the state, regional and national competition coming their way, starting this weekend with the state meet in Ardmore.
"We created a platform for these kids to showcase themselves at an early age," Mayes said.
It's come a long ways since the twin brothers initiated the Mayes Speed Camp from which participants were able to try and qualify for the Hersheys Track meet, a longtime summer youth track event in Pennsylvania. No Speed Limit began in 2017 from that.
Some of its fruits showed in May at the very site of this weekend's activity. De'Riayah Lee, a Muskogee High senior, is a product of No Speed Limit. She's also the first state champion in track at Muskogee in 20 years after winning the 300-meter hurdles as a junior.
In all, NSL has produced four high school state champions — Lee, Ashton Bartholomew of Wagoner, Ty Bliss of Gore and Gaige Maher of Warner. Barholomew, a long-jumper, graduated a couple years ago. Lee and Bliss wound up as the Phoenix's Female and Male Athletes of hte Year this fall. Lee is reportedly getting treatment for a foot ailment this summer, Bliss, a distance runner is headed for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and Maher, a middle-distance champ, is still a participant.
"We've given them the opportunity to come back and talk to the younger kids. They used this to get better in the offseason and accomplish what they've had," said Mayes.
McKaylan Corbin, 12 and a student at the Sixth and Seventh Grade Academy at Ben Franklin, is in her fifth year in NSL with four trips to nationals and was very aware of what Lee has accomplished.
"She learned to never give up and trained to get better to get to that point (of being a 6A champion)," Corbin said. "I like doing this. Going to nationals has been fun. I've gotten to see places I never saw before."
With three champs from schools outside Muskogee, it's evidence in terms of how the program is truly one that serves the area at-large,
"My dad signed me up for it a couple years ago because I needed to get faster for football, and I fell in love with it," said Justin Gilmore, 12, who attends Hilldale Middle School.
Aubri Ledbetter, 11, a student at Sadler Arts Academy, had been playing softball.
"I got tired of softball and decided to try this out," she said.
Others, like Sadler student Baxter Davis, 11, and Mychael Simpson, 13 and attending the Eighth and Ninth Grade Academy at Alice Robertson, added it to other sports they do.
Mayes said it's a chance for individual achievement and recognition that makes attractive a sport that's not one of the major attention-getters.
"They see these kids get their picture on social media with their medals and it makes an impression," he said.
Others serving as coaches are Collin Swanagan, a member of Muskogee's track staff, Bill Iby, who was involved in a similar program in Tulsa, and Laquisha Hamm, coordinator.
In addition to the club's own fundraisers, anyone willing to make donations to the club can do so through their CashApp, $Mayespeed. Regionals are in Independence, Missouri, and nationals in Sacramento, California.
