2014 AAU JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES JUMP ROPE RECAP

After four days of intense competition, Jump Rope at the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games has come to a close! More than 200 athletes flooded the court at the Iowa Events Center to show off their jumping skills. Teams traveled from around the world to Des Moines to be a part of this huge event and everyone seemed to have a truly enjoyable time.

The Jazzy Jumpers, a team from Australia, made the nearly 30 hour trek to the United States to compete and they will return home with some shiny, new medals and bragging rights. You can check out the rest of their story HERE.

This is the 20th year that Jump Rope has been a part of the AAU Junior Olympic Games! We sat down with Jean Hodges, one of the influential people who helped jump rope get its start in the event. See what she has to say in the full story HERE!

Read More >>

2014 AAU JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES TRACK & FIELD RECAP

Drake Stadium was full of AAU members during the Multi-Events and Track and Field competition that was a part of the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games. Athletes from 47 different states, along with some from other countries made the trip to Des Moines, Iowa to compete at the home of the Drake Relays. 9,248 Track and Field and 522 Multi-Event athletes were in attendance for the weeklong event, with Texas being the most represented with 1,602 athletes. Missouri came in a distance second with 917, followed by Illinois with 575.

At the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games, 32 total records were broken, 16 each in boys' and girls' events. The first record broken was the 12 year old girls' 1500 Meter Racewalk by Camila Vicens from Houston, Texas. She won the same event last year in Detroit in record time as well.

The girls' dominated on the third day of competition, breaking three records, one each in Shot Put (Octavia Glee), Javelin (Keagin Brooks) and High Jump (Vashti Cunningham). During the fourth day, a total of four records were broken, with the boys' finally contributing. Both of the boys' records were in the 1500 Meter Run, with Devin Jones taking the 8U record and Brandon Miller grabbing the 12 year old record. For the girls', Carlysia Cresser (8 and Under) and Kayla Davis (11 Year Old) took home the records for the 400 Meter Run in their division. In the High Jump, MyKhiyah Williams (13 Year Old) and Essence Kendall (9 Year Old) took home the gold and the record in their respective age divisions.

The fifth day brought more intense competition and more records. In the 800 Meters, Brandon Miller claimed his second record of the competition in the 12 year old division. Jaellene Burgess broke the girls' record in the 9 year old division and Terrell Jackson now owns the record in the 15-16 year old division. Also on the track, Caleb Roberson broke the 200 Meter 13 year old boys' record. In the 11 year old Javelin competition, Sarah Marvin put her name on the record board, while Carson Dingler grabbed the girls' Pole Vault record for the 15-16 year old division.

Read More >>

2014 AAU JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES TRAMPOLINE AND TUMBLING RECAP

Trampolline and Tumbling is done with this year's competition in the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games! Hundreds of athletes around the country traveled to Des Moines to try to claim the gold in their age divisions. While several did take home shiny, new medals to their home towns, other walked away with Joel Ferrell Award honors and even some extra awards given by the Trampoline and Tumbling Committee.

The Joel Ferrell Award recognizes outstanding athletic accomplishments and sportsmanship of an athlete representing each official sport at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.

Rachel Barnette was the female recipient of the Joel Ferrell Award in Trampoline and Tumbling. She is from the Central District and competes with Fox Volley. Barnette has five AAU National Titles, four AAU Junior Olympic Games and earned herself a spot on the 2011-2012 National Team. She has competed in AAU Trampoline and Tumbling for the past eight years, and has participated in the AAU Junior Olympic Games for the past seven of those eight.

Read More >>

AAU JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES SPORT STACKING RECAP

Sport Stacking is always a huge hit at the AAU Junior Olympic Games and this year was no different in Des Moines! Competition started on August 1st and ended on the last day of the AAU Junior Olympic Games, August 2nd. Stackers from the United States, Canada, Philippines and Korea all traveled to Des Moines to try to claim the gold. The event was co-sanctioned by the AAU and the World Sport Stacking Association and all participants had to be invited to compete. There were eight different events, 3-3-3, 3-6-3 and the Cycle (all individual), one age division Doubles event, and three Relay Team events (2 Head-to-Head Relays and the timed 3-6-3 Relay).

Age Divisions for boys and girls ranged from 6U to 18 year olds. Special Stackers divisions included SS6U, SS7-10, SS11-14 and SS15-18 in Levels 1 and 2. There was a "Give It A Go! Stack Zone" for spectators new to sport stacking and a Speed Stacks AAU Junior Olympic Games Challenge which a special State and International team event.

William Orrell, Josh Hainsel and Nicholas Stamm had the three fastest times in the Male Individual All Around (combined 3-3-3, 3-6-3 and the Cycle). In the female divisions, Madeleine Ventura, Jackie Huang and Meredith Anderson were the top three in the Individual All Around (combined 3-3-3, 3-6-3 and the Cycle).

Read More>>

The Karate portion of the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games were during the last two days of 11 day event. More than 100 boys' and girls', ranging from 6-17 years old, made the trip to Des Moines to compete for the gold medal.

Several of the females competing in the Karate competition went home with some major hardware! Leah Hanacek, Ashley Leon and Alyssa Crane and went home with gold medals in Youth Kobudo, Kata and Kumite in their respective age divisions. Ellie Wunderlich and Stephanie Hillyer took home two gold medals each, one in Youth Kobudo and the other in Kata. Among the female competition, the state of Illinois was the most represented with 35 gold, silver and bronze medals.

Among the male competition, several boys went home with more than one medal. Keyan Payton took home three medals, along with Chase Polley, Micah Holmes, Luca Galvez, Matthew Hillyer, Elijah Chang and William Tilkemeier. Within the competition between the boys, 66 of the people who took home medals were from Illinois. Indiana was also well-represented with 16 medals and Florida had 11.

We hope everyone had a great time and we look forward to see you all again next year! Congratulations to everyone!

CLICK HERE for FULL RESULTS.

CLICK HERE for ACTION PHOTOS.

Read More >>

HUGE WEEK FOR DES MOINES HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS

Originally posted on www.dmcityview.com by Jim Duncan

The National Junior Olympics came to town last week. Unless you were in a hotel lobby or somewhere around Drake Stadium, you might not have known. It didn't register with the city's daily newspaper. The reporters and editors didn't even mention it in their "Area Events" listings. That's a pity, because this was one of the grandest tourist events ever in Des Moines. Hotels were packed all week as 14,000 athletes came to town with three times that number of parents, coaches and true sports fans. Downtown Holiday Inn owner Bob Conley said it was that hotel's "best seven-day period" all year. Jethro's BBQ executive chef Dom Iannarelli said that store hit an all-time record for its best week.

While many sports were contested in Des Moines, more than 70 percent of the athletes were involved in track and field, which drew 20,000 fans to Drake Stadium on its busiest days. Those crowds made the Drake Relays' look provincial as an Iowa county fair. The ethnic composition was estimated between 95 percent and 85 percent African American by five different people I asked. It was also overwhelmingly southern. Texas brought more athletes (1,602) than the next two largest contributing states combined. Athletes from Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee and Missouri won the most events.

Read More >>

2014 EDITION OF THE BEST BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF AAU YEAR BOOK IS AVAILABLE!

It's that time of year again! The 2014 Edition of The Best Basketball Players of AAU Year Book is looking for the BEST players to include in its pages! You can include YOUR talented player's stats and information and it will be published in the book. Get your orders in before the September 30th deadline! Books will be shipped 9-10 weeks after that, just in time for the HOLIDAY SEASON!

Everyone registered in these two AAU sports in 2014 can order the book. Boys' and girls' basketball members that submit their information are included for no cost in the book and there is no obligation to purchase.

Find out everything you need to know about this year's book HERE: www.bestbasketballplayersofaau.com!

2014 EDITION OF THE BEST VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF AAU YEAR BOOK IS AVAILABLE!

Want to show off your stats to fellow AAU members? The 2014 Edition of The Best Volleyball Players in AAU Year Book is the perfect way to do just that!

Enter YOUR stats and information into the form and it will be submitted into the book, forever marking YOU as one of the greatest Volleyball players in the AAU! Get your orders in before the September 30th deadline! Books will be shipped 9-10 weeks after that, just in time for the HOLIDAY SEASON!

Find out everything you need to know about this year's book HERE: www.bestvolleyballplayersofaau.com!

ARIZONA ATHLETE WINS POWERLIFTING AAU JOEL FERRELL OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE MEMORIAL AWARD

On July 25, fifteen-year-old Evan Pittman, a rising sophomore at Phoenix Country Day School in Arizona, was awarded the Amateur Athletic Union's Joel Ferrell Outstanding Performance Memorial Award for the sport of powerlifting. The Joel Ferrell Award is AAU's top award presented each year at the AAU Junior Olympic Games to the athlete who demonstrates outstanding athletic accomplishment and sportsmanship.

Pittman received the award after winning his sixth straight AAU Junior Olympic Games powerlifting title at the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa, where he set seven AAU world records in the 132 lb.,14-15-yr. old division with lifts of 308 lbs. in the squat, 182 lbs. in the bench press, and 386 lbs. in the deadlift, for an 876 lb. total in the raw (no special equipment) category.

Two days later, Pittman repeated as 14-15 age group champion in the AAU Junior Olympic Games Combine, held at Drake University Stadium, winning four of the five combine events. The following day, he also brought home gold in the first AAU Junior Olympic Games Feats of Strength competition.

"The AAU Junior Olympic Games has become one of the highlights of our summer as a family," Pittman said. "I really appreciate the Joel Ferrell award, because it recognizes the efforts of my coaches and parents in helping me be the very best athlete I can be."

Read More >>

MISSOURI ATHLETE WINS 2014 JOEL FERRELLL OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AWARD

Nineteen-year-old Marissa Klingseis, a rising sophomore at Missouri Western State University, is the Amateur Athletic Union's Joel Ferrell Outstanding Performance Memorial Award recipient in the sport of weightlifting for 2014. The Joel Ferrell Award is presented each year at the AAU Junior Olympic Games to an athlete who demonstrates outstanding athletic accomplishments and sportsmanship.

Klingseis was presented with the award at the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa, where she snatched 100 kg (220 lbs.) and clean and jerked 125 kg. (275 lbs.), to win the "Best Lifter" award at the AAU Junior Olympic Games for the eighth time. Klingseis has been competing in weightlifting for ten years, and is a hopeful for the 2016 Olympic Games.

"I was very happy to receive AAU's Joel Ferrell award for the second time," Klingseis said. "It makes me feel like the work that I have put in has paid off, and I feel like I am that much closer of achieving my goal of going to the Olympics."


Read More >>

STRENGTH SPORTS HIGHLIGHT AAU JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES

All four AAU Strength sports were on full display during the opening weekend of the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines. This year's AAU Junior Olympic Games marked the first time all four Strength Sports were contested back to back in the same competition.

Powerlifting Powerlifting kicked off on Friday, July 25, with 40 lifters battling throughout the day in the squat, bench press and deadlift. Among the girls, several lifters set multiple records, including 10-year-old Hailey Beuscher, from Louisiana, 18-year-old Jordan Baker from Nebraska (236.5 lb. squat, 258.5 lb. deadlift at 117 lbs. bodyweight), 17-year-old Brook Woodward from Nebraska, who set multiple records, and 17-year-old Delicia Garza, from Texas, who also excelled with multiple records in the 198 lb. class, including a 385 lb. deadlift. Nineteen-year-old Allison Garcia, last year's Powerlifting Joel Ferrell award winner, was also back in top form, setting world records in the 220 lb. + assisted category.

Read More >>