Olympia Track Club brings Tampa, Miami teams to Fort Myers for first invitational

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — More than 30 teams hit the track at Dunbar High School for the first-ever Olympia Track Club Invitational.

Organizers say the event is about more than competition. It's about creating opportunities and putting Dunbar on the map.

Teams traveled to Fort Myers from as far as Tampa and Miami for the inaugural event.

"It feels good, because we never had a meet here before," said Zereonia Gary, a student at Dunbar High School.

The meet gave athletes a chance to compete at home while chasing personal goals. Runners from Olympia Track Club shared their ambitions for the day.

"I want to push myself, run a 13.5, and just do my best," said Jakayla Banks.

"I want to run a 12.8 in the 100," said Kyana Craston.

Maddette Smith, owner of Olympia Track Club, raced track her whole life and throughout college. Now she's excited to give back to the next generation.

"We really don't have these types of teams come here, to our area. We use it on the road. For them to come here and support us and we support each other, it's a pretty big deal," Smith said.

Smith says the invitational wasn't just about filling lanes on a track. She wants to highlight the scholarship opportunities available through track and field.

"I think people don't realize, track really does give people full-ride track scholarships. And besides the football and the basketball, because everybody thinks it's, no, especially with my girls and even my boys, you could get a full ride right here," Smith said.

Virginia Maloy, a student at Dunbar High School, reflected on what it takes to achieve success in the sport.

"It takes time for something that you want. It doesn't just happen, like, overnight," Maloy said.