Marble Falls students return to Junior Olympics

CAPTION: Siblings Josie (left) and Everett Brasher continue their success on the track by competing for the North Shore Stars Track Club coached by Cedric Griffin. Courtesy photo

Siblings Everett and Josie Brasher are making their way to the Junior Olympics of the Amateur Athletic Union again.

The Marble Falls Independent School District students represent North Shore Stars Track Club under the direction of head coach Cedric Griffin. The Junior Olympics are Monday-Friday, July 29-Aug. 3.

Twelve-year-old Everett, who will be in the seventh grade, will compete in the boys 13-year-old age division in the 200-meter hurdles, the 800 meters and the 1,500 meters.

Everett clocked 31.3 seconds in the hurdles, 2:29 in the 800 and 5:11 in the 1,500.

“He hit personal records in all three events this year,” Griffin said. “That’s a testament to his training, his diet, his rest, his preparation and perspective.”

Ten-year-old Josie, who will be in the sixth grade, is running in the girls 11-year-old age division in the 800 and 1,500 meters.

Her best time in the 800 is 2:53 and 5:48 in the 1,500.

Josie is returning from a leg injury that happened earlier this year. Griffin noted one leg looked like it was ready for the grind that comes with training; the other needed some work. The coach said he “had to slow her down” to ensure she was making steady progress without running the risk of her hurting herself.

“We have to have a lot of resilience and resolve,” Griffin said. “She was working through that pain. I told her to take her time and be patient. (When we first started training), she was limping pretty bad. We had to work through those things. Girls are all about the work, being comfortable and disciplined – that’s Josie.”

Both are multi-sport athletes. They play basketball, baseball and softball. During the spring and summer, they split their time between the diamond and the track.

“Everett is a baseball player — that’s his first love,” Griffin said. “He uses track to get faster and stronger, to get more athletic for baseball. He’s turning the corner. He’s getting faster, he’s learning how to sprint. He’s learning all those things in track. He’s going to be a tremendous athlete because he’s learned a lot at an early age.”

Griffin was equally enthusiastic about the younger Brasher.

“Josie is a tremendous athlete,” he said. “She’s a natural competitor. They come from a good family, and they work hard. They’re good role models. They show up for practices and don’t miss. “

Being accomplished in track paves the way to success in other sports, Griffin said, noting good nutrition, proper preparation, rest and recovery are all intertwined and lead to the medal podium.

“Track is a solo sport. It’s a sport you put time in, it’s a sport you commit to,” he said. “You can’t hide your weaknesses in track. If you don’t want to work on your weaknesses, they show. You have to be self disciplined and self driven. If you have a good track athlete, you have a good teammate.”

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