“I’m so proud of him,” says Jennifer Linares, a Santa Clarita mother who can’t say enough good things about her 11-year-old award-winning son, Remy.
The boy’s room is filled with ribbons and metals from his track and field achievements. It was only two years ago that Remy began working out consistently with Phenom (short for phenomenal) Track and Field, the only United States of America Track and Field (USATF) and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team in the Santa Clarita Valley.
“The hardest part of track and field is waking up early and driving long distances to compete. When I’m training, I try my hardest two to three hours a day, four days each week,” says Remy, who will attend Rio Norte Middle School this Fall.
“He gave a speech when he graduated from sixth grade about his goals in life. I was surprised to learn that he wanted to earn a scholarship to go to a university and also compete in the Olympics,” said Jennifer about her son.
Most recently Remy qualified to compete on the national level in Tennessee at the AAU events after coming in first place at the regional discus event. His specialties are discus and shotput with lengths recorded so far of 23.85 meters and 32 feet respectively.
“I don’t compete against others. I just go for my own personal best,” says Remy, who loves it when his friends congratulate him.
“They give me a high-five,” says Remy.
With supportive friends and family, plus unending determination, Remy could very well be on his way to the Olympics some day.
In the meantime, he says, he’ll remain dedicated to his track and field ambitions, while trying his best at academic subjects, especially science, a subject he loves whenever they do experiments.
As for Remy’s mother, she says she is going to get busy making a display of some kind to organize all of his ribbons and metals. If his record thus far is any indication of his future success, she’d better make it a large display case.