New Vision TC at AAU Indoor 2010

New Vision Track Club enjoys success By Melanie Tucker Originally published: March 06. 2010 3:01AM Last modified: March 05. 2010 11:34PM

On Monday, Blount County's New Vision Track Club opens its outdoor practice with 25 kids who know what hard work can bring.

Some of them are just finishing up the indoor season, capped off recently with participation in the AAU Indoor Nationals in Bloomington, Ill. Five of New Vision's indoor athletes were able to make the 9-hour journey to competition; four came home with medals around their necks.

Cater Harris, 8, a student at Sam Houston Elementary, is one of them. He won first place in the triathlon, fifth place in the 400 meter dash and seventh in the long jump, all in his first year of track. Participants who make the top 8 all receive medals.

Quan Wilson, 14, placed fourth in the shot put and fifth in the long jump, garnering two medals.

Quan's sister, Kiya, who is 11, competed in the 800-meter race and took seventh.

Then there's Rory Rice, who came in eighth in the pentathlon.

Nicholas Pafunda, 9, competed in the 200-meter event, the 800-meter and the long jump. He did very well, almost reaching medal contention, coach Perry Wilson said. This is Pafunda's first year in track.

“The kids really surprised me,” Wilson said on a recent Friday night at Alcoa High School, where New Vision has been holding its indoor practices. There were over 1,000 competitors at this national meet, and the first for some of Wilson's athletes.

New Vision has only been in existence since March 2009. Wilson provides the 6-to 18-year-olds with an opportunity to excel in a sport heavily dependent on commitment. All are welcome.

Kathryn Pafunda, Nicholas' mom, said her son had expressed an interest in track last year but she didn't want to have to drive to Knoxville for the Knoxville Track Club program. They reside in Friendsville. When she heard New Vision was starting up here, she enrolled Nicholas, expecting he might decide to tackle other sports.

“He loves it,” she said. “I gave him the opportunity to change sports, but he just told me, ‘No mom, it's track.'”

Carter's mom, Holly Harris, has been pleased with Wilson's coaching style and the encouragement he offers to all his athletes. “He encourages them to try different things,” she said. “Carter has tried the shot put and different field events, not just running.”

Wilson and his wife, Chebella, started a year-round track club after moving here from South Carolina.This nonprofit organization that excludes no one adds a component of Christian values to its training and competing routine. Chaplain for New Vision is Mike Martin. The team makes no apologies for its extra weapon of faith.

Martin's children, Maliya Martin, 14 and Mikel Martin, 9, have been on the New Vision team from the start.

The kids practice three nights a week and will move to the outdoor track at Maryville Middle School next week. It is a commitment on many fronts -- for the kids, who juggle athletics and academics, for the parents, who must provide financial and moral support and transportation, and for the Wilsons, who believe the hard work will take these kids places they could never go were it not for track.

New Vision, because it's the new kid on the block, has unfulfilled needs. The club would love to add some team sponsors who could help out with the expenses of competition and training. Wilson said they also need a van so more of the athletes can attend out-of-state meets.

A fundraiser yard sale has been set for March 27, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Trinity Chiropractor, 2724 E. Broadway in Maryville. There will be household items, clothing, bikes and more, including food. Proceeds will benefit New Vision.

Some kids might enjoy track for the competitiveness or the health benefits or as a stepping stone into other sports. It matters not to Wilson. He wants to provide a program that offers the right message, the right training and the chance to see how far they can go -- down the track and down life's highway.

This story was edited for presentation on the Web. Additional information and details are available for subscribers only. If you want every word of Blount County's best news and information source you can get home delivery and e-edition subscriptions here. Nobody knows Blount better than The Daily Times, your hometown newspaper for 125 years and counting.