Young athletes in Cleveland to compete at the 2024 AAU Junior Olympics

CLEVELAND — Six-year-old Naomi Maxwell is one of a dozen young athletes preparing for the Amateur Athletic Union’s Junior Olympics in Greensboro, North Carolina, this year.

“We have practice Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” Maxwell said. 

Naomi and her peers are part of Good2Great, a youth development program based in Cleveland that formed a track team in 2018. 

Cordale Scott, former Glenville High School and University of Toledo Football Star, said the group has one mission.

“To use track to tap into the kid’s character or, you know, mentorship, things like that,” Scott said. “So we use sports to tap into the kids’ mindset.”

Athletes from ages 5 to 18 can join. Nia Sims began track at 12 years old, and now after three years, is competing in the Junior Olympics for the first time.

“I’m very excited,” Sims said. “I have a lot of support from friends, family, but also kind of nervous because it’s going against kids all over the nation, not just from Ohio.” 

Sims qualified for the competition last year, but she lacked the financial means to go. This year, her loved ones made sure that didn’t happen.

“My mom did like a GoFundMe, for, like, the expenses to go. So we raised over $400, I mean, $4000,” Sims said.

Like Sims, young athlete Alexander Ellison won’t let any obstacle get in his way.

“Alex had an injury during indoor, and then he was able to come back and really compete at a high level and make it to nationals,” Scott said. “ So very excited for Alex to be able to experience this year.”

Now less than three months away, these athletes say they’re ready to hit the track and take home the gold.