Empire Building

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Arcadia Invitational 2016

Arcadia was wet the whole day. Charly had 4 races to run (while everyone else on her team only had one race) so she was there from 8am to 8pm.

100m seeded Charly was in lane 5 and ran a 12.57

Official Video

Charly is in green

Then she napped a wet nap before racing the 4x4

4x4 relay seeded Charly ran the anchor portion of the race.

Official Video

Her split time was 57....

100 Hurdles seeded in the invitational portion she ran a 14.49 and received a 3rd place medal and coveted backpack Nike gives out to those who qualify for the invitational portion of the meet.

Official Video

Charly and her coach Vanessa Pike

In the warm up section of the meet gearing up for her final race the 300 Hurdles...my little girl

300 Hurdles seeded final section Charly ran a 45.34

Official Video

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Green Valley v. Basic meet 4/5/16

100 Hurdles 14.42

200 Meter open 26.06

This is the last meet before Arcadia this coming weekend. After the meet about 40 kids from the team came over for a spaghetti dinner at the house. They were swimming, on the trampoline, fire pit, basketball and dancing. It was a great evening.

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Arcadia!

The Arcadia Invitational is this coming weekend.

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Ron Restler Invitational Boulder City, NV 4/1/16

100 Hurdles 14.37

dyestat video

(i have never seen a runner's space or dyestat video that starts in the middle of the race, however, this one does. It was the beginning of the race that had some serious issues. Those have been cut out from this video.)

After being hit/held multiple times down the lane Char broke in front

This is how she was feeling about being hit (note that state ring solid on her hand)

100 Meter dash 12.53

300 Hurdles 44.53

The meet started at 2:30 pm and ended at 1:30 am. It was a long, yet exciting meet. She was again awarded Athlete of the Meet award for this invitational. The backstory of the competitor in Charly's two hurdle races is that she is the younger sister of Tiana Bonds. As a freshman Charly raced then senior Tiana. At that time Tiana was breaking all kinds of records and was state champion. Charly was driven by and looked up to Tiana. So, Tiana's younger sister has a tough act to follow. Of course, last year she lost the championship to Charly. Now it is a new year. Maybe she wants to take the title from Charly. Maybe not. I don't know. However, so far, despite her best and worst efforts she has failed to beat Charly in a single race. Whatever she projects toward Charly simply fuels Charly's fire even more. I am so proud of how Charly faces adversity, unfairness, challenges, success and fame. She is grace, elegance, and class. Her life is a beautiful work of art.

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Green Valley, Liberty, Valley @ Valley March 30,2016

100 Hurdles 14.94

200 Meter 26.16

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Laguna Beach Trophy Invite 2016

100m 12.73

100hh 14.72

300h 46.23

Out of three meets (two invites and one weekday) she has received two Athlete of the Meet awards for both invites. I did not make it down to watch this invite, so I do not have photos. All I could cull from social media were these two, but I love them for what they capture of her adorable personality.

shes back to her old phone after her new 6s got stolen at a basketball game at Las Vegas High School

my desert girl is used to warm weather to race

Thursday, March 17, 2016

"Overwhelming Favorite"

Nevada Preps article

"Recovered Jordan Sees Chance for Stronger Season"

Posted March 16, 2016 - 10:04pm

Defending 100 and 300 state hurdles champion Charleen Jordan looks on during track practice at Green Valley High School Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Charleen Jordan dealt with nagging stress fractures in her shins last season as a result of flat feet, yet still managed to win three events at the Division I state meet.

Now fully rehabbed and sporting custom-made inserts in her spikes, the Green Valley junior is ready to crank it up a notch and shatter her personal records.

“That was really hard last year,” Jordan said of her injuries. “It slowed me down a lot. I didn’t PR. My fastest times were from my freshman year. I still won (state), but personally, I didn’t do my best. … This year, I definitely plan to go much further.”

Despite starting the sport late as a freshman, Jordan has developed into one of the top track and field athletes in Nevada.

Some would say it was a natural talent.

“That’s one thing I realized when I first saw her,” said Green Valley coach Vanessa Pike, who met Jordan at a newcomers’ meet in 2014. “The naturalness. But sometimes when you have that, it’s not everything. You still have to put in that work.”

As a freshman at Coronado, Jordan finished as the state runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles and the 300 hurdles to former Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year and Centennial star Tiana Bonds — now a sophomore hurdler at Arizona.

Last season, though, Jordan swept the hurdles at state and ran anchor leg on the winning 1,600 relay. She also finished third in the 100.

But in the process, she failed to set one personal record while dealing with the injuries. That’s something she hopes will change this season under a new coaching staff.

Pike, in her first year as coach, believes it’s only a matter of time. She called Jordan the top athlete she has seen at Green Valley since starting as an assistant in 2008.

“She brings a good stability of saying, ‘Being an athlete, this is what it’s going to take,’” Pike said. “And being a team player. Just seeing her for the first time when she won (the 1,600 relay on Saturday), I saw all the girls walk together. That’s what I want. The bond, the unity.”

The 5-foot-9-inch standout says a lot of her competitive spirit came from her battles with Bonds as a freshman.

“Tiana Bonds is my idol,” Jordan said. “I look up to her so much. She’s really the one who made me so good my freshman year. Not because I was good at hurdles, not because I had so much training, but because I was so competitive and she pushed me to be competitive.”

Jordan is approaching the sort of dominance that made Bonds a two-time state winner in both hurdle events.

“It’s weird because I almost miss — not miss being intimidated, but it’s good to have that person who can push you,” Jordan said. “Now that I’ve switched positions (with her), it’s almost like I lose adrenaline because I’m not scared. She scared me. Being scared definitely made me run faster. Now I’ve learned to race myself.”

Jordan will frequently have to race herself this season, as she will be the overwhelming favorite in every meet.

Though her fourth event has yet to be determined, Jordan said she plans on running the 100 or 200.

“There are so many different events, and I’d love to do more than four,” she said, laughing. “But they only let you do four. I’ll have to figure out which ones I want to do. I’d like to be ranked nationally.”

And surely everyone will be watching in her quest.

“It’s crazy. I feel small still,” Jordan said. “I don’t feel larger than life or bigger than anyone else. I just try my hardest.”

Jordan has received interest from Arizona, Brigham Young, California, Florida and Stanford.

Contact reporter Ashton Ferguson at aferguson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430. Follow him on Twitter: @af_ferguson

Sprinter Charleen Jordan clears a hurdle during track practice at Green Valley High School Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Defending 100 and 300 state hurdles champion Charleen Jordan looks on during track practice at Green Valley High School Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Sprinter Charleen Jordan clears a hurdle during track practice at Green Valley High School Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Las Vegas .

Sprinter Charleen Jordan warms up during track practice at Green Valley High School Tuesday, March 15, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Green Valley/Foothill Meet 3/16/16

Hurdles 14.44

200 Meter 25.74

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Meadows Invitational Las Vegas, NV 3/12/16

100HH 15.41

300H 46.35

This is the first meet of the track season. Charly ran the 110HH, 300 H and 4x4 relay as anchor. She placed first in both hurdle events. This is a new relay team for Charly since she switched high schools this year and is now running for Green Valley instead of Coronado. This new relay team does not know each other very well and it is a young team. Charly is one of the oldest on the team, so I was nervous for how they would place.

Here is the hand off to the team in front of them. The girl handing off to Charly is 50 meters behind.

Charly took the baton as the anchor (final runner in the relay).

So she took large strides to attempt to close the gap.

The last 100m her opponent sped up because she could feel Charly on her tail.

So Charly increased her arm speed and lengthened her stride even more.

She told me she did not want to be the "girl who almost came in first."

On the sidelines I could see my baby's face in such pain.

She bounded in front of her opponent very close to the finish line.

She moved in front and finished first. I couldn't help the tears that came: for her pain, for her effort, for her joy, for my joy that she is my daughter. I am so proud of her determination.

That girl gave it all she had to cross the finish line first...because that is what she does: cross first. She said could only see white for about a minute after her race.