student spotlight
By Helen Widman
Little Athlete, Big Dreams Pickerington kindergartener Stacy McAllister tears up the field
Photos courtesy of Tori McAllister
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or Pickerington Elementary he competed and gave Stacy his School kindergartner Stacy national rank in track for the McAllister, sports have been a 55-, 100- and 200-meter dashes part of his life since he could walk. at just 5 years old. The 6-year-old, who started runAlthough he had only just ning track at age 2 and playing footturned 5 at the time, McAllister ball at age 4, is not only a speedy says that Stacy’s first time going superstar, but also dreams of going to the primaries is his biggest to the Olympics one day. achievement in sports so far. “As soon as he was maybe “Last year we didn’t do it be2 years old, we put him in his cause of COVID. A year before, very first pee-wee (track) meet he was able to go down there and he took second place,” says and he gold-medaled in all of the Tori McAllister, Stacy’s mom. “He events that he ran in, so that was loved it, and so after that it really cool,” McAllister says. “We were was just something we all were stoked. I would say he’s really looking forward to because he made some noise for the track was really a natural.” world for kids that age.” As a sprinter, Stacy currently In total, Stacy has won runs the 60-meter and 200-meter seven gold medals throughout dash for indoor track, in which he his time running track with is nationally ranked as a 6-yearOhio Heat. old, and the 100-meter and Stacy also plays for the 200-meter dash for outdoor track. Mini Tigers football team Despite the fact that Pickerington through the Pickerington Youth doesn’t have a track team for athAthletic Association (PYAA). letes as young as Stacy, he finds He’s a running back on offense success with the Ohio Heat Track and a safety on defense. As a Club, coached by Tremayne Peppers. ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. kindergartener, he gets to play with kids In 2019, Stacy traveled to Orlando This competition is where he received as old as second grade, but McAllister with his family to compete in track at the gold medals in all of the events in which says Stacy holds his own against them. “This past year, he played for the Mini Tigers, and that was kindergarten through second grade, so most of his teammates were second-graders, but Stacy had a super rewarding year,” she says. “People were able to see his skill and his talent up close, so that was cool.” Stacy’s older brother, Edmund, is in fourth grade and, like his brother, competes in both football and track. Edmund, who also runs for Ohio Heat, is nationally ranked in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. Edmund also played football in the PYAA senior division as a fourth-grader this past year as a quarterback and running back on offense and a defensive back on defense. According to McAllister, Edmund has been a big influence on Stacy and helped to inspire his love of sports. “I like it because my brother runs track, too,” Stacy says. 20
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