Starting Life in the Fast Lane

In July 2022, on the rubber track at Sacramento

State University, Freedom Traditional Academy 3rd grader CJ Flowers finally achieved what he had been working so hard for. At the USA Track & Field (USATF) National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships, CJ placed first in the 8 & Under Division boys 200 meter dash with a time of 28.64, nearly two tenths of a second faster than second place. He could now claim that he was the number one runner in the entire nation in the 200 meter. And if that wasn’t enough, CJ also placed second in both the 100 meter and 400 meter races, losing the 100 by a mere five hundredths of a second. CJ was officially an All-American, finally basking in the accomplishments of two years of grueling hard work. “I handled my business, I did my thing,” the 8-year-old said with a grin.

CJ started running at age 6 when his Dad, Chris Flowers, noticed his potential. This was during the COVID pandemic though, so participating with a club or team wasn’t an option. So Chris took it upon himself to learn the sport and start training CJ. “They both learned the sport together,” said CJ’s mom, Rashanda Jones, a Health Services Assistant at Dysart Middle School. Training consisted of practicing four days a week with a variety of activities. CJ would train after school during the year, but wake up early in the morning during the summer to beat the heat. They would do laps to start, high knees, resistance training with exercise bands, and a variety of other activities. “When I first started it kind of wasn’t fun, because I didn’t have any meets,” said CJ. “But when I started doing meets, then it started getting fun.”

When COVID subsided, CJ joined the Arizona Rising Suns Track & Field Club, but still continued to be trained by his Dad on the side. That’s also when the track and field meets started up again. “When I turned 7, that is when I started getting the hang of it and winning,” said CJ. Meets start toward the end of February here in Arizona up at Northern Arizona University, and continue all Spring around the country, culminating at Junior Nationals in July. For an athlete to compete at nationals they have to qualify. CJ qualified that first year in the sport. He was a 7-year-old competing at Junior Nationals for the first time, and ended up finishing an impressive 9th place. That wasn’t enough for CJ or his dad though. They worked even harder this past year for the Junior Nationals in July.

Training, as Chris and CJ learned, is where the magic happens. While each was new to the sport, Chris knew about the importance of hard work and wanted to instill in his son that lesson, which could translate into all facets of CJ’s life. “Getting up running 500 (meters) and 300 (meters) and doing it daily, that’s not easy. Our sport is everyone else’s punishment. But our motto is, we win our medals at practice, we just pick them up in the meets,” said Chris. “Because of the hard training, if you work hard at anything in life, that translates over.”

Heading into this year’s Junior Nationals event, CJ had the fastest time in the nation in the 100m and was on top of his game. “I was so nervous, I was trying to hold myself together, for him,” said Chris Flowers. “I didn’t want [CJ] to get nervous because I’m nervous.” If you ask CJ what goes through his mind at the line though, he says nothing. That’s all part of his business mentality.

After a successful nationals run, CJ has been taking a break this fall from running and training to participate in flag football. His dad didn’t want him to get burnt out at such a young age, and he’ll still start training again in late December, early January for another run at nationals next year. This time around Chris says CJ will only participate in two races. Athletes have to compete in preliminaries, semi-finals, and then finals races for each event. That can take a lot out of an athlete when they’re competing against the best of the best in the country. “CJ told me, daddy my legs are hurting, and he never says that,” Chris said of this past year’s event. “Now I know, in championships we are only going to do two races.”

CJ Flowers races in the USATF Region 10 Junior Olympic Championships at the University of Texas at El Paso.

As for CJ’s future, Chris and Rashanda just want to see where athletics takes him and what he’s passionate about. CJ is interested in running, basketball, and football, and he’s got some pretty good genetics going for him as well. CJ’s cousin is Marquis Flowers, a former NFL linebacker, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and played for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, and Washington Redskins. Marquis Flowers went to Millennium High School and is a graduate of the University of Arizona. So following in his family’s footsteps is definitely on the table. “Whatever his little heart desires, I just want a big house out of it,” Rashanda said with a laugh. “We are very proud of him, and I feel really happy, proud, and blessed, wrapped up all in one.” CJ’s dad echoed those sentiments. “What he brings to the table, his demeanor, his mentality, he is just an all around phenomenal kid.” For now though, it’s back to training, where the real medals are won.