Putting the 'G' in winning

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By Chris Wagar
Neighborhood News Bureau reporter at the University of South Florida's Department of Journalism and Media Studies

When Pinellas County residents talk about track and field, one name always comes to mind: Garlynn Boyd.

Garlynn Boyd has worked with young track and field athletes for 15 years.

Boyd, known as "G" in the track and field community, has been a mainstay in the sport since 1980.

Boyd, 40, founded and has served for 15 years as the driving force behind arguably the most dominant track club in Pinellas County, the Lightning Bolt Track Club in St. Petersburg.

But it may never have been if it were not for that fateful day she was assigned detention.

Boyd, then a freshman at Dixie M. Hollins High School in St. Petersburg, was spotted by the track coach as she waited for a ride home from detention. The coach needed an athlete for the shot put, and he was getting desperate. He approached her and asked a simple question. "Can you throw a shot put?"

"That was the day that I fell in love with track and field," Boyd said.

Her first meet was only a few weeks later at Gibbs High School, and she won her first event by tossing the shot put 36 feet.

By 1983, she had made a name for herself throughout the area and won the state championship. She also set a Dixie Hollins record by tossing the shot put more than 44 feet, a record that still stands today.

In 1991, while working at the Wildwood Recreation Center, she realized options were limited for children when it came to the sport she loved so much.

So she decided to do something about it and formed the Lightning Bolt Track Club.

Just 25 kids got involved in the organization the first year, casting doubt on whether the program would take hold.

"I saw doing this one year," Boyd says. "I thought it would be a one-time thing. But now I couldn't even imagine my life without it."

The club now boasts more than 100 athletes, ranging in age from 3 to 18, who compete in events all across the country.

Sandra Vazquez, who signed up her 7-year-old daughter, Shannon, for the first time this year, says the organization's longevity impressed her.

"For an organization that is over 15 years old, and to have the success they have had, I figured it would be a great start for Shannon," Vazquez said.

Many people attribute the success of the organization to Boyd's uncanny passion for the kids and her unwavering coaching style.

"She is tough but genuine at the same time," said Terrell Holmes, an assistant coach. "She's gotten kids scholarships to college because she familiarizes herself with the system. But she is more than just a coach to these kids; she is a mentor."

In March 1999, Boyd found a new passion in her life that reached beyond track when her son, Ashton Taylor, was born.

"After he was born I just found myself forgetting things," Boyd said, referring to the club's events.

For the first time, she actually forgot about a qualifying meet for nationals. She had to scramble to get her kids signed up in time.

Boyd said forgetfulness is no longer an issue, because wherever she goes, Ashton is right there with her.

As mom barks out orders to her athletes, Ashton is there taking it all in, which actually has led her to be a somewhat more reserved coach than she had been in the past.

"I used to be pretty tough before him," Boyd said with a wry smile. "But now the kids are glad that he has come along and are glad to see that I have calmed down a lot. You kind of have to when a little one is watching and listening to everything you say."

But her coaching style is still as fierce as it has ever been.

"There is a time to be soft and there is a time to be hard," Boyd said. "I am not going to allow someone to come out here and destroy what I have built for over 15 years with my bare hands."

What she built is an organization that has seen nine state champions and more members than she could have imagined come through her doors.

But Boyd is not all about competition; she is about building strong individuals and teaching them life skills. She has even been known to teach the kids in her organization how to cook.

"I have to say Rachel Ray is my home girl," Boyd said, referring to the popular cook on the Food Network. "Ashton and I will sit and watch her and come up with all kinds of things to cook."

Through it all, though, Boyd still can't believe the club has evolved from a simple idea more than 15 years ago into what it is today.

But don't think for a minute that she is completely satisfied.

About four years ago, Boyd decided that the organization needed to afford more than just track and field opportunities for the local youth. She decided to evolve the Lightning Bolt Track Club into the Lightning Bolt Youth Sports Academy.

The academy now offers many youth activities, including flag football, basketball, golf, tennis, boxing and wrestling programs. Youngsters 3 to 18 years old may participate. The academy practices at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport.

Her vision for the organization, though, still has yet to reach its zenith.

"My vision is that we will own a sports complex someday," Boyd said. "I would name it the Ashton O. Taylor Sports Complex, after my son who has had such a positive impact on my life."

For more information about the Lightning Bolt Youth Sports Academy, e-mail Boyd at boltpower02@yahoo.com.

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