'Absolutely unmatched:' Here's how Spartan Chosen track & field program produces champions

Forest track and field coach Brett Stanley and his brother, Trinity Catholic standout Glen Stanley, started Spartan Chosen with the idea of sharing what they learned as Division 1 athletes. The program started with seven women in Tallahassee in 2016 and grows every year.

Since then, more than 100 athletes have entrusted the brothers to coach them. In that time, they’ve produced hundreds of athletes who became All-Americans and junior Olympians.

"We started with two organizations, one in Ocala and one in Tallahassee,” Glen said. "My brother made the decision to move back to Ocala, and it brought our organization up two or three notches. What he brings to the table is absolutely unmatched."

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Trinity Catholic opens the only rubber track in Ocala to Spartan Chosen five days a week. Forest High School gives them access to their facilities during the summer, helping the club reach its full potential and providing athletes from Marion County access to the best facilities available.

That has paid off for nearly 80 kids representing Spartan Chosen in 2023. Of the 77 athletes participating at regionals, 46 walked away with gold medals and 71 hit marks that qualify them for the junior Olympics.

Javarien Salter, Jahhi Clarke, siblings Arianna and Anthony Reason were just a few local products to take first place. Wildwood state champion Ja'Kyra Corbin took gold with the club, too.

“We put in two or three weeks of dialed-in hard work, and we saw the results last weekend," Brett said.

The competition pushes every athlete during training. That includes the youngest members, Zamir Jones and Akira Atkins, who are four years old.

The secret sauce is in their speed endurance focus. It’s all the technical work that goes into sharpening mechanics.

“This is more of the back end of our season, so we’re not trying to run them too much,” Glen said. “We're making sure they’re in shape and doing things the right way. The Spartan way.”

Brett Stanley’s plan began long before the track season started. The offseason blends with the high school state series, where several of the club’s top athletes competed.

With so many varsity athletes on their roster, the older group helps set the culture for the younger group. Middle and grade school athletes not only get to watch state finalists up close, but they also get to compete against them every day.

"We do a lot of mentoring within our organization which helps us during districts, regionals, and junior Olympics," Brett said. "It's easy for us to communicate. Sometimes our older kids communicate for us, which helps our success."

The next step for Spartan Chosen is primaries in Orlando, FL, on July 10-15. Last year 72 Spartans were named All-Americans, and they could produce a similar number this year.

"We're taking our entire organization to primaries," Glen said. "We're giving these kids an opportunity to be seen on two national stages."

That means the team gets a chance to root for friends who have become like family over the season. More importantly, it puts athletes one step closer to becoming all Americans.

"The medals, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are amazing but personal records and the family culture we're building with kids are what we harp on," Glen said. "We get the out of Ocala and on to national stages to experience some of the things that kids are doing in bigger cities."

The Stanley brothers aren't the only coaches on the staff. Coach Lavorrie Johnson works with the high jumpers; Coach Crystal Spencer works with the shot put and javelin throwers. They're always meeting up to discuss what they're doing to improve as coaches.

That includes finding out what event leads to the most success for their athletes. If an athlete is in the bottom 20% of the previous year's junior Olympics by the first meet, it becomes their discipline for the season.

"It's not all about being the fastest," Brett said. "There are 16 events in track, so we're going to put our athletes in the best position to be successful. That's why we have so many kids going to junior Olympics and coming back as All Americans."

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Spartan Chosen prepares for nationals at Dr. Philips High School