St. John's Track & Field Hosts Achilles International Athletes for Practice

The St. John’s track & field and cross country teams have partnered up with both the Achilles International organization and the Queens Centers for Progress to help give back to the community through its philanthropic efforts. Head Coach Jim Hurt and his Johnnies will host local athletes from Achilles International for morning practices once a week throughout the rest of the fall.

Achilles International is a philanthropic organization that specializes in enabling people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream running events in order to promote personal achievement. The Red Storm first hosted these athletes for a morning practice last week and intends to continue this partnership during the fall.

“Our team had an extraordinary practice last week working with the Achilles track club athletes. [Wendy Phaff] had spoken with me at our alumni FUN RUN last June about working with these amazing athletes and we were able to have our team meet with them this past week,” said Hurt. “There was an immediate bond and respect between the groups with smiles on all faces. We look forward to working with them each week as it proved to be a very worthwhile and enjoyable experience for all involved.”

Wendy Phaff, the founder of Achilles International’s Queens Chapter, and Assistant Director of Development for Queens Centers for Progress, teamed up with Coach Hurt and his staff to make these practices possible.

“The beauty of this relationship is that the Achilles athletes have the opportunity to work one on one with the team members here at St. John’s and the women of the track & field get to share the love of their sport with the athletes. The Achilles program, while promoting athleticism, also promotes a sense of achievement and accomplishment. At the end of the day, this is what it’s really about,” said Phaff.

Achilles International maintains that “while our programs focus on running, the truth is, running is simply the tool for accomplishing our main objective: to bring hope, inspiration, and the joys of achievement to all,” on the company website.

The Queens Centers for Progress works closely with Achilles International as another philanthropic organization that works to promote the independence of individuals with developmental disabilities.

Following the success of this initial workout, the St. John’s track & field team will once again host Achilles International this week. To receive updates on all team news, follow on Twitter @StJohnsXCTF and by using the hashtag #sjutf. To be added to the St. John's women's track & field fans e-mail list send a message to Adam.mckillop15@stjohns.edu with the subject: "St. John's women's TF e-mail."