West Orange youth trackster Taylor Aska excels

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Taylor Aska, a 12-year-old seventh grader in West Orange Liberty Middle School, has truly exhibited her love of the sport of track and field, but more so her commitment to the craft.

Taylor’s commitment, discipline and passion are fueled by none other than the coaching skills and leadership of the Jaguar Track Club. The Jaguar Track Club is a local organization that serves young people who are interested in the sport of track and field. The program was founded by Maurice and Daneen Cooper and Carl Lea of Maplewood and Andrea Johnson of South Orange. The Jaguar Track Club held its first practice on April 8, 1996. The Jaguar Track Club is a program of the South Orange Department of Recreation, and it is open to athletes throughout Essex and its surrounding counties.

Most recently, during the month of January, Taylor was recognized by the USA Track & Field (USATF) New Jersey Chapter as Athlete of the Year, in her age category (11-12 year-old girls), for her accomplishments of the field event of long jump. Not surprisingly, Taylor also had many of her Jaguar Track Club team members by her side who also received accolades in various track and field categories.

Under the guidance of the Jaguar Track Club, Taylor is the national champion in the long jump field event for 12-year-old girls at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) 2019 National Club Championships with a jump of 16 feet-1.50 inches — or 4.91 meters — earning her the gold medal. The Jaguar Track Club has continued to excel in the field event of long jump, among many other areas, under the direction of the esteemed coaching staff.

Currently, during the months of December and January, Taylor has been competing in the Colgate Women’s Games held at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y. and she is poised to make her third appearance as a finalist. The Colgate Women’s Games started in 1974 as a platform for female athletes to showcase their athletic abilities while progressing in their academic achievements. Taylor is one of only six finalists in the Middle School category who will progress to compete in the 55-meter dash, with the final competition to be held at the New Balance Armory in New York City in February.

Concurrently, Taylor and her Jaguar teammates — Rihanna Scott, Aleia Heywood and Rhia Randolph — represent a determined 4×200 relay team, which will be competing in the finals for the USATF 2020 New York Road Runners (NYRR) Millrose Games on Feb. 8, also to be held at the New Balance Armory in New York City. Taylor and her teammates qualified for the finals, after placing second at the NYRR Millrose trials on Jan. 8.

Taylor has been competing on the national level and receiving national recognition since the age of 7, at which time she was developing with the Lightning Track Club under the guidance of Coach Al Johnson. Taylor continues to develop her athletic skills within the premier Jaguar Track Club, while also furthering her academic accomplishments as well by maintaining a “high honor roll” status at Liberty Middle School, West Orange.