PhatBack Athletics: Mission

Mission

PhatBack Athletics competes in meets sanctioned by USA Track & Field (USATF) and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The scheduled meets begin in May and run throughout July on a yearly basis. By providing this positive athletic outlet for our athletes, we are insuring that they have a fighting chance to compete for athletic and academic scholarships. In the program, critical issues facing young men such as self-esteem, violence, drug abuse, and sex are regularly addressed.

PhatBack Athletics is vital in the lives of its members because it allows them an opportunity to compete in high quality athletic competitions while exposing them to some of the nation�s finest college campuses. In the last few years, members of the team have competed at such sites as University of Tennessee, Morgan State, Duke University, University at Buffalo, and Eastern Michigan University.

The program is evaluated by how well the athletes perform on a national level and how many of them gain admittance to college. In 2003, five athletes earned National Elite All-American status. Sargbah Tarpeh and Michael Wray finished the season ranked in the top 10 in the 800 and 110 hurdles respectively. The 15&16 age group of PhatBack Athletics finished the 2003 season with the top 4x100, 4x400, and 4x800 relays in the state of Pennsylvania. In addition, the 4x800 relay team of Brandon Lane, Sargbah Tarpeh, Hanif Howard, and Justin Wilson are ranked in the top 10 in the nation with a time of 8:18.7.