Track team inspires youth at Blaze clinic
Clinton High School’s boys and girls track and field teams are in the midst of a successful 2026 season, and Coach Tim Kumes couldn’t be happier.
Early last week, however, Kumes and his teams shifted their focus to giving back, as the Dragons and Lady Dragons hosted a clinic for the Clinton Blaze elementary school track program.
The clinic has become an annual event.
“We’re having a great season, but I tell the kids that there comes a time when you have to think about your legacy,” Kumes said. “This is a chance for our kids to give back and work with kids who look up to them.
“To these kids, our athletes are Olympians. The young kids look up to them and want to learn from them. I can tell the younger kids what to do all day long, but they want to hear it from our athletes.”
Kenzlee Hutchison, a senior shot putter for the Lady Dragons, recently set the school record in the event. She began her track and field career as a fifth-grader, competing for the Lady Blaze and attending the camp.
Last week, she returned to help teach — something that caught Kumes’ attention.
“I looked over there and saw Kenzlee working with the young kids,” he said. “She was showing them how their throwing arm should point to the sky.
“She was also teaching them what to do with their non-throwing arm.”
Hutchison was one of several CHS athletes helping instruct the Blaze participants.
“We had five stations — jumps, shot put, discus, sprinters and distance runners,” Kumes said. “Our kids were showing them things like how to get into the blocks properly, the right way.
“When our kids teach the younger kids, they become better athletes.”
