Hike for More

Hiking the PCT is a luxury. I know it doesn’t seem like walking for months carrying what you need to live (and then some) on your back is an extravagance.

But the freedom to do what I want and having the health to do it are both exceptional opportunities most in the world won’t have the chance to choose.

And so when I hike, I’ll do it for myself, but I’ll also do it for others.

I’m hiking for the Academia de Atletismo.

It’s a place I’ve written about before which provides kids in Nicaragua the opportunity to be kids. It gives them a safe place. It gives them a place to learn discipline that can help them throughout their lives.

So I can help, and you can too.
• $1.50 registers a child for a competition.
• $14 buys a child’s uniform
• $120 buys safe transportation round trip to a track meet for 15 kids

I could go on, but from my experience, people who have read this far already know whether they are interested in more complete information so without further ado -

For more information –
• Click the Academia de Atletismo link for all tagged posts
• Email me nic.audaciousness@gmail.com
• Visit Hike for Nicaragua on Facebook

To donate -
• Send checks marked "Nicaragua" to Wedgwood Community Church, 8201 30th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115
• Via credit card at Hike for Nicaragua on Facebook
• Or the PayPal donation button in the upper right corner of this page.
• If you’d like to donate per mile I hike on the PCT, please email me and I will be setting up a page to post those donations.

Head Coach Roberto

The roots of the Academia de Atlestismo began with his grandfather.

Until he was two, Roberto lived with his mother and father. It was an unusually happy beginning for a child in Nicaragua. But his world changed that year when his father left. Not only because he no longer had a dad, but because his mother began working full time (full time in Nicaragua is Monday through Saturday) to support their smaller family, so he rarely saw her either.

Roberto spent plenty of time alone and with friends, but he also spent time with his grandparents, his absent father's parents. At age 8 he moved in with them and would go to the stadium with his grandfather (who was a track coach for the university), but when he moved back in with his mother a year later, he stopped. He played nintendo, he played with his friends, he played baseball, he forgot about the track.

When Roberto reached 12, and showed no signs of special promise at baseball (a friend of his is currently training with the Mariners, it's a common Nicaraguan dream), his grandfather began to petition him, nearly every day, to start running again. By this age it was more common to begin training for track and so there was already a group of boys Roberto's age there.

In the beginning, he was a little fat, but his grandfather and great-uncle, who was also a track coach told him he had potential. That was encouraging, but he was mostly faithful to training because that's where his new friends were.

At first he ran distance, like 5000 meter races. His grandfather had been a marathon runner and so he saw that potential in his grandson. But despite constant training, Roberto never managed to win a long distance race.

When he was 15, Roberto switched to 800 and 1500 meter races. There he had a bit more luck, winning occasionally. But at 17 he switched again, this time to the 400 meter race.

And that was that.

Months later he won his first Central American Championship in Guatemala with a time of 50.36 seconds. He felt very relaxed at the beginning of that race, he wasn't favored to win, but even today he can hardly describe the elation he felt as he felt the finish line pass by and he heard his national anthem while on the medal podium.

He followed that with a win at the same competition the following year in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 56.87 seconds. In those years, Roberto was traveling to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Cuba and England for races.

In some of these races Roberto was representing the National Athletic Federation, in others he ran for the University Polytechnic Rivas, located in his hometown. After graduating from high school, Roberto received a scholarship of $15 per month to attend this University he had been running for (organizations can have runners within their clubs that have no other affiliation to the organization). It was because of this running scholarship Roberto was able to graduate four years later with a degree in Banking and Finance.

And what if that diverting force hadn't been there?

At best Roberto could be working in a hot bakery or pedaling a rickshaw from street to dusty street with his high school education.

But more likely he would be like the other guys from his neighborhood. Pushing a filthy arm between bars on the door of a home to beg for money, to buy a little more crack. Filled with scars from close calls with the wrong end of a knife. Or learning how to do worse while in prison for armed robbery.

But Roberto was fortunate. He doesn't have to face that person because of the support, love, community and life lessons he received at critical moments in his life from so many.

The Academia de Atletismo truly started long ago. It began with Roberto's first pair of running shoes and his first pair of track spikes, all gifts from his grandfather. It's potential grew through lunch and dinner every day for eight years at his grandparents house. It was not always a sure thing as Roberto's mother and grandfather fought with him to stay in school.

But in the end the Academia born out of and became a place for the same actions, love and the raising of a child.

And he wants that for other children in Rivas. This is why.

Roberto: I began the Academia de Atletismo first because I am very grateful for what was done for me. Now I want to help other children who are going through what I went through, or worse.

My hope for the children is not that they all win races, but that they get an education and a career. I hope that they become people who are good for society. I hope that they learn respect, discipline and to love one another as brothers and sisters.

The value of helping isn't very strong in Nicaragua. But I hope that as a group, as they help each other every day, they learn how important it is and that someday it will seem normal to them. And then they can help others.

The First Atleta

Said: My name is Said Victor Castillo, I come from a family of 6 siblings and I am youngest. I'm 16. My mom is Hilda Esmeralda Castillo, I never knew my father. I'm in my second year of high school and right now my main goal is to become a lawyer. My family has few resources, the same as most families in Nicaragua, but I'm sure with sacrifice on my part and God's help I can become a lawyer.

I live next door to Roberto Delgadillo. One day, I was hanging around outside and he stopped to speak with me. He asked if I wanted to be a part of the running club he was starting. I liked the idea of training. I've always liked to run, but I've never been in a track club.

I like being with Roberto, he is my neighbor and I really respect him. I heard that he had traveled to other countries (as an athlete in college) to compete and the idea made me excited that some day I could leave to visit other countries and represent Nicaragua.

Roberto: Said is very committed to his studies and is extremely disciplined. He was the first child in the club. He trains with much commitment and gets better every day. I think he has much potential as an athlete and as a student.

He lives in a home that is approximately 500 square feet with 8 family members. The front facing the main street is a concrete wall, the rest is wood and metal cobbled together. One reason it is possible for everyone to fit is because there is no bathroom in the house. Even though they are within the city, they have a pit outhouse in the small backyard where they also keep a few pigs.

As the youngest, he has suffered abuse, mostly from two drug addicted older brothers. One of his sisters, Siedys, and her husband (who both also live in the home), have taken care of Said to the extent of their ability. They provide him with clothes, food, money for school and when he was younger, they tried to protect him from abuse during the hours they were at home.

They can't always be there, however, as Siedys sews clothing in the industrial zone of Rivas and her husband is a carpenter. The Academia provides Said with a safe place to be, other friends with professional goals and an example of a different life.

Beach Break

No, no beach break for me.

It's for the Academia de Atletismo runners! And they deserve it!

After running around the dirt track in Rivas loop after loop after loop, Roberto decided to take a Saturday and give them a little variety.

So they borrowed a friend's truck and drove the 15 miles (it's still a one hour drive) to the beach on the Pacific!

Life in Nicaragua looks pretty good when it's through this lens!

Central American Youth Championship

Raylinds with his mother and little sister waiting for the bus to the competition.

On the 28th of November, the Nicaraguan delegation went with their best youth athletes to the Central American Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Among these athletes was Raylinds, a small and thin athlete from Rivas. With much work, discipline and training, he had already conquered the first hurdle to qualify for this competition.

Raylinds: I felt very excited and happy to represent my country in this competition. I was very nervous because it was my first time in a central American championship. My trainer had told me that the competition would be fierce, but I was prepared to win a medal.

Everything was a new experience for me. It was the first time I left Nicaragua, and was away from my family for 4 days. In the city of San Jose, Costa Rica everything was different, the food, the way the buildings looked, I had no idea how it would be in another country.

Competition track in Costa Rica.

Roberto: The day of the competition arrived and the javelin event had 8 participants. Raylinds was fifth and in his last throw of 6 tries, he threw a distance of 42.81 meters and secured a third place finish to win a medal for Nicaragua. He yelled with happiness, it was a feeling he couldn’t describe.

Nicaragua took third place among all the countries in the competition (Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala). Now we will begin preparation for the new year as we will continue to achieve goals and to represent our country in future championships.

Raylinds (on right) with his medal.

Joandra and the Academia

Yoandra: Hello, my name is Yoandra, I have two brothers Max and Edgar. I love sports and I love running.

My mom was good at that and I know I will be better than her, because that’s what my trainer says. He says I have all the potential to become the best runner of the world. I am in fourth grade of elementary school and attend school in the morning. I am a good student because my grades are good. In the afternoon I go to my training sessions in the stadium.

I want to say that I love my coach because he is so kind to all of us.

Roberto: Nine year old Yoandra Yady Martinez Aragon was born in Rivas, Nicaragua.

She comes from a very economically poor family which was only recently able to save enough money to complete the corrugated metal roof over their three room home. But it is also a family rich in running history. Yoandra's mother, Jacqueline Aragon, used to compete in the 400 and 800 meter dash in the 80's and has won the Central American championship.

Jacqueline is willing to help her daughter in every way she can, although she is a single mother and she is working very hard to provide food and a good education for Yoandra with the little incomes she makes as an independent saleswoman.

Nicole: I'd like to point out that Yoandra's trainer is her cousin Roberto!

One hot December day last year, she was on vacation from school and came over to visit. The power was out, so without much else to do, we sat on the breezy front porch and I quizzed her on multiplication tables and long division.

She got every problem right.

Yoandra has won so far against incredible odds of poor educational opportunities, a drug and violence infested neighborhood and cultural prejudice relegating girls only to passive, sexual and maternal roles.

The Academia de Atlestismo would provide the support, comraderie and discipline that could keep her story a success throughout adolesence and into adulthood. But to do this, we need help. The Academia is providing professional training, clothes, shoes, doctor's visits, vitamins, nutritious food and more to their athletes.

All donors who provide a mailing address will receive a thank-you card with the signatures of all the athletes. If you would like to donate in someone else's name, please provide their name and address. (although sooner rather than later if it's for Christmas since the card will be coming from Nicaragua and usually takes about 1 1/2 weeks to arrive).

If you would like to donate with a credit card, simply click on the 'Donate' button on the top right of the screen. (Remember 2.9% of the amount will be taken out for accounting costs by the Paypal system)

If you would like to donate by check, just email me at the address in the upper right corner of the screen and I can get you the information you need.

If you would like to see what is needed and what costs are, as well as more information about the Academia, please click here.

If you would like any additional information, please contact me at the email address in the upper right corner of the screen.

Hey you! Thanks for reading all the way to the end! :)

Is it Too Soon to Talk About Christmas?

I hope it's not too early!

I've been listening to Christmas carols for over two weeks. Yes. Since before Halloween.

I tell myself it's because the last two Christmases in Nicaragua didn't feel like the same Christmas. That Christmas in the summer weather is different. So I'm just extra excited when Christmas comes around after three years!

But, maybe I just really like Christmas.

So to celebrate Nicaragua AND Christmas AND New Year's I've put together a little something.

This is an approximation of the cover, copyright rules don't let me take it off of Zazzle

A 2010 calendar of Nicaragua.

I have no idea who would pay $25 for it (other than me), but just in case you (or someone you know) wants one too, here's your chance!

AND $5 of each one (basically what I receive after all is said and done) goes to benefit the Academia de Atletismo in Nicaragua!

Click here for more information.

By the way, if you just want photos, I'm working on putting together a book of Nicaragua. Again, I know I want one, but if you want one too it will be coming to the blog soon!

Raylinds Luquez

My name is Raylinds Luquez, I'm from Rivas, Nicaragua. I am fourteen years old.

I have a small family, my mother’s name is Biatris Luquez and my sister is named Abigail, she is three years old.

My father died almost two years ago. After he passed away he left an empty space in our hearts and home.

I am a discus and javelin thrower. I belong to the athletic team of Rivas and I am really happy to be a part of it because they have given me the opportunity to prove myself and my family that everything is possible through hard work. They have shown me that they believed in me and they have encouraged me to improve my skills by saying all the time that I have a lot of potential.

Now I can see that they were right, because the 23^rd and 24^th of October I won the first place in javelin, second in discus and third place shot put. I will proudly represent my country in the Central American’s tournament in a track and field competition that will be taking place in Costa Rica.

This is going to be my first time outside of Nicaragua and I am really excited about it. My only concern is that I need to get a passport, but for my mother it will be impossible to afford it since her income is not enough. She does her best to provide food on our table, Mom works as a secretary in a surveyor's office.

Nicole:
The cost of a passport and the associated paperwork is $25, but at a salary of less than $200 per month, this is out of reach for Raylinds' mom. We are hoping that a grandfather and uncle who had expressed interest in helping will come through, but I consider it completely uncertain until actually paid.

Fortunately, we have a donor who has already expressed interest in helping too! So there is no doubt that Raylinds will be going to Costa Rica to compete at the end of November!

First Youth Competition!

Last Friday, October 23rd the Academia de Atletismo left at 9 in the morning and headed to the Olympic track in Managua to participate in the Youth Championship with a delegation of 13 athletes.

The kids had a blast and the time sped by as they had so many new experiences. For many of them this was one of the first times they had ventured to the the capital of Nicaragua. They asked about everything they saw - What building is that? Where are we now?Are we there yet? For two hours Roberto tried to answer all of their questions.

As soon as they arrived at the track two and a half hours later, the nerves and tension began. Giovanni Dian, who runs the 300 meters was so nervous that he accidentally (an unknowingly at first) scratched his legs up with the spiked track shoes he held in his hands while warming up.

The first day ended at 6:30 in the evening, after dark had settled over the stadium. Because the government had taken the lights previously installed at the track and re-installed them at the national baseball stadium, it made for difficult races. The children ran on instinct with only a bare vision of the white line of their lane to guide them. Unfortunately this situation will most likely continue since the stadium is shared with soccer teams until noon and so the races cannot begin earlier.

The second day of competitions began at 5:20 in the morning and so they rose from their dormitories at 3 as they slept once again at a religious center about an hour away from the stadium.

For his part, Roberto was very happy with the kids' performance. They earned 5 medals: one gold, three silver and one bronze. The competitions won were the 300 meter sprint, javelin, shot put, discus and hammer throw. Three of the medals were won by Raylinds Luquez and his gold earned him a spot in the central American championships in Costa Rica at the end of November.

The National Athletic Federation will pay for Raylinds to go to Costa Rica and represent Nicaragua, their support includes his travel visa, transportation, lodging, food and athletic uniform.

However, since the Academia de Atletismo is one of the few clubs that takes all children, no matter how poor, it is more difficult for Raylinds' family to pay for his part, a passport, than most other athletes. We are hoping that either we or his family are able to find the money quickly so that our first champion can begin to reap the rewards of his hard work!

First Competition for the Academia de Atlestismo!

On October 10^th and 11^th, the Academia de Atletismo competed for the first time, not to win medals but to gain experience.

They went to the Olympic athletic track at the Nicaraguan Sports Institute (IND) in order to participate in the InterClub Championship in Managua, Nicaragua. This is the second highest competition in the country and has no age limit so the competition was tough. Two national records fell, one in the men's steeplechase and one in the women's 400 meter dash.

Our club brought nine athletes and they each had the chance to push themselves in their events. They competed in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meter races, the 4x100 relay, and javelin. Each managed to achieve their real goals: get over their nerves and beat their personal best.

Having hardly slept due to excitment the night before, the kids and Roberto boarded the public bus for the 2 1/2 hour trip to Managua on Saturday morning. Once the bus dropped them off at the market in Managua, they took taxis to the stadium.

People are frequently robbed at gunpoint in this market and by taxi drivers (yes, it's the taxi drivers that have guns) and so once we're able to raise enough money, they will rent a minivan and driver at $100 per round trip to take them directly from Rivas to the stadium.

Once at the stadium, Roberto worked on the stacks of paperwork to be completed. In the flurry, newness and nerves of it all the kids forgot what to do, where to be and how to warm up; some of them nearly missed the last call for the 400 meter dash. Roberto argued with the judge on their behalf and they were allowed to compete (arguing can accomplish a lot in Nicaragua).

After the competition ended for that afternoon, all the stadium dormitories were full, so the Academia and a few other teams were sent to 'El Centro de Martin Lutero', and evangelical center an hour away. Roberto, trying to look on the bright side mentioned that the bathrooms were cleaner there than at the stadium and that within a few hours of their arrival both the electricity and water came on.

The next morning, everyone got up at 4 AM to return by shuttle bus to the stadium. Because their excitement at staying in Managua had gotten the better of them once again, the kids were exhausted from barely sleeping and napped on the floor at the stadium while waiting for their events.

While, as expected, none of them won medals, they returned exactly as Roberto had hoped: more experienced, less rattled by nerves, bragging about their time to everyone and exhorting the need for harder training to beat the competition!

The 23^rd and 24^th of October the club will be participating in the junior and youth championships (and competing against those their own age). This event qualifies the best youth athletes of Nicaragua to represent the nation in the Central American Games in Guatemala the 25^th of November. In this competition we will be represented by 15 athletes.

In the meantime, the kids are training hard knowing that those who look beyond their own horizons will eventually reach their dreams.

Marcos Moreno

The story of Marcos Moreno as told by Academia de Atletismo head trainer, Roberto Delgadillo.

He was born in Nicaragua in the state of Rivas.

Marcos is only nine years old, but at this early age he is sure of what he wants when he grows up. He says he wants to be a good runner because that would allow him to travel to other countries and meet different people and see different places.

Marcos is a very smart boy. His mother, Ana Carolina, is a single mother and the only person he has to rely on. And the one who knows very well how much he loved running since he was four years old. “Running for him is like an obsession” she said.

As many thousands of children in Nicaragua, Marcos' worst enemy and biggest obstacle to success is the poverty in which he and his family live. Both mom and son together live in a very precarious situation, but this has not taken away their hope for better days ahead.

They have learned to see each day as a challenge to be conquered and also have learned to live with what they receive.

For this reason he believes he will do well in his training sessions. His goal is to become an excellent athlete, for life itself has taught him to be strong.

Marcos does not complain about life instead he is thankful to God for the mother he has been blessed with since she has always been there for him, loving him, supporting him in every way including providing for their daily needs.

She encourages him to go to school. It is very difficult for her to afford uniforms, running shoes and vitamins for Marcos to continue being a part of a track team.

In spite of the circumstances she has allowed Marcos to attend to the afternoon training sessions and when she has time she comes to the stadium to support her son.

Marcos' mother works 12 hour shifts in a factory sewing clothing to be exported to countries like the US. She makes approximately $120 per month and supports her son, herself and helps her mother on that salary.

For more information on the Academia de Atletismo please click here.

Academia de Atletismo

Looking for another way to help poor Nicaraguan children? I know you can never get enough of it!

This is the afternoon session (kids go to school in the morning or in the afternoon and so Roberto holds training sessions twice a day). Not smiling is still the status quo for most photos here.

The Academia de Atletismo is a running club recently started for impoverished children in Rivas, Nicaragua. It teaches the techniques of running as well as the values that go along with it: discipline, work ethic, health, nutrition, self respect and many others.

The founder and lead trainer, Roberto Delgadillo (yep, the friend who helped me through two years at the orphanage), was able to graduate from college because of his running scholarship and now volunteers hours every weekday planning activities and training children from his and surrounding neighborhoods.

They are able to use the local track (along with all other sports teams at the same time) and are looking to cover only the most basic costs. Shoes are more important than starting blocks at this point.

Operational costs for one year are estimated to be the following for 15 children:

	Total	Per Unit
Register the club with NAF	$ 25
Running shoes	$ 750	$ 25	pair
Spikes for synthetic tracks	$ 450	$ 30	pair
Travel Expenses on a public minibus	$1,200	$ 120	trip
Athlete registration	$ 225	$ 1.50	child
Competition uniforms (shorts and shirt)	$ 210	$ 14	child
Nutrition, doctor visit, vitamins every three months and anti-parasitic every 6 months	$ 400	$ 6.67	child
Food during competitions	$ 900	$ 2	meal

Currently the organization is 100% local volunteer run which is nearly unheard of there. We do eventually hope, however, to add equipment, trainer continuing education and staff compensation at a later date.

If you would like to contribute to meeting the financial needs of this program, please click on the donate button located at the upper right corner of the blog.

Additional important information if you wish to donate -

1. Paypal receives your donation, takes approximately 2.9% (if paying by plastic) and sends the rest to me.

2. I receive the money and send it in a check to Roberto. The bank in Nicaragua charges him $20 to cash a check (it is by far the least expensive method we've found). So I send checks no more frequently than once a month.

3. The Academia de Atletismo is not a certified non-profit in Nicaragua and it may never be (educational programs are not necessarily non-profits there). It is not a registered non-profit here in the US either. Therefore your donations are not tax deductible at this time.