2020 Olympic athlete helps train students for upcoming Steps for Students in downtown Houston Feb. 15
February 10, 2020
2020 Olympic athlete Amere Lattin, competing in Tokyo for the U.S. track team, is helping to train younger runners at Houston’s St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School for the upcoming Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk Feb. 15.
A University of Houston graduate, Lattin works as a coaching assistant with Marion Jones, athletic director at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School near the Texas Medical Center.
“I give kids good advice on how to overcome struggles,” the 22-year-old said.
Track and field coach Jones said Lattin relates well with the youngsters. Jones also has served most of those 15 years on the committee organizing the race.
“The pageantry and camaraderie of how our community comes together with Steps for Students is truly worth the work,” Jones said of Steps, which is a USA Track and Field-certified and sanctioned event, chip-timed and features a single-loop.
Steps for Students over the past 15 years has grown from a small race to now more than 10,000 runners in downtown Houston starting by the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.
Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will bless the runners and help blast off the timed 5K race at 8 a.m.
Diane Wooten, principal of St. Francis de Sales Catholic School who also serves on the committee, said her students and their families look forward to the Steps for Students 5K and all the fun events leading up to it.
“We ring in the New Year at the school in 2020 on January 9 with a big balloon drop filled with candy and trinkets for all the students who have registered,” Wooten said.
Her school has benefited from funds raised in Steps for Students, including a new security system, new science books and multi-media equipment with microphones and mixer board.
“We also have some students who receive Steps scholarships,” Wooten said.
Superintendent of Catholic Schools Debra Haney, who will be grand marshal, said, “The 15th annual Steps for Students event is going to be one for the books! We are so thrilled to once again celebrate the community, connectivity, collegiality, charity, and the little bit of healthy competition that this event brings for our schools!”
One of those sponsors who has worked on the committee for these 15 years, Colin Hageney of Bullpen Marketing, said, “Our goal from the beginning was to grow Steps for Students into one of the largest races in Houston.” Hageney said. “Little did we know it would become one of the largest Catholic 5Ks in the country.”
“It’s exciting to see what it has done for Catholic education in our community,” he said.
B-roll video from 2019 Steps for Students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=-JeaRPXiMFg
Steps for Students benefits the network of 59 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, bringing together school communities, parishioners, community partners and runners from across 10 counties.
Steps for Students, a USA Track and Field certified and sanctioned event, is chip-timed and features a single loop. The pre-registration fee is $20 for timed runners until Feb. 1, then increasing to $30. For more information, to register and/or donate, visit www.steps4students.org