Beaufort athlete inducted into Junior Olympic Hall of Fame
James Washington sets weightlifting record & wins top awards at Junior Olympics
Local high-school student James Washington, 17, set a new national weightlifting record for his age group at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympic’s 2009 games in Des Moines, Iowa, this past weekend, lifting a meet total of 224 pounds.
Washington was awarded a gold medal, received the Joel Farrell top award, and was inducted into the Junior Olympic Hall of Fame.
The Joel Farrell Award is the most prestigious award given in the AAU Junior Olympic Games.The AAU, along with the assistance and the guidance of the Joel Ferrell family, established the Joel Ferrell Outstanding Performance Memorial Award to recognize the athletic ability and sportsmanship of an athlete representing each official sport at the AAU Junior Olympic Games. In addition to the award presented at the games, each recipient’s name is engraved on a special plaque at the AAU National Headquarters.
Joel Ferrell, a former aerospace engineer, made numerous contributions to the AAU. He held several positions with the AAU, including the presidency from 1976-78. He was also a vice president of the USOC. In December 1988, he passed away in his hometown of Tullahoma, Tennessee.
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.
The AAU was founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sport. During its early years the AAU served as a leader in international sport representing the U.S. in the international sports federations.
The AAU worked closely with the Olympic movement to prepare athletes for the Olympic games. After the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the AAU has focused its efforts into providing sports programs for all participants of all ages beginning at the grass roots level.
The philosophy of “Sports for All, Forever,” is shared by over 500,000 participants and over 50,000 volunteers. The AAU is divided into 56 distinct districts. These districts annually sanction more than 34 sports programs, 250 national championships, and over 30,000 age division events.
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- Team Beaufort wins big at Junior Olympics
- Team Beaufort’s Olympic-style weightlifting team heads to Des Moines, Iowa
- Beaufort Academy of Dance students to compete in national dance competition
- Letter to the editor: Congratulations to Team Beaufort
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