Running A Legacy: Rainier Beach Track Club Becomes Nonprofit Under New Coach

By Sydney Goitia-Doran

Rainier Beach Track Club, a longstanding hub for youth athletes in South Seattle, is positioning itself for the future. The club, which was successfully run by James “Vic” Roberson for many years, has transitioned to a stand-alone non-profit organization and Roberson has handed over the reigns to his son, Matthew. This marks a new chapter in the club’s decades-long legacy of community and athletic achievement.

Under the guidance of Vic, Rainier Beach Track Club established itself as one of the premier track clubs in the area, creating a pathway for many local athletes to successfully compete on a national stage. After growing up in that legacy, Matthew is now ready to lead and build upon it.

“As I got more experience and left for college and I competed in college, it made me want to give back and say, ‘here are the things I learned. Here’s how I think we can help more people,’” Matthew said.

The program is currently in its summer season, which is used to help prepare athletes to compete in the upcoming Junior Olympics qualifying, regional and national competitions.

Vic, who ran the club for over 30 years, says that for the program to flourish they need to continue to have great coaches that connect with the kids. With his son at the helm, Vic knows that the program will be led by someone who truly cares about the kids, the mission of the program and the role it plays in the community.

“He’s a great trainer. He’s a great technician. He can teach kids long jump, high jump. He’s a decathlete by training, so he can teach basically all the different skills,” says Vic, who still supports the club by handling grants and assisting coaches and families. “I know it’s a lot of pressure on him, but I help out with the recruiting and/or connecting with all the coaches.”

Matthew is not the only former participant who came back to contribute to the program as a leader. Vic spoke about one student, Xavier Johnson-Mitchell, who graduated last year from O’Dea and is now in college.

“He’s coming back now as a mentor coach this summer, so he wants to give back to kids and show them, ‘Hey, let me encourage you and support you. I’ve been in the program. I understand it. I can help you get better at that with you,’” Vic said.

Matthew said one of the biggest challenges the club has faced is not having an accessible track for practices. The renovation of Rainier Beach high school left the team without a full-size track in South Seattle, forcing them further away from the community they serve.

Currently, they practice in available spaces they can find, sometimes as far away as West Seattle Stadium. When they can find places in South Seattle like Franklin High School, they often have to push practice to later in the evening when younger runners may not be able to participate.

Matthew has goals of doing more community programming beyond being a track club. Now that it is nonprofit, the club can receive direct donations and have more control over how their money is used.

“What we’re trying to do in moving to more of a nonprofit is figure out a way that we can turn the program into a family-oriented program,” Matthew said. “So not just have the training for the kids but incorporate team building events that family members are included in as well.”

So far, the club has hosted laser tag and a family swim. They have plans to do tie-dye shirt making and other events for families. Ultimately, the goal is to keep kids healthy and active while helping them accomplish personal goals.

Vic believes passion for the work sustains the legacy of the program.

“I began recruiting coaches and people who love this sport, and I’m a big believer in they have to have passion to do this work. If you’re doing it because of money, or because of your ego, you’re not going to last very long,” Vic said. “If you do because of passion, your love for kids, love for track and field, love to teach and to give information and knowledge, then you’re going to be here for a long time.”

Now that the club is nonprofit, they can apply for grants to support them with their goals of doing more bonding activities for the families involved.

“I think that idea of building relationships and making it more than just, the running, kind of like a family,” Matthew said. “We have to wait and see if it allows us to continue to build the program and do stuff periodically out of the season that will help keep the team and families knowing each other, doing stuff and helping out.”