NATCHEZ &045; In a rare cool evening, some young athletes were running through some track drills Wednesday.

Those kids are part of a new track club in town. Raising an Alliance of Discerning Leaders, a local outreach ministry, has started an Amateur Athletic Union track club. Eddie Ray Jackson, who heads RADL, is also the track team’s coach.

Jackson’s son Ramonte ran with some of his friends last year in a club out of New Orleans, but Eddie Ray wanted to give other kids in the Miss-Lou the chance to compete in the meets as well.

Thus was born RADL.

&uot;We don’t charge anything for the training,&uot; Jackson said. &uot;I would be out here with my son anyway, so I said, ‘Why not get some other kids out here too?’&uot;

The only fees are the $12 membership in AAU and the cost, usually about $6 per athlete, for entry into meets. The athletes range in age from 4 to 19. At the team’s first track meet Saturday in Hammond, seven members participated.

&uot;For their first time ever, they did a real good job,&uot; Jackson said. &uot;Some of these kids didn’t know what was going on, so it was good.&uot;

Ramonte Jackson finished third in the primary division 100-meter dash, second in the long jump and third in the 400. Jalen Blackwell finished fourth in the primary 400 and fourth in the 800.

Jamie Norman was second in the youth 100, second in the 200, fifth in the 400 and first in the long jump. Brandon Lewis was seventh in the young 100, seventh in the 200 and third in the long jump. Kendrick Clark was first in the bantam shot put, second in the long jump and eighth in the 100.

For the girls, Lamesha Anderson was ninth in the youth 100, fourth in the 400 and fifth in the long jump. Lisa Whitaker was ninth in the intermediate 100 and seventh in the 400.

Jackson said going to the meets is fun for the kids and helps keep them working hard.

&uot;To go on track meets, it’s really amazing,&uot; Janice Davis, who helps Jackson coach the team, said.

Davis’ daughter Janice is a sprinter for Stanford’s track team.

&uot;It was exciting to see little kids there running like we run,&uot; Lewis said. &uot;You see a little 9-year-old running a 400 hard the whole way.&uot;

But running isn’t the only thing Jackson stresses to his kids. This club is also about helping the community. Members are expected to help out with community service projects as part of their participation.

Jackson said he has about 10 kids involved with the team, but hopes to get as many as 40 soon. Jackson said he has received interest from several athletes already that would like to come out soon.

There are 12 meets left in the season leading all the way up to the AAU National Junior Olympic Games, to be held in New Orleans this summer.

Several of his runners were already involved in track and saw the team as an opportunity to keep running.

&uot;I saw him during our track season and he talked to us and told us about the program, so I came out,&uot; Lewis, who also runs track for Natchez High, said. &uot;I’m using it as some cross-training for football. I want to keep my speed.&uot;

Some of the runners are doing it for a completely different reason.

&uot;I like running. It was fun at the meet,&uot; Clark, one of the team’s younger members, said.