ORLANDO, FL. – The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Track and Field, one of the nation’s largest youth track and field event organizers, most recently partnered with TrackGirlz, a nonprofit organization led by USA Olympic Sprinter & High Performance Coach, Mechelle Lewis Freeman, and Wellness Coach, Jennifer Forrester. This joint effort will provide direct pathways to implement the TrackGirlz mission to provide girls access to education, mentorship, and sport, through track and field. This affiliation gives AAU Track & Field the opportunity to participate in a virtual afterschool girls track and field empowerment series, and an on-site empowerment workshop to be hosted at an upcoming AAU Track and Field event. 


“AAU Track & Field believes in providing positive competitive opportunities for our youth, however, we feel that participation in our program must be about more than a competition. We want to offer a holistic approach to our members in which we seek to develop them physically, mentally and socially. We are extremely excited about the programs that TrackGirlz use to develop young women. I feel that their mission and goals align with the philosophies of AAU Track & Field and that the lives of the young women in our programs will be significantly enhanced,” states Charles Oliver (Coach O) AAU Track & Field National Chairman.
TrackGirlz’s programming includes:

“Our goal is to ensure we use sisterhood, empowerment, and track and field as a gateway for girls to discover, embrace, and develop their authenticity. We focus on removing barriers, and equip girls with the methods and tools to allow them to be successful in track and field and life,” says TrackGirlz Founder & Co-Director, Mechelle Freeman. “We are excited that AAU Track & Field is working with us to help expand our reach and impact within the track and field grassroots community. We look forward to working with one of the nation’s largest youth track and field event organizers to be able to do this.”


The partnership programs will start with a focus on girls who are facing their adolescent years to address academic, health, and social issues faced during these key stages. “It’s important for us to help girls develop mentally and physically, and to promote wellbeing inside and out.” says TrackGirlz Co-Director, Jennifer Forrester. “It’s exciting for us to create unique girls empowerment opportunities for the AAU Track and Field community. We’ve seen the impact we’ve had using a sport that I personally know can open doors to positive physical, mental, and social development for girls.” 
Registration and more information on the programs offered through this partnership will be available on the TrackGirlz Website. 
To register for the February DreamBuildHER Empowerment Workshop, click here. 
For more information on AAU Track and Field, click here.
For more information on TRACKGIRLZ, click here.

ABOUT THE AAU: The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the country. As a multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs. Founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in sports, the AAU philosophy of “Sports For All, Forever” is now shared by nearly 700,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 41 sports programs and 55 U.S. districts.
ABOUT TRACKGIRLZ: Led by Olympic Sprinter, Mechelle Lewis Freeman and Wellness Coach, Jennifer Forrester, TrackGirlz is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission to provide girls access to mentorship, education, and sport through track and field. Our programs and events provide direct interaction with track and field world-class female role models, including Olympians and elite coaches, using a sport proven to have health, educational, and social benefits for girls.