What Harold Leonard lacked in expertise when he decided to start the Chi- Town Smokers Track Club 13 years ago, he more than made up for in commitment.
The 50-year-old South Sider didn`t have a blueprint to work from when he began building. He didn`t have a practice field to run on when he wanted to start training. What`s more, he didn`t have one single coaching experience to draw upon when he was ready to start leading.
But none of those things mattered much to Leonard when he decided to take his plan and run with it. By then, all he could see was the finish line.
”My wife and I wanted to find something constructive for our son to do in his free time,” explained Leonard. ”We asked him about it, and he said he wanted me to teach him to run track.
”I`d run a little in high school, but I hardly remembered anything. I was shocked he picked track; I thought he`d say basketball or baseball.”
But Leonard wasn`t about to try to change his son`s mind.
”Kids are impressionable,” he reasoned. ”I couldn`t ask him what he wanted to do and then tell him he couldn`t do it. That wouldn`t have been right. If he had said hockey, I would have had to learn about hockey.”
So, Harold Leonard became a connoisseur of track, rushing home each day from his full-time job with the Chicago Transit Authority to attend clinics and read literature on the subject.
”I wanted to be good at this,” said Leonard. ”I wanted to be able to give my son and all the other kids solid training. I was always willing to work hard for them.”
And his hard work has not gone unrewarded.
Over the last 10 years, the team has won more than 30 medals in the The Athletics Congress Junior Division Olympics and dozens more awards in regional competition.
Last month at the Illinois State Olympics, the team took first place in seven events in the 17-18 age bracket and won four more titles in the 15-16 bracket.
And his son? Well, in 1985, Harold Jr. won state titles at Mt. Carmel in the 200 and 400 meters. His time in the 400 (46.5 seconds) is still a state record.
Meanwhile, the elder Leonard was doubling as a TAC track official. He was selected to work the recently concluded Olympic Trials in New Orleans. He`ll be in Barcelona for the Olympics in that same role.
”I feel good,” he said. ”I feel everyone that`s been a part of our program, and has given it a chance to work, has benefited from it.”
And the rewards, Leonard insists, don`t necessarily have anything to do with the number of races won or record sets.
”The message I`ve tried to send through this club is to young black men. I wanted them to know that there are positive role models in the community. Guys that are willing to work with them and try and help show them the way. I wanted to make a difference.”
But as the years wore on, and his responsibilities began to mount even more, Leonard realized he needed more help. And that`s where Frank Johnson came in.
With Leonard serving as the team`s chief administrator the last two years, Johnson has taken over as coach, and the team hardly has skipped a beat.
”My motivation for doing this is the same as Harold`s was, so I try to work just as hard,” said Johnson, a former track star at Tennessee State who now works in marketing.
”This is my way of giving back,” he said. ”I have a lot to be thankful for, and I couldn`t think of a better way of showing my gratitude than by helping shape the lives of young black men.”
This year`s team has 21 members and features five one-time IHSA state champions. U-High`s Chris Harper (Class A 100 and 200), Mounds Meridian`s Jacob Parker (Class A 800), CVS` Chris Ellis (800) and Reggie Torian of Thornwood (long jump) all won state crowns this year. Rich Central`s Carlton Clark (300 intermediate hurdles) won a state title last year.
The team works out four days a week at Chicago State University and competes in at least one meet a week. Athletes come from all over Illinois to join the team, whose youngest members are a pair of 10-year-olds.
”This is the best team we`ve had since 1982, when Mark Witherspoon was running with us,” said Leonard. ”This team conjures up a lot of great memories for me.”
And as for Witherspoon, Leonard`s memories of the South Side speedster were probably awakened even more last month when the two met in New Orleans, where Whitherspoon was earning a spot on the Olympic team in the 100.
”I was probably more excited than Mark to see that happen,” Leonard said. ”When you see the kids succeeding, that makes it all seem worthwhile. I have no regrets.”
Well, maybe just one.
”The only thing I would change is the way we`ve had to struggle financially,” said Leonard. ”Basically, we`ve been on our own, and Frank and I both have had to foot the bill quite a bit to keep us going. It gets tough sometimes.”
One person on whom Leonard has come to depend on is Larry Huggins, a South Side businessman who has donated money to the team the last few years.
Said Johnson: ”We`re a family around here. And we try to look after each other. My motto has always been, `Either you`re in it all the way or you`re not really in it.` ”
