The East Orlando Track Club is more than just a group of runners. It's a family of students who share a passion for track and field and a vision for their future. They train hard, compete fiercely, and support each other through thick and thin. They also have a secret weapon: their coach, Micheal Garcia.

Coach Garcia is not your typical track coach. He's also a mentor who helps his athletes prepare for their academic and athletic goals. He knows firsthand how challenging it can be to balance schoolwork, sports, and college applications, especially for students from low-income backgrounds.

That's why he founded the East Orlando Track Club (EOTC) in 2009 and introduced their competition branch, CHAOS Athletics, in 2023 as a program designed to help members combat the chaotic challenges they will face on the track and in the world. With the help of his wife, Ebony, and a dynamic team of volunteers, they work to provide high-quality coaching and mentoring to students who want to pursue track and field at the collegiate level but are limited to the resources or guidance to do so. They offer their members free or low-cost training sessions, equipment, uniforms, transportation, scholarships, test prep, school vetting, and recruitment assistance.

The club has grown from a handful of students to over 100 members, ranging from elementary to high school age. They have competed in local, state, regional, and, recently, the USATF National Junior Olympics held in Eugene, OR at Hayward Field, winning medals and All-American awards. They have also helped dozens of students get accepted into prestigious colleges and universities, such as Alabama, High Point, Hampton, and Florida State.

But the club is not without its challenges. EOTC/CHAOS faces constant pressure to help students find their path, as the students' most significant resource in School Counselors are sometimes limited in offering the support needed due to struggles with budget cuts and large student enrollment. Students also have to cope with their own personal issues, such as family problems, health concerns, or academic difficulties.

But they don't give up. They keep running, keep studying, keep dreaming. They know that they have each other, and they have Coach Garcia.

EOTC/CHAOS hopes to add you to their list of supporters as they look to raise funds for resources needed to face the world's chaos and help them run right through it like champions!

Can they count on you?

Developing Champions Through Chaos

By East Orlando Track Club

Developing Champions Through Chaos

Athlete-Family-Community