Dothan sprinter Williams ready for JO's

By Drew Champlin

Published: July 19, 2008

A year ago, Dothan’s Tyson Williams was in the national spotlight, participating in the Major League Baseball all-star game’s Pitch, Hit & Run at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Now, he’s back in the spotlight, but for a different sport.

The 9-year-old Williams, son of Franklin and Marlita Williams, will travel to Omaha, Neb., next week for the Junior Olympics.

Tyson, an upcoming fourth grader at Hidden Lake Elementary, qualified in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and as part of the 4x100-meter relay with his AAU team, the Magic City Roosters of Birmingham. He’ll travel to Omaha Wednesday with cousin Azariah Jackson, who is also competing, and other family members.

His father said that Tyson has always had the gift of speed, but had never really learned the nuances of track and field until just a few months ago.

An AAU track coach from the Georgia Blazers of Columbus, Ga., came to watch Beverlye Middle School’s basketball practices, where oldest son Frank Williams III was practicing. He was eventually directed to some football clips of Tyson on YouTube.com.

“There was a lot of time between the time his baseball regular season ended and when all-stars started,” Franklin said. “Now he’s running for two AAU teams. He has something you really can’t teach, and that’s the will to win.”

In Tyson’s first track meets in late May, he finished in the top 5 in the 400-meter, 200-meter and 100-meter runs against more experienced runners from Georgia.

He qualified for the Junior Olympics by finishing first in the 200, second in the 100 and first in the 4x100 at the Alabama Sports Festival in Troy. He then finished third in the 100, second in the 200 and first in the 4x100 in the regionals in Hoover against kids from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana.

“The toughest part is getting down his form and technique,” Franklin said. “He’s totally raw and he’s competing off raw talent.”

Tyson said he runs the second leg of the 4x100, where usually the fastest runner runs, and that it’s his favorite event.

“It’s harder, and you get more time to run,” Tyson said.

Tyson now limits his races to the shorter ones, which take advantage of his speed burst. The 400-meter dash is something he didn’t enjoy.
“It’s too long,” Tyson said. “I couldn’t get started right.”

Unlike last year, Franklin and Marlita won’t get to go. Last year’s trip to San Francisco was paid for by Major League Baseball. Everyone pays their own way to Omaha. Plus, Franklin is saving vacation time because the couple is expecting a son in October.

Franklin, a basketball star at Headland and at Auburn, realized Tyson’s talents early on. It was then that he set ground rules for the youth star in four sports — baseball, basketball, football and track.

“We made an agreement two years ago that if he remains on the A-B honor roll, then I’ll allow him to do whatever he wants to do with sports,” Franklin said. “He’s holding up his end of the deal, and we’re holding up ours.”