Future Olympic Star at Seymour Intermediate School?

When the 2016 Summer Olympics rolls around, watch for Seymour’s own Trisha Clay. She could be swimming, running or biking.
Clay, a ten year old 5th grader at Seymour Intermediate, recently finished runner-up in an IronKids National Triathlon event in Alpharetta, GA. She finished second in the 10 year old females classification which had approximately 50 participants.
A triathlon is an athletic event made up of swimming, biking and running. The results of the three events are combined to give the final results.
Clay swam 150 meters in 3 minutes, 21 seconds; biked four miles in 19 minutes, 4 seconds; ran one mile in 9 minutes, 24 seconds. Her total time for all three events was 31 minutes, 49 seconds. She was very excited, “I feel great about it. I did it for my family, school, Grandma and Papa. My biggest coach is my little sister Leslie who is four years old. She yells and cheers when I am racing.”
This performance qualifies Clay for the IronKids National Championship in Tucson, Arizona on October 4th. She is really looking forward to the trip. Clay responded, “It’s really going to be fun. I hope I can win it.” “We are really proud of Trisha. She has really worked hard. Everything she has done has been on her own. She loves it” said Bobby Clay, Trisha’s Dad.
The only help she has had was from a friend, Dee Dee Trotter. Trotter is a 2004 Olympic gold medal winner in the 400 meter run. “Dee Dee has helped Trisha a lot with her running” said Bobby Clay. It helps to have friends like Trotter; especially if you’re an Olympic hopeful.
Clay goes on to say, “We are very excited about going to Arizona. I think she can win the whole thing.”
According to their website, the IronKids mission is to “inspire and motivate youth through the sport to lead an active positive and healthy lifestyle.” The National Event Series targets children 6 to 15 years old and provides a fun experience for the whole family.
Clay competes locally also in Knoxville, Oak Ridge and Maryville. She swims most of her meets at the Sevier Aquatic Club. This is her first year to compete in the IronKids organization. Clay works out daily except for Wednesday which is her church night.
Although Clay excels at three sports, she says she likes swimming the most. “I like swimming the best. My favorite stroke is freestyle.” Clay is a good student, well behaved and very polite. She also plays basketball at First Baptist Church in the Upward League. Drawing is one of her more passive activities.
It was not surprising to hear what her goal is. When asked she responded, “My goal is to win the Olympics in swimming some day.” Keep your eye on the summer of 2016. It is always an honor to have over achievers come out of the Seymour community.