As the summer afternoon storms rolled in for their daily onslaught, the Forever Life Achiever Vikings continued to work hard through the light drizzle that rained down on the Julius Guinyard-Jefferson St Park. Hard work is no stranger to many of the youth and families that F.L.A serves. Located off Jefferson Street in downtown Jacksonville, the association services many inner city and low-income families that work hard every day to make an honest living. It’s not just a practice habit for these youth and parents, it’s a way of life; And hard work has them dreaming hard in hopes of a garnering championships this season.
Rickie Simon Jr is founder and C.O.O of the association. Simon brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to this up and coming association. He played for the LaVilla Falcons and Coach Ricky Richardson. Then later played for Coach Welton Coffey on the 97-98 Raines Vikings State Championship team. Having a championship pedigree allows Simon to keep the parks focus on their mission. “Our Mission is to educate and enhance the low restricted poverty areas of the community”-Simon. Building the community, helping the kids, helping the parents, and helping the community is what Coach Simon identifies with after growing up in this area . “It was pivotal to come back home”. Coach Simon credits the source of the team’s existence to his coaches and players.
His 10U team which has a spirited group of coaches is led by Quarterback Emorej Terry and running back Jyon Simon. Terry is a natural-born leader, noting that playing QB is fun because he is confident in making tough decisions. Jyon loves contact as a runner, but also knows that making the right decision in the hole is big for a running back. This team has plenty of athletes but the goal for the coaches will be to find the right chemistry for everyone to be successful.
Success is a word already being thrown around when talking about the 12U team. Coach Lott has six years with the clip board, three of them with the head whistle. He too played at Raines and credits his drive for coaching as being able to give the youth something to work towards and guide them. Leading his team are two hard-hitting iron men in Kaleb Killian and Leonard Bryant. Both play running back and linebacker, and their experience gives them an edge against other players. Killian has been playing for seven years, while Bryant is in his fifth year. Both love the simple things about the game which makes it great; winning and scoring touchdowns.
The 14U team is predicted to score a lot of touchdowns this season. Coach Simon thinks they are the ” best in the nation”. Heading this team is six-year veteran Coach Brown who played high school football at Englewood.
Coach Brown understands that in order for individuals to maximize their potential in football coaches must teach them multiple positions and ensure that they are good at each position. It’s a technique that will make them versatile on the field and in other areas of their lives. Coach Brown has TE George Cooper, RB Marquise Brown, and QB Jacourey Rivers leading their attack on the field this year.
Rivers is a speedster who depends on his athletic ability to make plays. Cooper is a seven-year youth football veteran who knows winning is more important than anything else. And for Marquise it’s a family affair, as his father is a coach on the team, and his brother (Malik Brown) is a freshman on University Christian’s football team. The entire team is close like family, and this feel translates to other sections of the park.
Ka’niah Stokes is the 12U cheer-leading captain. What she loves about cheering is the acrobatic movements and skills demonstrated at each contest. Her goal is to increase the altitude of her jumps, and make lots of friends on the squad. Something that Cheer Coordinator Tanisha Harris is strongly encouraging this season from her cheerleaders. Harris has coached for three years, and cheered herself at Ribault middle and high schools. She embraces her role in hopes to help the community , become a positive role model, and forge lasting interactions with the kids for a lifetime. A goal that not only embodies the name of the park but embodies the attitude of the community.
