By Kyle Coppola
Groveland’s Vanessa Waite Breaks AAU National Record in 200M Race
“The next generation of stars are always somewhere at the AAU Junior Olympic Games. On Wednesday, AAU found their latest next-in-waiting.” That was the quote from Ran Waite who’s daughter just completed an earth shattering run in the 200 meter race during the AAU Junior Olympics Semifinals in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Vanessa Waite is a Class of 2028 teenager from Groveland, Florida. She has made herself known in the 200 meter race but especially in 2024. Clocking a blitzing time of 23.26 seconds in the girls’ 15-16 year-old semifinals, this outstanding performance demolished a 14-year-old national record last held by Kendall Baisden.
What’s more impressive, however, is that the performance also tied an eighth-grade class national record formerly held by Tamari Davis, who is currently in Paris representing the U.S. and is among the squad’s relay pool.
Waite entered the competition with a career best of 23.37 seconds from the FLYRA Middle School State Championships in May, which already placed her among the top young sprinters in the nation. With her new record-setting time, she has brewed up a U.S. No. 12 time, cementing her status as a rising star in track and field.
Vanessa’s achievement in Greensboro is just the beginning of what promises to be an illustrious career. As she continues to break records and set new standards, we will undoubtedly keep a close eye on this exceptional young talent from Groveland, Florida. We wish her the best of luck as she strives for Gold at the AAU Junior Olympics! Go Vanessa!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
