Amazing Kids! is proud to highlight the Amazing Kids! of the Month!

Each month, we showcase kids who are accomplishing amazing things.  We hope that by telling their special stories, we will inspire other kids to accomplish their own amazing achievements. 

15 year old Majik (pronounced "magic") Reed wasn't always an amazing track star.  She started out as an amazing young gymnast, winning the Minnesota state championship in the vault exercise, and placing 2nd in the floor exercise, when she was just 9 years old! 
 
 

A young amazing Majik with a twinkle in her eye... 

Majik enjoyed gymnastics, but decided she wanted to spend more time for other activities in her life.  Little did she know that those "activities" would turn out to be hours of training and competing in track meets at a regional, state and national level! 

Majik's athletic ability is partly a gift she received from her father, Oscar Reed, a former professional football player for the Minnesota Vikings and amazing athlete.  One summer, Mr. Reed's friend Earlie Thomas, a former football player with the New York Jets, invited Majik to train at his track club in Fort Collins, Colorado.  But Majik thought she wouldn't like running long distances.  It was only when her mother, Jeri Reed, told her that there were shorter races called "sprints," that Majik thought she'd give it a try.

Good thing she did!  In her very first competition, at age 10, this "natural" athlete ran so fast, she ran a national competition qualifying time!  She was timed in 14.02 seconds, which beat the qualifying time of 14.6 seconds, and she finished in first place!  Shortly after, she went on to take first in the Colorado Junior Olympics with a 14.05 time, and qualified her for the regionals.
 
 

Go Majik!!!

Last year, at age 14, she competed in the USA Track and Field Region 10 Junior Olympic Championships in Phoenix, where she  placed second in the 100 meters with a time of 12:15, and third in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 14:07. 

Majik became a Minnesota state champion last year, as a freshman in high school, and she also placed in the nationals!!  Participating in the 1999 Minnesota High School State Track Meet, she was Minnesota Class A 100 Meter and 200 Meter champion, but this time it was in sprints, not hurdles! 

You see, because Majik had just moved up to the higher hurdles for high school, she chose not to compete in the hurdles in high school last year .  She needed more practice to prepare, but she didn't have a hurdles coach in Minnesota.  But this year she will be ready, because coach Earlie Thomas will be coaching her all the way from Colorado--- via videotape! 

Majik is a sophomore and attends a private high school in Minneapolis.  She participates in many school activities.  She is the statistician for the boys' basketball and football teams.

But that's not all!  Amazing Majik is not only an excellent young track star; she's an honor student too!  She works hard to get good grades, because like the other February Amazing Kids! of the Month, she knows just how important a good education is for her future!  Recently, her math teacher nominated her for the "Who's Who in American High School Students," a book listing the names and achievements of amazing high school students like Majik.

With such an amazing record of accomplishments, who knows?  Perhaps someday you will see amazing Majik in a hurdles race in a future Olympics games!  Or perhaps, if you love to run and are willing to put in the hard work and training it takes to succeed, maybe someday you'll  be running in an Olympics race alongside Majik!  Now wouldn't that  be amazing?

Go Majik!!!

Read Majik's own words about why she loves to run, and who knows?  Maybe you'll want to become an amazing young runner too!

Check out the list of the milestone events in which Majik has competed!

Check out Majik's list of track and field achievements!

What do you like about track & field?
Meeting new people, traveling and competition. It's fun and you never know what is going to happen in a race; anything is possible--especially in hurdles!

What are some of the benefits you're received being in track and field?
A lot of medals and new friends from all over the country!

When and how did you get started?
 When I was about five, my family and I went to Colorado to visit.  My dad's friend, Earlie Thomas, told my parents if I ever got tired of gymnastics, which I competed in for about 6 years, I should come to Colorado and learn to hurdle because I had good timing and ability.  At about 10 1/2, I got tired of gymnastics, so I decided to take Earlie up on his offer.  I left for Colorado Memorial weekend 1995 and I've been running ever since.

Favorite Moments?
In my first week in Colorado, after only two practices, I ran in my first meet against 7 boys (there were no girls hurdling in my age group), and I beat them all by at least three meters.

Future Goals?
To run track in college and possibly after.....

Milestone Events:

• 1995-1999 Colorado Junior Olympics
• 1995-1999 Mile High Classic
• 1995-1999 USATF Junior Olympic Regionals (Colorado Springs, Albuquerque,El Paso, Glendale AZ, Provo) 
• 1995-1999 USATF Junior Olympic Nationals(San Jose CA, Houston, Baton Rogue, Seattle, Omaha) 
• 1999 Minnesota State High School Track & Field Meet

• 2nd place in 100 meter hurdles at USATF Junior Olympic 
• Nationals - 1995, 1996, 1998
• 1st place in 100m & 200m dash at 1999 Minnesota State High School Track Meet 
• 2nd place in 100m dash at USATF Regional Junior Olympics- 1996,1998,1999 
• Minnesota State High School Class A Section 1 records in the 100 & 200m sprints-1999

Calling All Amazing Kids!  We Need Your Help! If you are, or know any kids who are, doing amazing things, we want to hear about it!  Send us your stories, so we might be able to feature you too someday!   Please be patient, and we will do our best to tell your story some day -- hopefully soon!