Mid-Island Striders' commitment towards its members is akin to a marathon rather than a sprint.

This track club is looking way into the future rather than focusing narrowly on immediate success. In addition, it's not just interested in the athletes' development in sport but also educationally and socially.

It is with such long-term goals in mind that the club embarks on its annual tour of American colleges today. Members will also compete in the Florida Relays while visiting some of that state's prominent universities including Florida State, Florida A & M and the University of Miami.

While Mid-Island's members range from middle school to high school ages, the college tours are geared towards their older athletes who are starting to consider college options. Eight athletes - four girls and four boys - are making this ten-day trip.

"The main focus of these trips is exposing the kids to college life and athletics at that level," explained club founder and coach Bill Euler. "So they can see what's required and maybe get some information that might help them in making their choices regarding college."

In 2001, Euler, assistant coach Tony Bean and chaperone Renee Heyliger took five girls and two boys on the club's first tour, competing at the Florida Relays and visiting nine universities.

Last year, three girls and two boys from Mid-Island went to the Penn Relays and toured five universities in Washington DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

The club also plans to participate in this year's Penn Relays from April 24 to 28 and the East Coast Invitational in North Carolina during the summer.

Exposure to overseas competition, noted Euler, had helped his charges realise they could be among the world's best if they worked hard at their respective disciplines.

"Unfortunately, track meets here are not as well attended (by athletes) as they could be and athletes end up running against the same people every weekend. But when they go away it's top competition and they get a better measurement of where they are and they can see that they need to train harder because it's tougher out there."

The inspiration and experience from these tours have been evident in the athletes' improved performances with many setting personal best marks in recent times. One highlight was that three of Mid-Island's female athletes reached the 100-metre finals at the 2001 Florida Relays.

"Part of our programme is to establish goals. They (the athletes) write down their own goals and we help them reach these goals. Some have already reached certain goals and are moving on to other targets," said Euler.

Melissa Clarke and Oren Smith are two such athletes who are determined to succeed athletically.

"My first goal for the 100 metres was to break 13 seconds and I did that when I ran 12.6. My next goal is to run 12 seconds flat," disclosed 16-year-old Clarke who attends CedarBridge Academy.

Smith's ambition is even more lofty as he eventually wants to go below ten seconds in the 100 metres. The 19-year-old is now rebounding from injury before which he had made encouraging progress with a personal best of 11.01 seconds.

Whitney Matthew is another of Euler's athletes who has been showing significant improvement, dipping below a minute in the 400 metres for the first time in her maiden outing at the East Coast Invitational. She also set another personal record in the 200 metres at last year's Caribbean Union of Teachers' Games in Trinidad.

"She has gotten more involved in track and field and is training three days a week rather than one or two days like before when she was dancing also. She is really taking this seriously," said the coach.

Since its launch three years ago, Mid-Island has become the training ground for some of the Island's rising track stars and now boasts 20-plus members. Euler established the club after noticing "a need for a track club geared towards middle school and high school students".

"A lot of them were dropping out of the sport just at their peak and I wanted to get them involved again," he explained.

Bean, who benefited from a track scholarship and competed at the Florida Relays in his university days, has been sharing his college experiences with the teenagers and giving them insight into how being an athlete can be a valuable asset.

"I want to these kids to get the same opportunities that I got: free education, travel, meeting new people, including famous athletes. Sports is a great avenue for them and can open a lot of doors," he said.

However, Mid-Island's coaches are not about to let members forget that education is a vital component of their development. They ensure all members are excelling academically, even requesting copies of report cards for verification.

Euler and company also recognise that they have a social responsibility to these children who are frequently in their care and they make themselves available to discuss and assist with any problems which members might have.