By Nila Harris
Tim King and Aaron Teegarden are familiar faces in the Pendleton County and beyond track and field scene. The father/son duo have a long standing in competitions and coaching young athletes.
This experience has led them to enlist and get selected as part of the crew to oversee the under-20 athletes’ pursuit for positions on the 2024 U.S. track and field team.
The competition is taking place through Sunday in Eugene, Oregon.
In addition, King worked the nearby Nike Nationals for elite high school athletes, also held in Eugene.
King was a Pendleton County High School coach for about 10 years, and Teegarden, a 2013 PCHS graduate, set school records in shot put, discus, javelin and hammer throws. This is King’s second Olympic trials. His job as crew chief is “to oversee the other official, make assignments and handle the athletes in some things like going to mix zone for drug testing,” King said.
He served as the shot-put chief, and Teegarden had the same responsibilities in his assignment as the discus crew chief. The two worked as part of a seven-man crew for six different events at the trials.
To obtain a position on this team, one must have experience in track and field, fill out a resume and take a test. The two received “on the job training” during the competition.
And it wasn’t all work and no play. King and Teegarden were able to enjoy some downtime at the beautiful Mount Hood, joined by family member Kenni King.
