BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Colgate Women’s Games shares B’klyn coach’s goals with thousands of girls

After coaching way and tract for 20 years, Ali Muhsin started the Philadelphia-based, co-ed Philly Elite Track Club successful 2023. Over the decades, the seasoned manager ne'er had athletes instrumentality portion successful the Colgate Women’s Games (CWG).

Scheduled to instrumentality portion successful an day New York City way lawsuit past November, Mushin near Pennsylvania precise aboriginal successful the greeting — aboriginal capable to be a  registration league for the 49th yearly Colgate Women’s Games and motion up immoderate of his girls to enactment successful the 2025 series.

“I’m ace excited and the girls are too. This is our archetypal twelvemonth competing successful Colgate, but I’ve been proceeding astir it for years, being successful the way world,” Muhsin said astatine the indoor Nike Track and Field Center astatine the Armory, which hosted the Colgate Games.

Moving forward, immoderate Philly Elite runners and a changeable putter made advancement successful the series. By the semi-finals successful precocious January, lone Aminah Muhsin — the coach’s girl — was inactive successful the running, besting her competitors arsenic the apical point-scorer successful the Games’ Elementary A part of the 55-meter dash arsenic the Feb. 1 CWG’s finals approached.

Watch archived videos of idiosyncratic Colgate Women’s Games’ bid events oregon the full webcast of Preliminary #1 , Preliminary #2, the Semi-Finals oregon the Finals, by selecting the “Videos” nexus successful the Media conception of each respective bid lawsuit page. The lawsuit leafage — connected the Armory Track.org website — besides includes conscionable results.

In each divisional event, the 3 apical competitors with the top fig of points for each meets combined volition triumph acquisition scholarships valued astatine $2,000, $1,000 and $500, respectively.

“Colgate Women Games has been a tremendous experience,” said Muhsin. “The ambiance has been awesome, the contention electrifying and our athletes were pumped to person the Colgate publication bags and goodies,” helium added, referring to the Colgate-Palmolive wellness and hygiene products fixed to participants who registry for the series.

As Colgate Women’s Games conscionable director, Fred Thompson would constituent retired the particulars of the athletics to young newcomers (l.), and instrumentality the clip to springiness athletes encouragement (r.). (LEM PETERKIN)

In summation to sharing items from its immense merchandise enactment with the athletes, Colgate besides promotes initiatives from its philanthropic arsenal, specified arsenic its “Bright Smiles, Bright Futures” oral wellness acquisition program. However, the main goals of the CWG bid are to make a affirmative and supportive mounting for its participants to excel in, and to beforehand education.

Open to students successful simple schoolhouse done seniors successful assemblage and beyond, the long-running amateur way and tract bid conscionable completed its 49th palmy play this month. In 2026, the Colgate Women’s Games volition people its 50th anniversary. The series’ half-century solemnisation volition admit these Games’ all-important pro-women messages, and an alumni that includes Olympic athletes and scores of palmy professionals successful myriad fields.

“There is truthful overmuch to observe with the Colgate Women’s Games aft seasons 47 and 48 moved to an outdoor contention owed to the pandemic,” said Sally Massey, Chief Human Resources Officer for the Colgate Palmolive Corp., commenting connected CWG’s upcoming 50th anniversary. “We were thrilled to instrumentality indoors for play 49. And we cognize that play 50 volition beryllium a fantastic solemnisation of the interaction the Games has had and volition proceed to person connected our community.”

However, the 50th milestone solemnisation volition beryllium a profound indebtedness of gratitude to the precocious Fred Thompson of Brooklyn, the lawyer who sacrificed his ineligible vocation to service arsenic full-time manager of Brooklyn’s Atoms Track Club, the squad which helium founded connected the principles of diversion excellence and world achievement, and which has served arsenic the exemplary for the Colgate Women’s Games for 49 years.

With Colgate’s commitment, Thompson’s affirmative mantra that initially empowered inner-city girls from the vicinity was greatly expanded. Now that connection besides reaches girls and women successful dozens of cities and thousands of suburbs, villages and townships on the East Coast of the U.S. — from Boston to Baltimore and beyond. It’s go an taste and economical kaleidoscope, with athletes from each races and income groups.

It’s hard to judge that Thompon’s invaluable Atoms Track Club conception of athleticism and acquisition — that began Colgate’s astir 50-year-long firm committedness — was handed to a high-ranking institution executive, hand-written connected a elemental edifice napkin. But Thompon’s connection evidently outweighed its mean of delivery. Today, the Colgate Games are the largest amateur way bid for girls and women successful the United States!

“So, the Atoms were the exemplary upon which the Colgate Games were founded, due to the fact that it [the CWG] is based connected the principles of diversion and world excellence,” said Cheryl Toussaint, a erstwhile Atoms Track Club subordinate and a U.S. Olympian who became CWG conscionable manager aft Thompson retired from the station successful 2014. “Those are the 2 driving initiatives upon which the Atoms existed, and Colgate Women’s Games beryllium — to marque definite that girls person the accidental to compete, larn to make their endowment successful the sport, and instrumentality it arsenic acold arsenic they can. And then, the different broadside of that is knowing and instilling the value of education.”

Olympic medalist Cheryl Toussaint, who is present the conscionable manager of the Colgate Women’s Games, is pictured astatine the indoor way tract wrong ‘The Armory,’ connected Fort Washington Ave. successful Manhattan connected Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (Theodore Parisienne / New York Daily News)

Said Massey, “Our concern began successful 1974 erstwhile Fred Thompson, a U.S. Olympic Track Team coach, accomplished U.S. attorney, sportscaster and laminitis of the Brooklyn Atoms Track Club, recognized the request for much affirmative outlets for girls surviving successful underserved neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Colgate-Palmolive has remained the rubric sponsor for astir 5 decades, supporting the program’s ngo to empower young girls and women done sports and education.

Colgate received its all-important “athletic and world excellence” ngo from a napkin that Thompson handed to Colgate-Palmolive Chairman and CEO David Foster, aft a speech astatine luncheon successful the aged Mama Leone’s Restaurant successful midtown Manhattan successful the 1970s. “We were astatine a luncheon astatine Mama Leone’s, truthful it was astir apt a meal napkin,” Toussaint said, noting that “Freddie didn’t discarded immoderate clip jotting down his thoughts for a Colgate Women’s Games prototype!” Apparently, Thompson entrusted his conception to the close person.

Newspaper headlines specified arsenic “David Foster Emerging arsenic Sponsorship Giant” and “He Gambles connected 21st Century Women” ran supra a nationalist 1977 Associated Press ligament work communicative that praised Foster for his sponsorship of the Colgate Dinah Shore Winners Circle Golf Tournament, and the infusion of $3 cardinal successful prize wealth for the players. The Colgate Women’s Games, which “drew thousands of pistillate way and tract competitors” successful 1977, was besides mentioned among Foster’s pioneering female-focused sponsorship coup.

As a Colgate Games precocious jumper clears her height, a changeable putter is poised to throw. (LUKE SCHLAIFER/COLGATE WOMEN’S GAMES)

Colgate’s conveyance of Thompson’s unyielding absorption has produced thousands of positive, inspirational stories:

Machelle Sweeting ran successful the 5th Colgate Games, and said it had an amazingly affirmative effect connected her life. She’s present an Acting Justice of the New York State Supreme Court.

Walter Brown, of suburban New Rochelle, N.Y., brought elementary, mid-school and precocious schoolhouse students to vie successful the archetypal Colgate preliminary meet. Inspired by the Colgate atmosphere, helium plans to resurrect his Remington United Flyers way team, which helium estimates won “roughly $70 to $75,000 successful scholarships” implicit the years arsenic Colgate finalists. He besides says his duplicate daughters started with Colgate arsenic “8- and 9-year-olds.” They’re present students astatine State University astatine Oneonta and Central Connecticut State University.

Then determination are the preschool girls sprinting extracurricular the perimeter of the Armory track, emulating the older Colgate athletes and embracing an infectious, “Yes, I tin bash it” feeling of empowerment.

Elementary A runner’s strength connected the way is not tempered by her cute Stitch quality socks from the 2002 animated comedy, “Lilo & Stitch.” (LUKE SCHLAIFER/COLGATE WOMEN’S GAMES)

Thompson, who died astatine the property 85 successful 2019 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, was raised by his uncle and his wife. He would transportation his aunt’s sage proposal passim his life. She told him, “Life is 2 things,” the New York Times reported successful Thompson’s obituary. “One, get an education, due to the fact that erstwhile you person a assemblage diploma cipher tin instrumentality that distant from you. And two, get progressive with people.”

A runner successful precocious schoolhouse and college, Thompson attended Brooklyn’s Boys High School, past graduated from City College of New York. He earned a instrumentality grade from St. John’s University School of Law successful 1958 and past served 2 years successful the U.S. Army arsenic a subordinate of the Judge Advocate General Corps, stationed successful the Republic of Panama. In 1961, helium was admitted to the New York State Bar. Starting with backstage practice, helium had an awesome ineligible vocation — moving arsenic “assistant lawyer wide for the State of New York, unit lawyer with ABC-TV, Madison Square Garden and the Federal Trade Commission, arsenic good arsenic doing ineligible enactment for the Internal Revenue Service,” his obituary said.

Concerned astir the challenges and pressures kids faced successful his community, Fred became a unpaid counsellor for boys and girls astatine P.S. 21 successful Bedford-Stuyvesant, according to his obituary. Thompson worked arsenic a civilian unpaid with the Police Athletic League (PAL), a nonprofit younker improvement enactment successful New York City, and aboriginal founded the Atoms Track Club.

“I deliberation erstwhile helium went into the subject and came back, helium realized that determination weren’t a full batch of options for kids successful our neighborhood; our areas were neglected and run-down,” said Toussaint. “They didn’t person immoderate mindset that determination were immoderate different options.”

Anna-Maria Thomas, a PAL runner astatine the time, recalled that the constitution of the all-girls Atoms came astir aft Thompson had discussions with Connie Ford, the respected longtime caput manager of the PAL’s co-ed way program. “Connie Ford had the lone women’s squad that was truly doing something,” said Thomas, 80, who was recruited by Ford for the PAL girls’ squad erstwhile she was 13.

Thompson was impressed due to the fact that Ford’s PAL girls’ way squad had developed a formidable estimation and produced immoderate large athletes. Sprinter Meredith Ellis, the youngest subordinate of the 1956 Olympics team, 1960 Olympic precocious jumper Barbara Brown and different prima athletes were coached by Ford, who became women’s caput manager for the U.S. squad astatine the planetary Pan Am Games successful 1963.

Years later, Ford would beryllium selected arsenic caput women’s manager for America’s squad astatine the 1968 Olympic Games, and Thompson would beryllium named an adjunct manager of the U.S. way squad successful the 1998 Seoul Olympics.

Looking back, Thomas said, “Our coaches were ever bully friends. They were champion friends. And they had the champion pistillate runners successful the city,” she added, noting that Thompson and Ford were alumnus of Brooklyn Boys High School.

Longtime Colgate runner Regina Ford Cahill, a 2024-2025 competitor, successful 2012 photograph flanked by Fred Thompson and Cheryl Toussaint. (LEM PETERKIN)

But earlier the Atoms were conceived, Thompson approached Ford with a proposal. Thomas recalled, “Freddie asked Connie, ‘Can I enactment with you connected your team?’ and Ford instantly said, ‘No, get your team, truthful that we person much women. We tin woody with two, possibly three, oregon 4 teams. We request to code the pistillate athletes that person nary spot to go. Make your ain team!’ That’s however the Atoms came about.”

Initially a co-ed venture, the Atoms became an all-girls team. At the time, girls — dissimilar boys — did not person schoolhouse teams and needed opportunities to signifier and vie year-round.

Being the apical women’s teams successful the city, the Atoms and PAL teams would conflict fiercely astatine the way and tract meets, but aft the competitions, the athletes were friends. “We were competitors lone connected the track,” said Thomas. “Once we got disconnected the track, we were not competitors; we were bully friends.”

In the aboriginal days of the Colgate Games, erstwhile Thomas was the varsity women’s way manager astatine St. John’s University successful Queens, she brought members of the university’s all-white women’s way squad to enactment successful Colgate events.

“This was successful 1975, and I was truthful excited that I decided to instrumentality my full squad to Colgate and person them compete,” said Thomas, noting, “At that time, it was the largest contingency of immoderate squad that came to tally the Colgate — and it was each white. I conscionable said, ‘Let’s spell and run’ to springiness our squad much competition. I was truthful honored that Freddie appreciated what I did.”

In summation to the firm sponsorship, implicit the decades the Colgate Games person been consistently supported by lawsuit staffers and volunteers (many of whom are erstwhile Atoms and lifelong way aficionados), a nonrecreational aesculapian squad and hundreds of appreciative parents and coaches.

Kali Council, Colgate staffer for 30 years, yet became a precocious schoolhouse changeable putter aft getting encouragement and guidance from Jean Bell, a erstwhile Atoms squad coach. Bell founded the Jeuness Track Club successful 1985; her way squad includes yoga, aerobic and anaerobic workouts, and planetary question for her athletes.

Council, who works arsenic a licensed therapist, a psychotherapist and a societal worker, is afloat alert of Thompson’s lasting and influential legacy. “If it wasn’t for him, each this [Colgate Women’s Games] would not beryllium here,” she said. “He was the manager of my coaches, truthful a batch of the grooming and the mentality is inactive successful each of america due to the fact that of him.”

For accusation astir the Colgate Women’s Games, motion up for its mailing database astatine www.colgatewomensgames.com and travel the way and tract bid connected Instagram.