Kaylin Whitney may withdraw from school, train with pros, says coach

East Ridge, Florida sprint sensation Kaylin Whitney may enroll in a Florida virtual school to accommodate full-time training with the Star Athletics club.

The Star Athletics club is a training group for professional track athletes, including Olympic gold medalist Justin Gatlin, coached by three-time Olympic medalist Dennis Mitchell. Enrolling in a virtual school would allow the high school junior to attend the club's regular 9 to 11 a.m. weekday practices instead of working out on her own with Mitchell in the afternoons.

The World U-18 Record Holder for 100m (11.10) and 200m (22.49) has trained with Mitchell and his wife, 2008 Olympic hurdler Damu Cherry, since she was eleven years old.

"If she ran high school track this year, she really wasn't going to be pushed," East Ridge track coach Larry Ferguson said. "In an effort to keep her growth, she'll have a different training regimen and train during the day, so that's why they'd have her go to a Florida virtual school.

"She may still run in some high school track meets. The only thing I got from my administrators was that if she goes to a virtual school, they don't think the FHSAA will allow her to run."

If Whitney does compete in high school events, she would have to run unattached. She would not wear an East Ridge jersey again.

According to Ferguson, the 16-year-old Whitney is not pursuing a professional contract at this point in her young career.

"It's 99 percent she keeps her eligibility and runs unattached," Ferguson said of Whitney, "The concept of her going pro isn't part of the equation. I think there is a combination of things and a lot of misconceptions since she's been with Dennis and Damu since she was eleven years old. So that's more of a mentoring half of things, so I don't think that equates with her going pro.

"When we look at her academic disposition, she has aspirations of going to college. As long as she progresses and gets faster, [she has] the ability to run in 2016 whether she is pro or not."

Second semester at East Ridge High School starts next Tuesday, January 20. If Whitney is present at school on Tuesday, then she is enrolled for the spring semester. If not, she is pursuing the next phase of her athletic career.

"What is the ceiling and how do you help her to reach that ceiling? She's beyond a high school training regimen and high school training circuit," Ferguson said. "With 2016 right around the corner, everyone wants to see this young lady maximize everything she can to reach her ceiling."

Whitney declined to comment on the rumors.

"I haven't made any decisions," Whitney said, "I'm just focusing on training right now."

Whitney may be the most successful female youth sprinter in the history of the United States, as she has bypassed age group marks set by prep track legends Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross. Her lengthy list of athletic accolades was capped by winning the IAAF World Junior Championship for 100m last summer in Eugene, Oregon.

FLrunners Webmaster Todd Grasley contributed to this report.