Kerry Barboza sits down with Jane Blomquist of the Hill Country Comets track club to talk about two major youth track meets happening this week — the TAAF Summer Games of Texas in College Station and the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa at Drake University. Jane shares how the club has grown to over 20 coaches covering every track and field event, the national-level meets they attend (Nike, Under Armour, New Balance), and some of the standout athletes they've developed over the years. She also opens up about the club's scholarship program — which has given out over $26,000 to graduating athletes — and shares the personal story of her son Noah heading to Sweden's Dala Sports Academy to train and compete.

The Boerne Brew airs on Boerne Radio 103.9 FM and 1500 AM.

Timeline:

0:00 – Intro & meet the guest: Jane Blomquist, Hill Country Comets

0:39 – TAAF Summer Games of Texas (College Station, ~5,000 athletes)

1:53 – 47 Comets qualified; medal contenders

2:12 – AAU Junior Olympic Games (Des Moines, Iowa; 14,000 athletes)

3:24 – Drake University campus & meet scale (20–30K attendees)

3:04 – Overlap between TAAF and Junior Olympics

4:07 – The coaching staff: 20 coaches covering every event

4:24 – Pole vault, hurdles, sprints, multis — full event coverage

5:28 – National meets: Nike, Under Armour, New Balance Nationals

6:09 – Qualifying standards and division breakdown

6:27 – Comets at Nike & Under Armour this year; IMG Academy

7:08 – Travel costs and parent funding

7:22 – Total club membership (~180 this year, up to 350 in past)

7:39 – Top 5 club in Texas; Houston/Dallas comparisons

8:00 – Training at Boerne ISD Stadium; occasional Bandera practices

8:33 – Meet schedule: 4 prep meets + district + regional (up to 10 meets/summer)

9:04 – Elizabeth Leachman mention; Brady Chandler (pole vault)

9:43 – National champions and records; Ben Blomquist at Nike Nationals

10:06 – Brock Lewis (UT decathlete); #1 ranked heptathlete heading to Junior Olympics

10:31 – Season start: April, after Easter

10:48 – Multi-sport kids; attendance philosophy ("come when you can")

11:49 – Club history: founded 2014 as Hill Country Comets; relationship with TAAF's City of Boerne team

12:41 – Competing as "City of Boerne" at TAAF

13:04 – Two TAAF State Athletes of the Year: Noah Blomquist (2018) & Bethany Preuss (2022)

13:44 – Athletes from outside Boerne; thrower driving 2.5 hrs from Brackettville

14:12 – Campbell Garavino: heptathlete from Oklahoma, moved to Boerne for summer training

14:54 – Campbell's story: multiple Oklahoma state champion, now #1 seeded heptathlete

16:12 – Scholarship program: $26,300 given out; up to $2,000 per athlete

17:03 – Jane's family & husband Stefan (Swedish national team athlete)

17:57 – Son Noah heading to Dala Sports Academy in Sweden (Aug 22)

19:24 – Why the family stayed in Texas; meeting Stefan at Angelo State

20:36 – Stefan's Swedish roots; family still in Sweden

21:32 – Why coaches volunteer; culture of former athletes returning

23:16 – What makes Jane proud at meets: sportsmanship & improvement

23:36 – Wrap-up; Jane's upcoming trips to Sweden and Egypt

Original Air Date:  August 1, 2026, as heard on Boerne Radio 103.9FM

https://www.boernestar.com/