The Waxhaw Board of Commissioners recognized two local siblings on Sept. 8 after both cracked the national top five in the long jump at the 2026 AAU Junior Olympics.
Tinley Carpenter, 8, finished third in the nation in her age group. Her brother Jordan, 9, finished fifth in his. Both attend Sandy Ridge Elementary and compete for the Charlotte Heat AAU track and field team, as first reported by the Enquirer Journal.
Tinley jumped 13 feet. Jordan jumped 14 feet.
"I jumped 13 feet and it's my first time jumping 13 feet," Tinley told the Enquirer Journal.
The AAU Junior Olympic Games ran Aug. 1–8 at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The long jump competition placed the Waxhaw siblings against athletes from across the country in their respective age-group divisions.
The board presented both children with certificates of achievement at its Sept. 8 meeting. The North Carolina House of Representatives also presented certificates of acknowledgement and congratulations through N.C. Rep. David Willis.
Their father, JJ Carpenter, went to the Junior Olympics himself in high school for the 4×100 relay. He told the Enquirer Journal that earning medals at any track meet is difficult, and that watching his children compete at the national level after years of steady improvement was a special feeling.
The Charlotte Heat Track Club, based in Charlotte, is a nonprofit youth organization ranked among the top 10 nationally. The club serves athletes ages 5–18 from Charlotte and surrounding communities.
The Enquirer Journal reported that the Carpenter siblings train three days a week, two hours per session. They advanced to the national tournament by competing at a district AAU meet and then regionals.
No upcoming competition schedule for the Carpenters has been announced.
