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Windy, who enters her senior season at the Lafayette school, already holds the 100-meter hurdle record and is on the school's leader board in the long jump (17-feet, 5-inches), triple jump (33-feet, 10 1/2-inches) and both hurdle races.
Upshaw, a champion athlete in her own right, set records in the hurdles and sprints while a student at Acalanes ('79) and continues to excel in the USA Masters track and field events. Her most notable recent achievement is setting the Women's 55-59 age group record for the 60-meter hurdles this past spring during the USA Indoor Masters National Championship. In 2012, she was inducted into the Masters Track Hall of Fame.
Upshaw points out that her youngest daughter has seen and learned from countless sources: "She's been to a lot of elite practices as a young girl and watched many high performance athletes, and has traveled to both Helsinki and Beijing to watch her aunt (Grace Upshaw) in the World Championships and Olympics."
In fact, the story includes much more than a mother-daughter relationship on the track. In addition to Joy's sister Grace (Acalanes '93) being a world-class long jumper, their father Monte Upshaw broke Jesse Owens national high school long jump record in 1954 (25-feet, 4 1/4-inches) and went on to Cal where he set a world record in a relay race, but an injured knee kept him out of the long jump.
Joy's other siblings include a brother Chip, who still is on the leader board at Acalanes ('81), and a sister Merry (Acalanes '91) who holds three records at Stanley Middle School. Their mother, Carol, was known for being the fastest sixth grader in her class in Fresno, but lack of track and field opportunities during that time steered her to swim team and aquacades.
The athletic pedigree is even richer for Upshaw's two daughters. Their father is Ken Margerum, a two-time consensus All-American receiver and Hall of Famer at Stanford and a former pro football player with Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears in 1985.
Joy's oldest daughter, Sunny Margerum, earned a scholarship to Cal after a distinguished track and field career at Gunn High in Palo Alto, setting 300m and 100m hurdle records and was a top long jumper in the CCS.
Younger daughter Windy is much more than just a track fanatic. She is active in many pursuits at Acalanes and in the city of Lafayette. Like her mother before her, she is involved in dance as well, while also playing principle cello in the school's orchestra. Windy is the head chair of the Lafayette Youth Commission - recently helping to run the city's Halloween program - and is the artistic director of the local Shakespeare for Kids program, which Joy's mother has run for the last 30 years.
Both Sunny and Windy assist with the Jack Rabbits Track Club, an organization founded by Coach Upshaw to develop young track enthusiasts around the Bay Area. They meet on Mondays in the East Bay. One group gathers at Glorietta Elementary after school, with two other groups meeting at 5 and 6 p.m. at Acalanes.
Asked how her daughters got the names Sunny and Windy, their mother just laughed and said, "I suppose it might have had something to do with a couple of songs in the Sixties. I just liked the names!"
In another nod to the season running in full circles, Upshaw is pleased to be reunited with long-time Campolindo coach Scott Brady-Smith. "In the summer of 1977, my brother and I went to the Cal Track Camp and Scott was one of the terrific coaches there. That next season, Acalanes was looking for a track coach and we really liked Scott from camp and recommended him; before we knew it he was our new Acalanes coach!" said Upshaw. "I'm excited to coach with Scott at Acalanes again, especially for Windy's senior year."
Coach Upshaw traveled to Perth, Australia to represent TEAM USA in the World Masters Track & Field Championships through Nov. 7. She will be racing in the 300m hurdles, 80m hurdles, long jump and relays.
Windy, meanwhile, is looking forward to a successful season after doing well in the league last year. She is now pondering her college choices. "I haven't decided just yet. There's big interest in Cal, but I've also looked at Arizona and Davis," she said. "I'm keeping it open, so far, and excited for this track season!"
For those who would like to follow Joy's accomplishments in Perth, go to www.perth2016.com. For information about the Jack Rabbits Track Club, contact www.jackrabbitstrack.com.
Reach the reporter at:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA