ABOUT
Prestige Athletic Club is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to supporting the academic, athletic, creative, and career development of youth in the Joliet area. We are proud members of USA Track and Field, and provide athletic training and competition opportunities for all ages.
Our mission is to help young athletes achieve their potential both on and off the field, and to promote healthy lifestyles and positive values. Join us and become part of the Prestige Athletic Club community today!
PERSEVERANCE | RESPECT | ENCOURAGEMENT | TEAMWORK | INTEGRITY | GRATITUDE | EDUCATION
THE PRESTIGE ATHLETIC CLUB STORY
Prestige Athletic Club was founded by Retired Sergeant Coach Nate Atkinson in November 2021. Coach Atkinson is an All-American, Junior Olympian, State Champion, and a USA Track and Field Track Coach. He previously served 22 years in the U.S. Army, with five years as a Sergeant First Class. During that time, he completed tours in Iraq, South Korea, and Guam.
As a Veteran, Atkinson’s primary focus is giving back to the community that invested in him (in his youth). He credits his athleticism and generosity to Coaches Danny Turner, Chuck Martin, and Tim Graff who trained him in his youth, and Fairmont Community Center who sponsored him as a Junior Olympian. Each of them has served as an inspiration in his return to Joliet.
Atkinson has spent the last nineteen years volunteering his time and expertise as a coach, sending over two hundred student-athletes to the Junior Olympics and helping two dozen students secure collegiate athletic scholarships. During his time overseas, he also built a Summer Fitness Program in Camp Zama, Japan, training two of their most elite student-athletes in speed, agility, and basketball.
Though Atkinson’s accolades as an athlete and coach are many, being named Runner-Up for the Camp Zama, Japan Volunteer of the Year Award is among his most cherished accomplishments.
When Coach Nate returned to the Joliet area, he noticed a great deal of talent, but no competitive Track and Field programs for athletes. Nate has always had a burning desire to give back to competitive youth track and field just as he was blessed with having mentors like Coaches Tim Graf, Chuck Martin, and Danny Turner do the same for him. Fortunately, he was able to connect with other local athletes who gained from these same experiences and who share the same desire to give back to today’s youth in the sport of track and field.
There is a lot of talent in the Will County area, but there wasn’t a local competitive track and field program for these athletes to learn and compete with. The Joliet area presented a prime area and opportunity to begin this grassroots program for our local athletes where they will gain the proper techniques to maximize their talents, and the proper work ethic to be successful in all that they do.