Patrick Henry's Powell runs with wind

If Lizzie Powell tells you to go fly a kite, she's not brushing you off - she's just drumming up business.

The past two vacations, she's been a sales associate for Kitty Hawk Kites on North Carolina's Outer Banks.

During the summer, she copes with the wind. In the winter and spring, she runs like it.

If Powell, a Patrick Henry High sophomore, isn't the swiftest sprinter in the Colonial District, she might be the bounciest or most upward bound.

"Lizzie does it all - she's an all-round girl," Patriots track coach Scott Brown said.

The Colonial Courier: The 5-5 Powell, who also is a gymnast, was a whirlwind of points at last spring's Colonial District meet.

She was third in the 100-meter dash and long jump, fourth in the 200 and fifth in the pole vault in one of her first attempts.

The next week in the region, she took fourth in the vault with a personal best 10-3.

Big sister: Powell was preceded at PH by sibling Annie, who won the region vault last spring with a 12-0 effort.

Annie now is a scholarship athlete at North Carolina Wilmington.

"There was a lot of pressure on Lizzie living up to her sister's accomplishments," Brown said.

The sister ran together last spring on PH's third-place 400 relay at the district meet. Annie also took second in the high hurdles.

Surf and sand: The Powells spend the bulk of June, July and August at a summer home in Hatteras, N.C.

Annie, Lizzie and older brother Harrison (former PH soccer player) run crack-of-dawn races in the sand along with enjoying all the beach has to offer.

Powell's job with Kitty Hawk Kites includes all kind of kite equipment, along with kite-boarding, kayaking, hang-gliding and parasailing gear.

The Wright Kite Flying Festival is a bold-letter event on the Outer Banks each summer.

Thus far, Powell has not hooked up with any summer track program, indicating she hasn't begun to tap into her considerable potential.

Don't go out without it: Even chronic asthma doesn't slow Powell's stride.

She carries inhalers in her travel bag to contend with the bronchial ailment.

Another fast start: Powell has gotten indoor season off to a fast start outdoors at the two Lee-Davis Polar Bear meets. Most recently, she won the 55 (7.62) and 300 meters (3.49).

Competition will stiffen Jan. 19 at the Asics Invitational at Liberty University.