It's Track Season!

It has been a long time, and I have been waiting for so long to say this. Its time to lace up the track spikes and hit the track again. I have been so busy with school this year, especially this being my senior year. I was also occupied with football this past fall. I would like to thank God for keeping me free of injuries and allowing me to see another season. Now that my high school football season has concluded with a lost in the playoffs, I can hit the track and prepare for this important track season.
I got a number of goals that I want to accomplish this year, and I know what I must do to accomplish. I remember all the good and bad aspects of my season last year. I feel good about where I ended my season last year, but at the same time I know I could have done far better than what I did. When I look back on this season, I don't want any regrets.

Southeast Raleigh vs. Holly Springs

We got our first win of the season as we beat Holly Springs 41-17. I didn't start the game, but I had a huge impact. I had a touchdown and two interceptions. I had a great game.

Nicholas Sparks

Penned The Notebook, among other best-sellers

Ran 1:52 for the 800 meters and 4:11 for the mile in high school.

Earned a track scholarship to Notre Dame where he ran on their school record 4 x 800 meter relay team

Mentors young runners in New Bern, North Carolina.

Like many other people, I tried the other sports and they just weren’t right. I tended a little more towards individualism. I had dreams of making my freshman basketball team way back when, and that didn’t work out. I had had a moderate level of success running in junior high school, nothing major, only a few races. On our team at that time was a guy named Herald Kuphaldt, and he was a great runner and ended up winning the state meet in 1983 or ‘82 in the two mile (Editor’s note: Kuphaldt’s winning time in 1982 was 8:51.99). We were running when he was a freshman, and he said, “If you try here, you could be really good.” And that is really what set me off to try and be as good as I could in track and field.

Continue reading at: http://www.dyestat.com/?pg=us-Misc-Features-McCue-Features-Things-Ive-Learned-Sparks

ONE AND DONE!

IAAF adopts "no false start" rule beginning in 2010

BERLIN - The IAAF Congress on Wednesday approved a new rule that will disqualify athletes the first time they false start in any given race. The rule will take effect January 1, 2010.

The rule will replace the current false-start policy of the first false-start being charged to the entire field, with only subsequent false-starts resulting in disqualification. Implementation is set for 2010 in order to enable athletes to become accustomed to the rule well ahead of the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

Speaking in support of the rule change, IAAF President Lamine Diack pointed to the NCAA's longstanding no false start rule as evidence that such a rule is practical and enforceable. He stated his belief that "the current rule gives sprinters the chance to play the system," he said, "to deliberately false start but not be punished for it."

The rule change was approved by a vote of 97 to 55, with six abstentions. The IAAF Congress on Wednesday also approved defining masters as age 40 and over for long-distance running and road racing.

The IAAF Congress is being held in Berlin prior to the start of the 12th IAAF World Outdoor Championships, which begin Saturday and conclude August 23.

For more information on the World Championships, visit www.usatf.org

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.

Outstanding Season: New Bern

Coaches “Big” Dave Simpson and Nick Sparks knew they had something special this year with their New Bern HS / Track Eastern Carolina group. The had Hendrix twins Anthony and Andrew, freshman prodigies during Karjuan Williams’ senior year and now maturing seniors, with great range from 200 to 800. They had junior Fuquawn Greene, perhaps the most talented of the crew, with sprint range from 55 to 400. They had gutty Miles Sparks, Nick’s son and another junior, gradually dropping his 200, 400 and hurdle times to national class levels. And they had Daishawn Styron, a developing talent who brought much needed sprint speed. With the talent to challenge records in at least four different relays, and the resources to travel to big meets around the country, the group began a season-long odyssey that would take them from coast to coast.

New Bern/Track EC came out of the blocks fast, with a 1:27.02 4x200 on the fast oval at Arkansas, plus a 3:19.28 4x4. The 4x2 was #3 all-time and would hold up as the fastest of the winter, but the coaches knew their best shot was at 4x4. They got down to 3:17.00 at Virginia Tech, then the last weekend in January, they improved to a sizzling 3:13.24 – faster than the national record, but on an oversized track. Preferring a record without an asterisk, they migrated to New York the following weekend for New Balance Collegiate and nailed it down – 3:13.06 on the standard 200m oval. NB/TEC would go on to a US#1 1600 SMR at Simplot, and NIN titles in the 4x2, 4x4, and SMR in Boston, but the magical record in the Big Apple would stand as the indoor highlight.

Outdoors, they wasted no time. Historically, the 1600 SMR had always been a target with the blend of 200-800 talent at the school and at the Raleigh Relays in late March, they put it together like never before for an epic 3:19.58, destroying the USR by more than a second. Splits were Greene 21.4, Sparks 21.8, Andrew Hendrix 46.6, Anthony Hendrix 1:49.8. They also hit 1:25.20 and 3:12.82 at the meet.

The latter, unfortunately, would be a harbinger of things to come. They badly wanted to break the USR in the outdoor 4x4, too, but the 3:07.40 standard by Hawthorne CA (1985) was considerably more stout; indeed, it’s one of prep track’s greatest marks. So what followed was a string of performances at meets as far-flung as the Oregon Relays and Great Southwest – the latter meet finding them soundly defeated by an All-Star team in a hyped record-attempt. The squad had also battled with the suspension of Greene from the school team, which affected several earlier meets. There seemed to be a sense of fatigue, both from within the squad and concerning interest in the endless record attempts. Little did fans know what was to come.

NON would be the final display of the NB/TEC talents; could they muster a few more titles and outstanding times? The weekend began with an impressive US#1 1:24.80 4x200, then continued with a relatively modest 1600 SMR win in 3:24.54. But the 1600 SMR wasn’t what the team wanted that weekend. The next day in the 800 SMR, all of the NB/TEC brilliance was back in full force, as the quartet of Styron, Greene, Andrew Hendrix and Anthony Hendrix (46.39) blasted a 1:28.20 USR, taking down the 1:28.43 of the Bryshon Nellum-led LB Poly from two years earlier. Finally, it was time for the meet-ending 4x400 and most pundits would have told you if NB/TEC could get down around 3:10, it would be a great end to their season. But with legs of 47.0 from Anthony Hendrix, 47.7 from Sparks, and 47.45 from Greene, the baton went to Andrew Hendrix and it began to dawn on fans that something much bigger was happening. The final 45.87 brought the squad through in a jaw-dropping 3:08.05, history’s #2 performance. Only the team itself would have ever believed they could run 3:08, but in doing so, NB/TEC made the final race of an amazing year the most special of all – even if it wasn’t a record.

Text by SteveU - Photos by Donna Dye and John Nepolitan

Junior Olympics!

I have completed my junior season now. I am happy the way my season went, although I wish my times were a bit faster, I can't complain cause I worked too hard to get to where I am now. Junior Olympics went well. For the second year in a row, I failed to make the 110 hurdle final. I was disappointed, I had such high hopes for the 110s. I ran 14.76 in the prelims which is well off my best time, I should have been in that final. I got it next year.

I was feeling really good after running the 400 hurdles. I truly had not thought about 400 hurdles or prepared for it all week. I just relaxed, ran my race, and did what I had to do. I ran the prelims Saturday morning at 8, which means I had to get up at 6. I got myself ready to run and only wanted to make the final, I ran 54.09 which was a new pr for me. Sunday morning I had to run the final early in the morning. I was tired, but I was ready. Not making the finals in the 110 hurdles gave me a chance to focus on the 400 hurdles. So many things came to mind, It was my last 400 hurdles race of the season, I have been stuck in the 54's all season, I got one last shot, the list goes on. I just wanted to do well, it had been a long season and all those races were taking its toll. I got lane seven, which was because my competition was behind me and I could focus on my race. I was kind of sore getting into the blocks, and my only thought when I got into the blocks was, attack the first hurdle. When the gun went off I used everything I had and relaxed. My last race of the season I run a pr. I came across the line in fifth, but when I turned around and saw my time I felt like I had won. I was happy!

It has truly been a long season. I would like to first give God the glory for allowing me to stay healthy and have a great season. I would like to thank my parents for supporting me through this year, we may not see eye to eye on things but they are the ones who have put me on the right path. Big brother Booker always has the right advice. I would like to give a big thanks to coach Mcgill and Byron Gibson, they have helped me become a better hurdler. I really thank Track Eastern Carolina, Big Dave, Nicholas Sparks for giving not only me, but the rest of the athletes an opportunity to run and compete we are thankful. I can't wait to do it again next year!

It is time to put away the track spikes and bring out the cleats, It is football season now!

Junior Pan-Am T&F Games

The Junior Pan-American games are also being contested this week. The 110 hurdle race will be the highlight of the meet of course. I know my brother will pull it out. There is only one way to close out a season like he had, and that is on top! Good Luck Booker...we all are pulling for you!!

7-37-09 Update

Congratulations to Booker, he had an awesome 1st year of college and he closed out his 39" hurdle height career with a PR of 13.32 in the 110h and won the silver medal today. Once again Congratulations!

Junior Olympics

This weekend in Greensboro I will be closing out my junior year at Junior Olympics. I'm competing in the 110 and 400 meter hurdles. I got some goals for my last track meet. I really want to break 54 in the 400 hurdles, actually I don't want to, I need to! My biggest goal is to break 14 in the 110 hurdles. My times have been on a steady decline in the 110 hurdles from a 15.1 my first meet, to a 14.26 now. I need to close out this season strong, when this meet is over I do not want any regrets!

Meet Results

One of the most frustrating things at youth and high school track meets is when your child does not know how they performed during or at the end of the meet. What I mean is that meets are being hosted and times and the results are not immediately available. To make matters worst it is taken some meet host days before they post the results. This is unacceptable. We would not leave a football, basketball, baseball or any other sport for that matter without knowing the outcome. Why then do we as parents and coaches allow our athletes to walk away from a meet not knowing how they did? In track and field your success is not only measured by whether or not you cross the finish line first but it is mainly measured by how fast you ran, how long or high you jumped and how far you threw etc...

Most meets are run professionally and as soon as your event is done you immediately know how you performed which is how it is suppose to be. I understand some delay in time posting when it is hand timed, however, when you post that your meet is going to be F.A.T. then there is no excuse for the ridiculous delays that are taking place at some meets. Times being posted almost a week after the meet is over sometimes later. Our youth and high school track athletes deserve better than this and we the advocates for the athletes need to demand better. If the meet you are hosting is suppose to be an official meet and you’re not experienced with timing then hire professional timers or experienced timers to run the meet.

Written by JNunley