Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Interview of the Week: Anthony Hendrix

This week I had chance to have a brief chat with the national high school track & field phenom Anthony Hendrix. I asked him just a few questions. Straight out of New Bern High (Track Eastern Track Club), Anthony Hendrix is truly one of the Nation's premiere athletes in track & field. Compiling numerous State and National Championships, Anthony Hendrix has made his mark on high school track & field forever!

Malcolm: When did you and your brother start running track?

Anthony: I started running in the 7th grade.

Malcolm: What events would you say are your best?

Anthony:400 Meter Dash - 47.73
800 Meter Run - 1:51.55
400 Meter Hurdles - 54.21
300 Meter Dash - 35.84
500 Meter Dash - 1:004.64

Malcolm: Now as this being your senior year, what are the goals that you have set?

Anthony: Our goals for this year is to break four records as a team indoor and four outdoor. The 4x200m (1:23.31 Wyatt, Ft. Worth, Texas Winter Park, Florida 5/30/98). The 4x400m (4 x 400 3:07.40 Hawthorne, California Austin, Texas 4/06/85). The 4x800m (4 x 800 7:32.89 Auburn, Washington Raleigh, North Carolina 6/14/02). Also the SMR (Sprint Medley 3:21.15 Hawthorne, California Los Angeles, California 3/16/85).
My goals for this year is to break the 400m (44.69 Darrell Robinson (Wilson, Tacoma, Washington) Indianapolis, Indiana 7/24/82 ) the 500m (1.02) and also the 800m (1:46.45 Michael Granville (Bell Gardens, California) Norwalk, California 5/31/96 ).


Malcolm: Anthony, you run for the Track Eastern track Club, how would you say that Track Eastern has helped you in all your success in track and field so far?

Anthony: Track eastern has helped us a lot because it keeps us in shape and busy and its just been the best team and the only team we have ran for.

Malcolm: How has Coach Dave Simpson and Coach Nicholas Sparks helped you in your career?

Anthony: I think Coach Dave Simpson and Coach Nicholas Sparks have also helped us so much in not just track&field but also in life because without them two I really do not know were I would be at or what I would be doing.

Malcolm: What are your plans after high-school?

Anthony: Right now I have signed with the army but I don't think I will go into the army right away because of all the different schools that are calling.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Booker Nunley: A Hurdler with a Heart

Every now and then real life gets in the way of track and field. All the aspirations dreams and goals get put on hold for a while as we’re reminded that death is an integral, inescapable part of life. And we realize, quite ironically, that awareness of death is what gives life its depth and meaningfulness, and that it motivates us to live more authentically. This past fall one of my former athletes endured a scary ordeal that served that not only threatened his promising track career, but also his life.

The summer of 2008 proved to be a stellar one for Booker. He won the Junior National Championships with a nation-leading 13.40, went on to finish second at the World Junior Championships in Poland with a 13.41, and concluded his career over the 39’s with a 13.41 victory at the US Junior Olympic Championships. Everything seemed to be going Booker’s way. In addition to all the victories and accolades, he would be heading to the University of South Carolina in the fall on a full athletic scholarship. He was on top of the world. Little did he know that that world would soon fall apart.
Gilbert Syndrome
On Tuesday October 28, 2008, according to Booker’s mom Jackie, Booker missed class and track practice due to what Booker described as flu-like symptoms. The following day, Jackie wrote in an email, “he called [home] and told us that he hadn’t left his room because he was having some stomach pains and was throwing up.”
According to Booker himself, “I hadn’t eaten for a couple days b/c my stomach was hurting. I threw up three times, dryheaving. It was killing my intestines. I also had chest pains because I was throwing up so much.”
Finally, on the morning of Friday October 31, talked to the team trainer and told her his stomach “was messed up.” The night before, he had been urinating blood. “I didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “I should’ve gone to the hospital that night. But first I just looked it up on google. I was like, Is red urine bad? When I looked it up, the site said to go to a doctor immediately.”
The following morning, the trainer took him to the local hospital in Columbia, SC. After doctors ran several tests, they diagnosed him with Gilbert (pronounced “zheel-bayr) syndrome, a mild liver disorder in which the liver doesn’t properly process a substance called bilirubin. This condition was the reason for the red urine, which probably came about because Booker hadn’t eaten for three days. This rare illness, which is not even considered a disease because of its benign nature, affects only three percent to seven percent of the US population. Symptoms rarely appear, so people may live with it without even realizing they have it. In Booker’s case, its discovery may have saved his life.
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome
The chest pains brought on by the constant vomiting led the doctors to perform an EKG later that same day, just as a precaution. The test revealed that Booker had another condition, Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, which is much more serious than Gilbert Syndrome.
At www.medicinenet.com, Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome is described in the following manner:Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a condition characterized by abnormal electrical pathways in the heart that cause a disruption of the heart's normal rhythm (arrhythmia). This extra connection can disrupt the coordinated movement of electrical signals through the heart, leading to an abnormally fast heartbeat (tachycardia) and other arrhythmias. Resulting symptoms include dizziness, a sensation of fluttering or pounding in the chest (palpitations), shortness of breath, and fainting. In rare cases, arrhythmias associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome can lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death. To address the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, the doctors would have to perform surgery, which they did the next day. Booker’s not-so-medical explanation of the surgery is as follows:
“They scoped out my heart by taking a tube camera and they stuck it in my groin and looked at my heart to see if there was a nerve that wasn’t supposed to be there. There was, so once they found that out, they did some type of electro-test and put an electrical charge into my heart. If the nerve that wasn’t supposed to be in there reacted, they would have to take it out. It reacted. They said that if they didn’t take it out, I’d have to stop running track or it would possibly kill me. So basically they went in there and burned the nerve out.”
Booker has had no side effects from the surgery. He was up the next day walking around, and ended up missing only four days of school. According to his doctors, there’s a 1% chance that the syndrome will come back. It’s highly unlikely, and they’ve never seen it happen.
© 2009 Steve McGill

You can read the entire story at http://hurdlesfirst.com/bnun.htm

Friday, January 16, 2009

Deepest Sympathies

Our hearts and prayers are with Coach Big Dave of Track Eastern and the rest of his family in the lost of his father earlier this week. May GOD keep you and give you comfort and peace!

Leading North Carolina Candidates

US World Youth Championships TrialsEastern Michigan,

Ypsilanti MI, June 30-July 1, 2009

IAAF World Youth Championships
Bressanone, Italy, July 8-12, 2009


NC Girls
100 METERS
Dominique Weathers (Vance, Charlotte, N.C.) 11-18-92 11.72 NON (1h2) Greensboro 6-20 +1.8
Aakiya Tyson (Jordan, Durham, N.C.) 8-4-92 11.82 State 4A (2) Greensboro 5-10 +1.0
Vashti Bandy (Butler, N.C.) 4-29-92 11.84 State 4A (4) Greensboro 5-10 +1.0
Varonica Johnson (Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C.) 1-19-93 11.93 USA Reg. III JO (1h1/15-16) Rock Hills 7-13 +0.7
Gabrielle Gray (High Point, N.C.) 12-22-93 11.96 AAU Reg. III A JO (1h2/15-16) Knoxville 7-12 +1.9
La’Creasha Gore (East Gaston, Mt. Holly, N.C.) 4-7-92 12.01 State 4A (6) Greensboro 5-10 +1.0
JoAnn Blakney (Millard Creek, Charlotte, N.C.) 8-9-92 12.03 State 4A (7) Greensboro 5-10 +1.0
200 METERS
Varonica Johnson (Myers Park, Charlotte, N.C.) 1-21-93 24.07 USATF Nat. JO (1h3/15-16) 1-21-93
Dominique Weathers (Vance, Charlotte, N.C.) 11-18-92 24.14 Taco Bell (1h9) Columbia 4-11 +1.5
Zakiya Tyson (Jordan, Durham, N.C.) 8-4-92 24.22 USA Reg. III JO (1/15-16) Rock Hill 7-14 -2.6
La’Creasha Gore (East Gaston, Mt. Holly, N.C.) 4-7-92 24.57 State 4A (2h2) Greensboro 5-10 +1.9
Vashti Bandy (Butler, Charlotte, N.C.) 4-29-92 24.55 nwi State 4A West Reg. (2) Charlotte 5-3
400 HURDLES
Miata Morlu (Providence Day, Charlotte, N.C.) 6-10-92 62.15 USATF Youth Nat. (3/15-16) Charlotte 6-29
HIGH JUMP
Brittany Burton (Person, Roxboro, N.C.) 5-08.00 Pac-6 Conf. Ch. (1) Durham 4-23

LONG JUMP
JoAnn Blakney (Millard Creek, Chrlotte, N.C.) 8-9-92 18-05.00 USA Youth Nat. (2/15-16) Charlotte 6-27 0.0
NC Boys
100 METERS
Kendall Kee (Shelby, N.C.) 4-23-93 10.84 AAU Reg. JO (2/15-16) Knoxville7-13 +1.5
Matthew Browning (Mallard Creek, Charlotte, N.C.) 4-12-93 10.94 AAU Reg. 3 JO (3) Knoxville 7-13 +1.5
400-METER LOW HURDLES (30”)
U.S. runs 36” hurdles

Malcolm Nunley (Garner, N.C.) 4-5-92 55.13 MileSplit Inv. (3) Richmond 6-7
LONG JUMP
Deonnonti McLean (Hoke County, Raeford, N.C.) 12-16-92 23-01.25 nwi USATF Reg. III JO (1/15-16) Rock Hill 7-13
Myer Krah (Hillside, Durham, N.C.) 4-8-93 22-05.25 USATF Youth Nat. (2/15-16) Charlotte 6-29 0.0
Leon Samuels (Vance, Charlotte, N.C.) 2-12-92 22-05.00 USATF Youth Nat. )2/15-16) Charlotte 6-29 +0.5
For qualifications and eligibility guidelines and/or to see all of the Leading US candidates per each event visit www.dyestat.com

2009 NCAA Men's Indoor Preview

60m Hurdles / '08 Champion: Drew Brunson, Florida State - 7.527 *

Talk about true senior depth. Out of the 8 athletes who made the 60m hurdles final last year in Arkansas, only one athlete returns for 2009 -- Jason Richardson of South Carolina. In fact, 8 of the top 9 times from last year were produced by seniors.
With Richardson has a heavy favorite for the title, there is still a great number of men to watch this season who should turn in some fast times. The SEC should provide plenty of performances once again behind Mikel Thomas of Kentucky and Dennis Martin of Florida.
Big Ten Champion Josh Hembrough of Purdue was the top freshman in the country last season with his best time of 7.79. Another freshman from last season, Ronnie Ash of Bethune-Cookman, surprised many with his third-place finish of 13.59 in the 110m hurdles at the NCAA Championships.
Jason Richardson will tutor a very talented freshman named Booker Nunley who enters South Carolina with personal-best times of 7.78 in the 60m hurdles and 13.40 for the 110m hurdles set last season as a high school senior.
Also look for Kevin Craddock of UCLA, Omo Osaghae of Texas Tech, Myles Bradley of Stanford and Lehann Fourie of Nebraska to step up as well.

To see previews of all the events you can visit www.trackshark.com

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Eastern High School Challenge!!!!


This Saturday is the Eastern High School Challenge. Hosted by the Durham Striders at the Eddie Smith Field House on the campus of UNC, it is one of the premiere high school meets for the indoor season. This meet will play host to a lot of the top talent the east coast has to offer. From the 55 meter hurdles to the shot put, there will be plenty of competition and non-stop action all day long.

After coming off a great meet in Arkansas, I'm looking to improve in the hurdles. I had a great 400 meter race in Arkansas, running a 50.57 in the prelims, a new personal record. The prelims were right before the 60 meter hurdle prelims. I had nothing left for the hurdles. At UNC I won't have to worry about that because the 55 meter hurdles prelims and finals will be done before any of my other events.

I am feeling stronger, faster and more confident over the hurdles. I have come a long way since last year. I am aiming to run under 7.70 in the hurdles. I know what I have to do, but now I just have to let everything else go and let all my body take over. I will also be running the 500 and the 4x400 meter relay. I can't wait for the 500 either. With that PR in the 400, and running it so early in the season, makes me wonder about of all possibilities. I am shooting for a 1:08.00 or better, I'm confident that I can obtain all my goals Saturday.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Track Eastern Runs The Show In Arkansas!



Track Eastern (New Bern) flew down to Arkansas last Friday for the 2008 Arkansas Invitational. To go along with our one of a kind Nike uniforms, we blazed the track with some amazing times all day long. Track Eastern opened their season with an outstanding display of excellence in each of there events.


Track Eastern kicked of the meet with the 400 meter dash prelims. In the first heat Andrew Hendrix blazed the track in a time of 48.15. In the tenth heat Anthony Hendrix ran a US#1 of 47.73. Malcolm Nunley of Track Eastern running unattached in the heat with Anthony Hendrix, posted a time of 50.57 setting a new personal record. All three Track Eastern runners in the 400 qualified for the finals. Fuqauwn Greene and Daishawn Styron both competed in the 60 meter dash. Greene running a 6.85 and Styron in a time of 7.06, both qualified for the finals where they would take first and second place 6.85 and 6.98. Fuqauwn Greene put on a show in the 200 meter dash prelims by posting a US#1 time of 21.39.


Fuqauwn Greene pulled out the 200 meter final, Anthony and Andrew Hendrix both scratched form the 400 meter dash finals to save them selves for the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays. Track Eastern was going for the high school 4x200 meter record, they fell short in the process by running a time of 1:27.02. Another US#1 performance for Track Eastern and that time moved them into the #3 position all-time in the 4x200 meter relay for high school. They finished the day competing in the 4x400 meter relay. Just like the 4x2, they were also going for the national record in the 4x400 meter relay. This was a race to see. Andrew started the relay off strong on the first leg. Fuqauwn ran the second leg of the 4x4 running a strong leg until he caught a cramp on the second lap. Fuqauwn hopped all the way around the track and handed off the baton in second place. Miles Sparks ran an amazing third leg to bring Track Eastern to first and Anthony Hendrix finished the job anchoring the team. through the mist of all that, Track Eastern posted another US#1 time in the 4x400 meter dash with a time of 3:19.28. Congrats to Track Eastern on all their success in Arkansas.