Its More Than A Race

Where You Been?

2011-06-03T16:34:00.002-03:00

It has been a year since I last posted on this blog. My long absence was mainly due to me being too lazy to even log in. I have been feeling more inspired lately so I decided to open up the the blog again. Alot has happened in this year that I did not blog about. Too much to even blog about, but I will tell you all a few things.

I went off to school at Wake Forest University. I completed my first year as well as my freshman track season. My season did not go as well as I thought, but I came away with some positives and I truly believe that last season was a wake up call to. God is trying to show me that I can be successful and go far but if i am going to do it I am going to have focus up and work harder than I have been.

Another thing that happened which alot of people already know is that, my brother Booker Nunley transferred from South Carolina University to join me at Wake Forest. He was coming off of an awesome sophomore year on the track where he placed second at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships in a time of 7.58. His suffered a back injury that hurt his outdoor season. Although he was still able to post a 13.59 second meet out. He took a month off before the SEC Outdoor Championships due to the back injury and placed second with a 13.64. Due to the injury he red-shirted his entire junior year, so he still has two years of eligibility. I did not get to train with him in the fall, but know he is healthy and is looking better than before. i am looking to train with him this fall.

In this past year there has been so much that has happened. This last year has been exhausting and difficult especially since I just started college and had the worst track season I have ever had. I know it is going to get better and I am home for the summer resting, refueling and training so I can make some noise next year at school.

ESPN360.COM

2010-03-15T23:29:00.003-03:00

For those you who missed the NCAA Div1 Championship meet you can watch the replay online at ESPN360.com. You go to the full schedule and look for March 13 NCAA Indoor T&F Championship and you can watch it in its entirety. For those that just want to jump to the hurdles it starts at 44 minutes into the program.

NC ranks # 3 in NCAA Scoring by State

2010-03-15T23:24:00.001-03:00

The state of North Carolina ranks #3 behind #1 Florida and #2 California in State scores at the 2010 NCAA D1 Men's Indoor based on where each individual scorer went to high school:
{Florida scored more in the 400 (20 points) than all but 4 states scored in all the events}
(1st time Texas hasn't been Men's high scorer in several years)

#3 NORTH CAROLINA = 35
200m 3, Antonio Sales, S Carolina, East Chapel Hill HS, 20.52, 6
Mile 8, Dylan Ferris, Stanford, East Forsyth HS, 4:04.73, 1
60H 1, Ronnie Ash, Oklahoma, Knightdale HS, 7.56, 10; 2, Booker Nunley, S Carolina, Garner HS, 7.58, 8; 6, Johnny Dutch, S Carolina, Clayton HS, 7.72, 3; 8, Spencer Adams, Clemson, Butler HS, 7.90, 1
TJ 3, Alphonso Jordan, Georgia Tech, Hopewell HS, 53-4.25, 6

2010 Sophomore Indoor Season

2010-03-15T14:47:00.003-03:00

Booker closed out his sophomore indoor season with a bang after a sluggish seasonal start. He took the first part of his season to work on trying to improve his start and early on from meet to meet it was hit or miss for him. However by the weekend of the Gamecocks indoor Invitational meet he had started to see the fruits of his labor paying off. It all finally came together at the SEC Indoor T&F Championship where he narrowly missed 1st place by .03, behind LSU's Barrett Nugent 7.65, after hitting hurdle 4. However that meet produced two personal best ever times for him in the form of a 7.71 in the prelims and a 7.68 in the finals automatically qualifying him for the NCAA Indoor T&F Championship meet.

After his coaches rested him for a week he was then ready to make his first indoor appearance at a NCAA Indoor Championship. His preliminary run time was 7.69 giving him a 3rd place finish in his heat behind Oklahoma's Ronnie Ash and Nebraska's Lehann Fourie, however it was the 6th fastest time overall in prelims securing his spot in the finals. In the finals Booker who has struggled with setting in the blocks was out. The start was still a bit sluggish but it is his strong finish that he relied upon to go after the 1st place spot. Barely missing first place behind Ronnie Ash Booker happily and graciously accepted his silver medal knowing that he had closed out his season victoriously with another big PR of 7.58 which was .02 off Ronnie's winning time of 7.56!

Besides Ronnie Ash 1st place and Booker's 2nd place finish 2 more former North Carolina high School graduates were in that finals. Johnny Dutch from South Carolina University who finished 6th and Spencer Adams of Clemson University who finished 8th. Ronnie, Booker and Johnny actually all came from the same Greater Neuse River Conference. Congratulations goes out to all 4 of these finalist for yet another successful indoor season!

Nike Track Nationals!

2010-03-10T11:58:00.002-04:00

Nike announces inaugural "Nike Team Nationals"
Competition Opens March 1 culminating in National Championship Event
at Legendary Hayward Field July 2

BEAVERTON, ORE (March 3, 2010) – Today Nike opened registration and announced details for the Nike Track Nationals competition, the first ever national championship competition to name the best high school track and field program in the United States.

With the goal of crowing a true national track and field champion, Nike Track Nationals consists of a four-month virtual competition that will select the top 12 boys and top 12 girls programs to compete at legendary Hayward Field for the Nike Track National Title the night before the Prefontaine Classic.

Continue Reading at:http://www.dyestat.com/?pg=us-2010-Outdoor-Nike-Track-Nationals-Press-Release

GarageDelParco.com

2010-03-10T11:47:00.027-04:00

This modern day dealership owned by Alexander had some humble beginnings. Back in the 60's his father Aldo had a small workshop where he offered buying assistance and sold a few cars. The company has gone through some cosmetic changes over the years but was hasn't changed are the business ethics Aldo started this company on; efficiency, professionalism, competence and thoroughness to provide customers with service and assistance safe, guaranteed and worthy of trust.

GarageDelParco.com is a premier buy and sell auto site. They have the car for you. From SMART cars to Porsche 911’s GarageDelParco.com has it all. Buying and selling cars is what GarageDelParco.com does best. With the experience and professionalism to get the job done and satisfy every customers needs one by one. Since beginning back in 1978, GarageDelParco.com has grown in to a strong dealership, providing service, assistance and guaranteed satisfaction to all the customers. The customers have nothing but great words to say about GarageDelParco.com. One of GarageDelParco’s customers Luke Selmin had this to say about the service; “ I needed cash and I had read that Garagedelparco you buy the car immediately and pay you the cash. So I called, frankly a bit 'skeptical. A nice lady on the phone told me the whole procedure and reassured. So I went to them to get my Audi, and there again I was reassured and less than 2 hours I went home with my own money and with the serenity that my problem was resolved so quickly.” Customers only have great things to say about the excellent service provided by GarageDelParco.com.

GarageDelParco.com is located in Italy, so the language of the website is in Italian. To get the translated version follow this link: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.garagedelparco.com&sl=it&tl=en.
If you are trying to buy a car abroad, this is an excellent place to find the car that best suits you. You will be treated with the best service a dealership can offer. With affordable prices, you be able to buy a nice car and not have to worry about breaking the bank.

Follow these links to view the cars for sale:
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POSTPONED...AGAIN??

2010-02-13T11:01:00.003-04:00

Right now I should be preparing and getting my mind right for the State Meet, but due to some inclement weather, the meet has been postponed until next Saturday. I am really getting fed up with all the snow that has been falling lately. Its not good for training and really puts a stop to most track meets, especially around here. I'm looking out side right now and really feel like we could have had the state meet today, but that's not my decision. Just more time to rest. Now with meet next week end, I wonder whats going to happen cause many people have made plans to go other track meets like the Simplot Games, Kentucky High School Invite. With travel plans in place, what meet do you attend? All I know is that I'm going to be ready to run the next time I hit the track.

Making The Best Of It!

2010-02-08T21:18:00.006-04:00

This indoor season has been a waste for many athletes. Lack of track meets, cancellations and inclement weather have also made this indoor season one to forget. Many athletes have not had enough time to accomplish anything. This weekend is the North Carolina 4-A State Meet. Due to the way this indoor season has been so far, there are a number of athletes that would have qualified that have not. This just goes to show that this season has been rough so far. I feel a really strong outdoor season across the nation.

As for me, I'm going to make the best of the state meet. I need to salvage something from this indoor season before I go to Nationals. I'm going to lay it all on the line when I get into the blocks Saturday. I have not ran the hurdles since January 16, all this down time has done me some good. I was able to get some good training in and the rest has allowed me to internalize and think about what I have to do. I am ready to roll in the hurdles. I also have to run the 500 meter dash, I'm looking to go about 1:06.00 in that event. I have changed up my training and I am feeling better. I just have to go out and put it on the track. It's all mental for me, I just have to stop thinking. Its my senior year, I need o go out with a bang. My first couple of hurdle races did not go as planned, but I feel this time off has done me some good. I'm just looking toward the future now and running as fast as I can.

I'm a Demon Deacon!!

2010-02-07T17:49:00.006-04:00

It's been awhile since I last blogged, I have been busy with school and track practice. I was also preoccupied with the recruiting process. It was a long process but I have made my decision. There were a few schools I was looking at like UNC, NC State, Wake Forest, Tennessee and Virginia. These were all good schools, but I decided to go to Wake Forest University on a full athletic scholarship. It was the best choice for after I discussed everything with my family. I will be close to home and I will be receiving one of the best educations in the Nation. Wake Forest has a strong track program. Michael Bingham, 400 runner who competed in the 2009 World Championships, competed for Wake Forest. I wish he was still there next there when I arrive, he would've been a great training partner. I am just glad this recruiting process is over. It is a fun process but can be stressful at times. I know I made the right decision and I am looking to do big things in college.

Track & Field Squads Ranked In Preseason Poll

2010-01-07T21:25:00.002-04:00

Women ranked seventh, men 12th in USTFCCCA poll

Jan. 6, 2010
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The South Carolina men's and women's track and field teams are both expected to be title contenders in the indoor season after earning top 15 rankings in the 2010 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) preseason poll.

The Gamecock women's team is ranked No. 7 in the nation while the men's team comes in at No. 12. According to the national rankings, the women are predicted third in the SEC behind LSU and Florida, and the men are predicted fourth in the SEC behind Florida, Arkansas and LSU. Coach Curtis Frye's teams are both considered to be stronger than last year's squads as the men are ranked eight spots ahead of its 2009 final placing and the women jumped five spots from its indoor placement.

South Carolina returns 12 indoor All-Americans this season, six coming from both the men's and women's squads. The women's team is led by returning NCAA champion Lakya Brookins in the 60-meter dash. Four other Gamecocks on the women's side are considered in the top 10 in their events in Shayla Mahan (ranked third in the 60-meter dash), Nadonnia Rodrigues (ranked sixth in the 400-meter dash), Brandi Cross (ranked seventh in the 400-meter dash) and the 4x400m relay team that is ranked second in the preseason.

The men's squad also has five members ranked in the top 10 for their respective events, led by NCAA bronze medalist Johnny Dutch in the 60-meter hurdles. Booker Nunley (ranked eighth in the 60-meter hurdles), Antonio Sales (ranked seventh in the 200-meter dash), Michael Zajac (ranked sixth in the weight throw) and the 4x400m relay team (ranked fourth) round out the top returners.

Florida State is ranked first in the men's preseason poll, followed by No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Nebraska and No. 5 Arkansas. Seven Southeastern Conference teams are ranked in the men's preseason top-25.

Texas A&M is the top-ranked women's squad followed by No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 BYU. Five SEC teams ranked in the women's preseason top-25.

The SEC Indoor Championships will be held Feb. 26-28 and the NCAA Indoor Championships will be held March 12-13, both in Fayetteville, Ark. South Carolina will host the Gamecock Invitational Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Indoor Fieldhouse.

Christmas Break!

2009-12-21T22:03:00.002-04:00

Its Christmas break, which means no school and extra practice time. Booker is home from school and gave me a SMALL taste of a college work out. We couldn't make it to the track today so we did some cross fields at a near by park. It was a good workout. It was a lot harder than I thought, probably cause I did it right for the first time today. It's been a while since my brother and I trained together, but the competitive nature is still there. I got to keep it up.

It's Track Season!

2009-11-26T23:26:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-24T01:15:00.003-03:00

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

2009-08-23T15:40:00.002-03:00

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!

2009-08-14T08:19:00.001-03:00

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

2009-08-14T08:10:00.003-03:00

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!

2009-08-03T11:41:00.004-03:00

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

2009-07-29T22:36:00.006-03:00

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

2009-07-29T21:48:00.004-03:00

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

2009-07-16T22:12:00.001-03:00

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

My Goals!

2009-07-14T21:53:00.003-03:00

I started of this track season hoping that I would be running at least a 52 in the 400 hurdles by now, but that has not happened, I still got time. On the other hand, I put the 110 hurdles off to the side for while and whatever happened in that race happened, and now I am sitting at a 14.26(F.A.T) and only getting faster. I have switched my focus for the rest of the season. I am aiming to run under a 14 in the 110 hurdles, and whatever happens in the 400 hurdles, happens. Although, I am still shooting for a 52, I am just not focusing on it as much.

Update

2009-07-08T19:25:00.003-03:00

I have been on the move lately, and truly have not had a moment to update my blog. So much has been going on lately. I finally got some down time! I would like to congratulate Johnny Dutch for making the World Team going to Berlin, I would also like to say congrats to Booker Nunley and Wayne Davis for making the Junior Pan Am team going to Trinidad and Tobago. Lastly, big ups to Jarrett Samuels for making the World Youth Team, he will be doing his thing in Italy!

USATF & Flotrack To Provide Live Webcasts From Eugene

2009-06-23T13:52:00.001-03:00

USATF and Flotrack partner to provide livewebcasts of 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships INDIANAPOLIS -USA Track & Field announced Tuesday that it will partner with Flotrack.org to provide live webcasts of both open and junior events at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. The Championships will be held Thursday through Sunday at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field. This event is the selection event for the 2009 IAAF World Championships which will be contested in August in Berlin, Germany.Flotrack will supplement USATF's official television coverage with live, real-time coverage with race calls of every event at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships while also providing bonus, live, real-time coverage and race calls of select open events during the USA Outdoor Championships. In addition to race coverage, Flotrack will provide fans with exclusive interviews with track & field superstars, as well as behind the scenes access to select areas such as at the practice track and trackside press conferences.Coverage begins Thursday with full-day webcasts of all events with a focus on the early rounds of the 400m, 800m, 1,500m and open men's and women's 10,000m finals. About Flotrack.orgFlotrack.org has been a leader in web video coverage for the sport of track & field and long distance running for the last three years. Every year, Flotrack travels to hundreds of events in the U.S. and around the world to showcase some of the biggest and most prestigious events in the sport, with unique event coverage and behind the scenes interviews with athletes, coaches, event directors and legends of the sport, giving track fans the coverage our sport deserves. Track is back. www.Flotrack.org.

Pam Am Junior Champs doubtful

2009-06-23T13:49:00.001-03:00

By Michael Mendis, TrackAlerts.com

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago - The 2009 staging of the Pan Am Junior Championships, like the Caribbean Games, could be cancelled in the twin-island republic.
Gary Hunte, Trinidad & Tobago’s Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, hinted the Pan Am Junior Championships is in danger of being called off because of the Influenza A H1N1 virus.
"We are looking at the situation," said Hunte when asked about the possible cancellation at a press conference recently. "We have been in contact with the ministry of health on the matter," he added while saying the Ministry of Health would be the department to decide on the Championships’ fate.

Over 45 countries, led by the United States and Jamaica, are down to attend the Championships, July 2 to August 2. This would be more athletes than expected for the Caribbean Games, which even dented the hopes more.
However, Hunte maintained, "no decision is yet to be made".
Last Friday, Hunte announced that because of the concerns over increase in the swine flu infections in the country the organisers cancelled the inaugural Caribbean Games.
Hunte said: “the participants, officials and guests of other countries could be a source additional infection to the population of Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, the housing of athletes and officials could create an ideal environment for the transmission of the H1N1 virus”.

One last run for New Bern

2009-06-22T13:04:00.002-03:00

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Andrew Hendrix grabbed the North Carolina flag from one side of the medal podium. His twin brother Anthony snatched the American flag from the other end. They both took off, along with Fuqauwn Greene and Miles Sparks for the only victory lap of the entire meet.

Continue reading: http://usa.milesplit.us/articles/24115

Puerto Rico!!!!!

2009-06-16T20:13:00.008-03:00

This past weekend I was given a specialty opportunity to represent the USA in the 4Th Caribbean Scholastic Invitational in Carolina, Puerto Rico. It was an amazing experience I will never forget. I met new people, experienced a new culture and created memories that will last a life time. I would like to thank Nike and the NSSF staff; Jim Spier, Joy Kamani, Jacqué Kendall, Paul Limmer, Cedric Walker, Kristi Reiger, Dr. Jeffrey Webb, Dr. Margaret Ottley and Claudia "Sparky" Chapel. Without them, this trip would not have been possible, and I know every athlete is truly thankful especially I, for giving us the opportunity to take part in this experience.

The meet went well, Team NSSF went out there Saturday and we did what we do best. I went out there and did what I had to do. I ran a 14.54 in the 110 hurdles and got fifth. I did not understand this part, how can two athletes compete for the same medal when running over different hurdle heights? Tyler Stephenson and Jeff Lewis from team NSSF got first and third. the two athletes from Puerto Rico placed second and fourth, and they ran over 36 inch hurdles while Tyler, Jeff and I ran over 39 inch hurdles. Oh well can't do anything now. I competed in the 400 hurdles too, I ran a new pr 54.27 and placed third. It was not a great race, but I got to learn from it to get better.

2009-05-26T16:49:00.004-03:00

2009 SEC 110H Finals

Track Moms Talk on Dyestat

2009-05-22T00:31:00.002-03:00

Dyestat has a very interesting feature this week; it is a discussion between track moms and Donna Dye. The article is informative and very interesting. I have picked a few discussions that the moms had while in New York at the National Scholastics Indoor Championship.

Donna: What is a track mom?
Jeana:A track mom is someone who supports her kids by helping them to participate. She helps her children to develop into responsible, kind, caring people by teaching them to win and lose with integrity and to respect and mentor other competitors. She encourages her kids to enjoy all the moments; be happy when you win or improve and learn from your mistakes. Don't dwell on the negative aspects, make a plan for how you can fix it and follow through with your plan. She is also the chauffeur, equipment manager, "water girl", first aid provider and concession queen.

Donna: What should be the role of a track mom? Is there one way, your way, the athlete’s way? Is it bringing the hugs, kisses, tissues, food, cheering on the side or…all/none? How do you decide?
Jeana: My role is to support my child's' passion by getting him to practice, finding the right coaches, keeping him well nourished and hydrated, getting excellent medical care, making sure he his doing his school work , community service and helping him with time management so that he is not overwhelmed. My role is to be his biggest fan and to love him unconditionally regardless of his track performances and school performances. There are times that performances suffer for one reason or another and my job is to help sort out what's going well and what's not going so well and provide support and offer solutions. I need to help him make good choices. I am fortunate that Curtis is very motivated and I don't have to push him at all. I do have to help him manage his time as he would forget to do anything but track. My husband or I attend every meet that we can. I try to fit my "work schedule" around track and my kids' other activities. It's important to be there for them, even if they don't want you. Just being there shows them you care and that you are invested in their interests.

Donna: Is there fun to being a track mom?
Andrea:It is fun but sometimes stressful. I am usually very nervous before a hurdle race. It is so technical that a simple misstep could be horrific. That is what I fear about hurdles. The fun is in seeing my child and others happy and excited about what they accomplished.

Donna: Depending on the event, many meets can be long for track moms. What do yo do when your athlete isn't competing? When he is not around?
Suzanne:Always bring a book or newspaper

For the article in it's entirety please visit http://www.dyestat.com//?pg=home-Donna-Track-Moms&PHPSESSID=8b8831a03175c03088ca9c2d6a086c8b

YOG on track

2009-05-20T14:09:00.001-03:00

By Terence Voon

WITH just 15 months to go before the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore, preparations for the inaugural sports extravaganza are on track.
This was the assessment given by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s coordination commission for the YOG after it concluded a two-day meeting in Singapore on Wednesday.
Said Sergey Bubka, chairmain of the commission: 'In the last six months, the organising committee has worked hard towards the finalisation of its venue master plan and YOG event schedule by day.
'Much effort has also gone into detailed operational and venue planning which will remain the organising committee's focus for the coming months.'
He added: 'It is clear that the organising committee is on the right track to deliver the First Summer Youth Olympic Games and is committed to the co-construction of these inaugural Games with the IOC.'
Organisers also launched the stylised pictograms for all 26 sports on Wednesday. The pictograms were inspired by the official YOG emblem, which features a distinctive flaming head and star-shaped body.
The YOG will be held here in August next year, and will bring together 3,600 athletes aged between 14 and 18.

The 2009 CSI Team

2009-05-18T16:53:00.004-03:00

The 2009 CSI Team
The National Scholastic Sports Foundation has announced the team members for the Fourth Caribbean Scholastic Invitational. Twenty-eight male and female student-athletes have been selected, all of whom have recently completed the freshman, sophomore or junior years in high school.
This is the fourth year that the NSSF will sponsor a team to the meet, held in Carolina, Puerto Rico (a suburb of San Juan) and partially sponsored by that city. Teams from Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Martinique, Guadalupe, and others are expected to be in attendance.

TEAM ROSTER
Women
Shanae Bailey, Swenson, Philadelphia, PA, jr
Dominique Booker, Immaculate Conception, Montclair, NJ, jr
Kristin Brown, McDonogh, Owens Mill, MD, soph
Michelle Brown, Seneca, Tabernacle, NJ, jr
Erin Busbee, Collinwood, Cleveland, OH, jr
Ashley Collier, Dunbar, Fort Worth,TX, jr
Emmy Fraenk, Bethel, Hampton, VA, jr
Patrice Gates, Villa Rica, GA, jr
Bridgette Owens-Mitchell, Oak Park, MI, jr
Jill Rushin, Jackson, MO, jr
Sha'Keela Saunders,Great Bridge, Chesapeake, VA, frosh
Aurieyall Scott, Eleanor Roosevelt, MD, jr
McKinzie Schulz, Benet Academy, Lisle, IL, jr
Olicia Williams, St. Anthony's, South Huntington, NY, frosh

Men
DeVaughn Benion, George Washington, Danville, VA soph
George Chambers, Archbishop Curley, MD, jr
Marquise Dendy, Middletown, DE, soph
Alec Faldermeyer, Minisink Valley, Slate Hill, NY, jr
Dominic Filiano, Lebanon, NH, jr
Jordan Hill, Albemarle, Charlottesville, VA, jr
Anthony Kostelac,Albemarle, Charlottesville, VA, jr
Bill Ledder, Gonzaga Prep, Washington, DC jr
Carlton Lavong, Methacton, Fairview Village, PA, jr
Jeff Lewis, Western Branch, Chesapeake, VA, jr
Justin Lord, Glen Hills, Augusta, GA, jr
Malcolm Nunley, Southeast Raleigh, NC, jr
Bradley Sylve, South Plaquemines, Port Sulphur, LA, soph
Tyler Stephenson, Lancaster, TX, jr

For more information on this event visit http://www.nationalscholastic.org/caribbean.
Congratulations to all of those selected, what a great honor and opportunity!

Breaking News!

2009-05-17T20:52:00.004-03:00

Gamecock Freshman Booker Nunley runs a collegiate best of 13.49 and takes 2nd behind his teammate fellow Gamecock Senior Jason Richardson who ran a 13.29 at the SEC Track & Field Championship in Gainsville, Florida. Their other teammate Johnny Dutch placed 4th with a Season best time of 13.68. Congratulations to all of the Gamecocks!

Update: Johnny Dutch also went on to place 1st in the 400h with a season best time of 48.58! The Gamecock Men went on to place 4th overall in the SEC conference.

Written by Jacqueline Nunley

RACES FROM LAST WEEK

2009-05-11T20:33:00.006-03:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

2009-05-10T12:56:00.003-03:00

From Booker, Malcolm, Justine and Alex, we would like to say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to our mom. We love you, more than you know!!!!

I see you working hard for me
And wonder what it means:
Whether I will do the same
And give up my own dreams
To offer someone else my world,
A stranger from my womb,
And say: Here, take my life,
So you, not I, can bloom.

I often wonder at the depth
Of that cool sacrifice;
I know it can't be "just because,"
Or simply to be nice.

It is so awesome, I can't think
How I could make that choice,
Except I see something in you
That gives my own heart voice.

I see sometimes a happiness
Amid the stressed-out day
That no one else can hope to know
In any other way.

I feel it when you look at me
And understand sometimes
That things I do, I do for two,
And then your hard life shines.

And when I give you grief, I know
That all the bitter pain
Between a mom and growing child
Is simply like the rain

That alternates with sunny days,
Passion without end,
While underneath is more of life
Than we can comprehend.

And then I know, perhaps, why I
Like you might be so moved
To give my life to someone else,
And know that I have loved.

Outdoor Season Update - Malcolm

2009-05-09T13:18:00.003-03:00

This trackstar has had a busy week. Starting on Sunday evening he ran at the Duke Twighlight meet in Durham, NC. Where he ran his personal best of 22.46 in the 200 meters right after stepping off the track from competing in the 400 hurdles. As his older brother states he is strong. On Thursday he ran at the Greater Neuse highschool conference meet where he took second in the 110 hurdles and 1st in the 300 hurdles where he ran a personal best of 38.05. He also anchored the 4x200 team to a third place finish and the 4x400 team to a 2nd place finish. No time for rest he ran yesterday at the Chick-Fil-A UNC Elite meet in Chapel Hill, NC where he ran another personal best of 54.34 in the 400 hurdles. Malcolm will take some much needed rest for the next couple of days and then he will pick it up with his hurdles coach and a few days of sprint and endurance training with his school team early in the week. No meets until next weekend where he will compete in his regional meet for a spot at the NC 4A state meet. Malcolm currently has the #1 State times in the 300 and 400 hurdles!

Written by: Jacqueline Nunley

Outdoor Season Update - Booker

2009-05-09T13:11:00.005-03:00

I can't believe it Booker has completed his freshman year of college, well that is academically speaking. As for Track we are just getting to the good stuff! After a much needed rest and break so that he could finish up his finals. He hit the track yesterday at the Chick-Fil-A UNC Elite meet in Chapel Hill, NC. Back at home where he is in his element. He ran his collegiate best so far this year in the 110 hurdles with a 13.82 to take second in the event. Booker will be running next week at the SEC Conference in Gainsville, Florida and the following weekend he will be back in NC at Regionals being held at A&T in Greensboro, NC.

Written by: Jacqueline Nunley

Duke Twilight

2009-05-02T16:08:00.002-03:00

Tomorrow I will have another chance to improve my 400 hurdle time. I will be running at the 2009 Duke Twilight Meet, Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. My last 400 hurdle race was a PR, and I plan to get another one tomorrow. I'm shooting for a 52, so if I fall short I can still try to run a 53. The trials for the youth team going to Italy is approaching fast, and I need to be at least at a 53 going in. I'm feeling good about tomorrow, now I have to perform.

Wake County Champion!!!!!

2009-04-26T13:28:00.006-03:00

Yesterday I ran at the 2009 Wake County Championships in Cary, North Carolina. This year the meet was held at Panther Creek High School. I set out to bring home some gold and that is exactly what I did. I had a full load to run out there; 110 and 300 hurdles, 4x200 and 4x400 relays. Their weather was great too, except for the 90 degree heat!!!!

In the prelims of the 110 hurdles I ran a 15.28. I was not focused and it showed. The race was terrible! I came back in the finals to run a 14.70. I have a lot to work on. I was real sloppy toward the end of the race. It was straight, but it is not where I need to be, at least I am running in the 14's more consistently.

After, taking the gold in the 110 hurdles. I told myself to win the 300 hurdles also. By the time we got to 300 hurdles, I did not know how I would run this race. I had already run two rounds of the 110 hurdles and the 4x200 meter relay. I was so tired I didn't feel like getting into the blocks. While I was warming up I felt terrible, my legs were sore and I was starting to get a headache, but I decided to run anyway.

My goal was to run 37 seconds, but the way I was feeling, I was just hoping to run a 40. I got set in the blocks and began asking myself what am I doing?? When the gun went off it was another story. I got to the first hurdle, hit in stride and then I thought to myself, I'm going 37. My steps were on point! I got to the last hurdle and just lost my mind. I was tired, thought about alternating, I started shuffling and forgot all about the hurdle and I hit it. I fell on the last hurdle and still ran a 39.31, that should have been a 37!!!

Happy Birthday!!!!

2009-04-22T22:56:00.003-03:00

Today on April 22, 2009, our dad Booker Nunley III has reached a milestone in the journey of life. Our dad turned 40 years young today. Another year older, another wiser. Our dad has been a key part in our success so far in life. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Outdoor Season Update

2009-04-15T22:19:00.002-03:00

The past few weeks have been difficult due to the lost of our Granddad. Trying to practice and perform while in mourning was especially tough for both my brother and I, but by the Grace and Mercy of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we are persevering through these tough days. Below are a few updates since our last post in March.

Malcolm
PR in the 110 hurdles with a 14.61 at the Bill Carver Invitational in Fayetteville, NC on 4/4/09
PR in the 300 hurdles with a 38.45 at the Bill Carver Invitational in Fayetteville, NC on 4/4/09; I also won both events at that meet.
PR in the 400 hurdles with a 54.65 at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, TN on 4/10/09.
I will be running this week at the Apex Relays, in Apex, NC.

Booker
PR in the 110 hurdles with a 13.90 at the SC Collegiate State meet in Columbia, NC on 4/8/09.
1st Place at the Weems Baskins meet in Columbia, NC on 3/28/09 in the 110 Hurdles and in the 400 Hurdles.
1st Place at the Spec Towns Relay meet in Athens, Georgia on 4/11/09 in the 110 Hurdles. Booker currently has the 2nd fastest time in the SEC Conference.
He will be running this weekend at the International Friendship and Freedom meet in Greensboro, NC.

In Loving Memory

2009-04-15T22:12:00.002-03:00

R.I.P. Melvin Anderson (Granddad) 3/26/09 and Treondale Bailey (Cousin) 4/15/09 both of you will be greatly missed.

OUTDOOR SEASON!!!

2009-03-28T19:11:00.002-03:00

I kicked off my outdoor season with the Raleigh Relays Friday. I competed in the 400 hurdles. It went okay for the most part, stumbled at the 5th hurdle and was off the rest of the race. I posted a 55.25, I wasn't happy but I was content, for now.

Today I ran at the 2009 Spartans Invitational at Southern Durham high school. I started off the meet with the 110 hurdle prelims, it was terrible but somehow I qualified for the finals with a 15.81. I just wasn't focused and it showed. I made some what of an improvement in the finals running a 15.12, it was still bad for me. Its no where near I want or need to be right now.

After that hurdle performance, I was down a little but I was looking for redemption in the 300 hurdles, and that's exactly what I got. Determined to run good, I got focused. I got in the blocks and I knew what I had to do. Came out okay, but I focused on getting my steps right. I was even thinking about alternating if I had to. I think I ran well and posted a 38.54, a new PR! This weekend went well, and has given me a new boost of confidence for the season.

MileSplit - Interview with Malcolm Nunley

2009-03-25T01:53:00.002-03:00

By: Ben Hovis - ben@ncrunners.com
Published: 2009-03-17 06:13:00

Q: First of all, Malcolm, how old were you when you started running track?

A: I started running track in the 8th grade when I was about 13. At that time I ran track just to run it, basketball and football was my thing. I didn't know where track could take me at that time. Although I was good, I didn’t take it seriously.

Q: Growing up with an older brother, were you guys pretty competitive?

A: Yes!! Booker and I competed in every little thing. Our competitive nature helped us both get better, especially in track. Ever since we began running track, we have been competitive. That competitive spirit was there in practice. In our workouts, we pushed each other to get better. I would try and beat him, while he was trying to hold me off.

Q: Why the move to Southeast Raleigh?

A: I wanted to be on a more competitive team, a team that would be in the running for a state championship. A state championship is exactly what I got, my first season there! To win by .5 was great, but for me to have to catch Knightdale for fourth place for the title, made the win feel even better! Southeast is a good team and we’re planning to win more championships.

Q: You have run so many events, from the 55 dash, to the open 500m, to the 400mH . . . what is your favorite?

A: I love to run, that’s why I’ve competed in every event up to and including the 800m. It’s good to have a wide range of events; it makes a track athlete look better. Although I have competed in so many events, I would have to say my favorite is the 400 hurdles. It is a great mix between my two passions, the 400 and the hurdles.

Q: With times of 55.13 & 55.14 in the 400mH, seems you have a bright future in that event. Would you consider those two performances highlights of your career thus far?

A: Yes, for now, I plan to blow those times out the water. But those times helped me earn my first event championship title, and got me a fourth place finish at the 2008 Junior Olympics. Those times have also put my name on the map for the IAAF Youth Team going to Brassone, Italy. When I ran 55.13, it gave me a new boost of confidence.

Q: Have you thought about your college plans?

A: I would like to stay close to home, and I would also like to play football in college. That’s why I have been looking at schools that allow their athletes to be dual sport athletes. I want to get my times lower in track and see what schools are interested in me before I decide.

Q: Being at a school like SE Raleigh, I'm sure your training began pretty early this season. When did you start getting ready for the indoor season? How early in your training did you start going over hurdles?

A: I started early, as soon as I came back from Jr. Olympics, football season started. There was no down time. I would practice football through the week and on the weekends I was hitting the track practicing with my hurdles Coach Steve McGill. Those off-season workouts were the worst; doing high reps of 800's, 600's, 500's and 300's. I did not touch a hurdle until November. I had to get my base down, before I began hurdling. My off-season training went well and helped me set new PR's this indoor season.

Q: It seems you have gotten to travel quite a bit with your running. What has been your favorite experience? What is your favorite track?

A: Thanks to Track Eastern Carolina, Coach Dave Simpson and Coach Nicholas Sparks, I have been given an opportunity to travel and run. I would have to say that the Randal Tyson Track Center is my favorite place to run. The high banks on the curve made the track so fast. It felt real good to run down off those turns, when I came off the turns, I felt like I was shot out of a sling shot. I hope I can run there again.

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: I don't know; I love to eat. If I could have one thing to eat though, it would probably be pizza.

Q: Thanks for your time, Malcolm. Now for the thinker. Who has been your biggest inspiration as an athlete?

A: My inspiration as an athlete would be my brother. Booker Nunley went through so many hard times during his high school track career, yet he still persevered through to become the US#1 110 hurdler in 2008. When Booker was hit with hard times, he made the best of it and by turning a negative situation into a positive one. When he was declared ineligible for high-school track, instead of giving up, Booker trained over the 42 inch hurdles competing in college meets unattached, running a 13.91 over the 42 inch hurdles as a senior in high-school. Booker then went on to take silver at the IAAF World Junior Championships. I have looked up to him and I am trying to follow in his path now. He has shown what hard work can do, and has helped pave the way for me.

Alternative to TrackShark

2009-03-23T15:43:00.003-03:00

It has been about a week now since TrackShark closed down its website. TrackShark was the leading source of information for the Collegiates and also offered information for the Youth as well as Professional Track and Field Athletes. TrackShark was apart of the daily news in our family and will be missed.

For those of your like us who want to stay informed about what is happening in the Collegiate world you can visit Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association http://www.ustfccca.org. It has schedules, results, rankings and more for DIV1 to 3.

2009 NIke Indoor Nationals

2009-03-10T01:23:00.003-03:00

Malcolm will be closing out his indoor season at the Nike Indoor National Championship this weekend in Boston. Malcolm will be traveling with his track club TEC out of Newbern, NC and he will be competing in the 400m and 60m hurdles. You can check out dyestat for a complete listing of entries.

Booker's Gamecock Indoor Season - Virgina Tech Last Chance Meet

2009-03-10T01:15:00.003-03:00

Booker finished his freshman indoor season Saturday in Blacksburg Virginia at the Virginia Tech Last Chance meet. He placed 4th in the finals after he ran 7:86 twice which was a personal best and a NCAA provisional time. Congratulations Booker on a great start to your collegiate career!

A relay storm from New Bern NC expected to arrive in Boston by next weekend

2009-03-05T09:49:00.001-04:00

By: David Mann - david.mann@darton.edu
Published: 2009-03-04 22:07:00

Some years ago, New Bern High School Coach "Big Dave" Simpson felt that having kids under 13 in his Track Eastern Carolina club was too much like running a day care. Odds are he’ll be singing a different tune next weekend.

A former teammate told Simpson of 12-year-old twins Anthony and Andrew Hendrix who were running 2:15 halves at the local recreation center. At about that time, Simpson ran into Nicholas Sparks training his son Miles on the oval. Soon thereafter, young Fuquawn Greene was in also in the picture. Something was brewing in New Bern, N.C.

But that was five years ago. Now heading up what is possibly the most talked about high school indoor team in the nation, Simpson is days away from taking these New Bern High School boys on a mission to break records at the 2009 Nike Indoor Nationals. That’s right – the focus in Boston on March 14 and 15 is not just to win – but to set a new standard.

"They’re an out of control roller coaster going into the national meet," Simpson said. "They are mentally really getting perked up for this."

The perk may have come from an ironic twist noticed as they stomp down records held by one of high school track’s most note-worthy teams.

Running as Track Eastern Carolina at the Simplot Games recently, Simpson’s boys Greene, Sparks, and the Hendrix twins turned heads as they broke two meet records set in 1996 for the 4 x 200 and the sprint medley relay.

Those meet records were recorded by Pasenda, California-based team, Muir High School, who following the Simplot games in 1996 went on to set the national records in the those same events weeks later in Boston.

These 2009 nationals, for the first time in 12 years, will also be held in Boston.

"We’ll break it," Anthony Hendrix said of the SMR record. "I think we can break the 4 x 200. We just have to run the fastest times we’ve ever ran indoors."

When you look at their accomplishments thus far, Anthony’s confidence is easily understood. It may even be understated.

He is ranked #1 in the 500- and 600-meter dash (1:03.48 and 1:18.38, respectively) and twin Andrew is right there with him, ranking #2 on the 500 and #3 on the 600. Teammate Greene holds the top spot on the 200 with 21.39.

Track Eastern Carolina is ranked #1 for both the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400, and has already beaten the national record for the latter (3:13.06).

"We have come to a point that we don’t go to meets just to win meets," Simpson said. "We’re going to meets to break records."

There is one more meet to go for New Bern, and these day-care racers turned indoor-track phenoms are making a lot of room for themselves.

USATF Indoor Championship

2009-03-02T01:42:00.004-04:00

Congratulation to fellow hurdlers Lolo Jones and South Carolina Alumni Terrance Trammell for their Indoor Championship Titles and their Visa Championship Series wins.

Jones is the first female back to back winner in the history of the series. She won by winning the 60m hurdles final with a time of 7.84 which was worth 1202 points for the win.

Already the Visa points leader with 1226 entering the USA Championships, Trammell led from start to finish Sunday afternoon, winning in 7.37 seconds to break Reggie Torian's 10-year-old meet record of 7.38. The time was just .01 off the American record, was a 2009 world leader, and gave him 1259 points in the Visa standings. This is Trammell's 2nd Visa Championship win; he won his first in 2006.

Both athletes receive a bonus Visa check in the amount of $25,000.00

Booker's Gamecock Indoor Season - SEC Championship

2009-03-02T01:25:00.003-04:00

The first event up was the 60m hurdles as Richardson, sophomore Johnny Dutch and freshman Booker Nunley again set the pace with a 1-6-7 finish. With Richardson earning Carolina's first individual indoor title since 2002, Nunley and Dutch both ran 7.92's to take sixth and seventh, respectively, bringing Carolina's total in the event to 15 points. Congrulations to Jason Richardson and the Women's 4x400 team for the SEC Championship titles that they earned this weekend! Way to go Gamecocks!

Booker's Gamecock Indoor Season - Gamecock Invitational

2009-02-22T00:57:00.004-04:00

Booker won his first collegiate meet Saturday at the Gamecock Invitational in the 55m hurdles. With a personal record of 7.39 and just missing NCAA Provisional time by .01 Booker steadily improved his times in the Prelims, Semis and Finals.

Men's 55m Hurdles Prelims

3. Booker Nunley - 7.59

Men's 55m Hurdles Semis

T2. Booker Nunley - 7.

Men's 55m Hurdles Finals

1. Booker Nunley - 7.39

Booker will be competing next week in the SEC Championship in Kentucky.

Booker's Gamecock Indoor Season - Tyson Invitational

2009-02-15T12:45:00.005-04:00

This week Booker ran at the Tyson Invitational. After a disappointing false start last week at the New Balance Meet in New York, he claimed some self vindication with two personal best in the 60m hurdles. On Friday, Frye said "Booker Nunley and Johnny Dutch run tomorrow in the finals of the hurdles. It's a breakthrough for Booker." Booker Nunley qualified for Saturday's final in the 60m hurdles after running a season best 7.97 to place eighth. For the 14th-ranked men, Booker Nunley and Johnny Dutch finished 6-7 in the 60m hurdles final. Nunley ran a season best 7.93 while Dutch followed at 8.03.

Southeast takes title by half point

2009-02-15T12:23:00.003-04:00

CHAPEL HILL -- You'd be hard-pressed to find a half-point as valuable as the one Steven Bell of Southeast Raleigh scored at Saturday's state 4-A indoor track and field championships. Bell finished tied for fourth in the high jump, netting his Bulldogs squad 4.5 team points.

Of course, it took a clutch run from a quartet of Bell's teammates to wrap up an unforgettable day for Southeast. The Bulldogs held off New Bern in the team point tally, taking the team championship 62.5-62.

A fourth-place finish in the meet-closing 4x400 relay -- exactly the position Southeast had to earn to hold its lead until the end of the meet -- brought the title home.

"This was all team effort," Bulldogs coach Eddie Hardin said. "Everybody wants to talk about our superstars like Wayne Davis, but when you look at winning a state meet, it's all about a team effort. We gave a team effort today, and our 4x400 team was a perfect example of that."

Although New Bern -- carried by superstar brothers Andrew and Anthony Hendrix -- rolled to a meet record win in 3:21.79, the Bulldogs' Malcom Nunley made up a 10-stride deficit for fourth place on the anchor leg of the race.

"Malcom is one of our hardest workers, but he's always been a bit of a practice star," Hardin said. "We've challenged him to turn into a meet star and stop being a practice star. He did exactly that today."

Paris Reddick-Simmons, injury substitute Kevin Howell and Davis kept the Bulldogs in the race long enough for Nunley to get the spot the Bulldogs needed.

The top-six finish was one of 11 on the day for Southeast.

Davis broke his own national record in winning the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.05 seconds. Nunley was fifth in the same event and also sixth in the 500.

Bell added a third-place finish in the triple jump and a fourth in the long jump to go along with fourth in the high jump.

Jalen Holt was third in the high jump (6-0) and sixth in the triple jump. Reddick-Simmons was second in the 1000.

Garner's Ashton Anglin-Stone picked up the shot put state championship with a throw of 50-7, while Torrance Hunt of Durham Jordan came home with a new moniker -- the fastest man in the state, indoors. Hunt won the 55-meter dash in 6.25 seconds.

Green Hope finished a distant third (with 31 points) behind Southeast and New Bern. The Falcons did their scoring in the distance events.

Green Hope's Zak Roshdy led a Wake County 1-2-3 in the 1,600, winning in 4:20.71. Southeast Raleigh's Kurt Zehnder was second (4:25.16), while Cary's Mohammed Abushouk finished third.

Abushouk took the win in the 3,200 meters later in the meet. He was just short of his goal time of 9:30, winning in 9:31.01. A pair of Falcons joined him on the medal stand. Doug Black was second, while teammate Brian Spreitzer finished third.

Knightdale's Steven Merritt picked up the bronze medal in the 1,000. Wakefield joined Southeast Raleigh and New Bern on the medal stand in the 4x400 relay. The Wolverines were third at 3:27.74.

D. Clay Best - Correspondent
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1406459.html

New Bern Sets New National 4x400 Record!

2009-02-08T10:01:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, New Bern High School traveled to the Amory for the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. New Bern was on a mission, and the only thing in their way was national records. After running 3:13.24 at the KTC Invitational on an oversized track, they wanted to prove they could do it on a legal size track. In the process, New Bern posted a 3:13.06 a new PR, with splits from Anthony Hendrix (47.6), Fuquawn Greene (48.7), Miles Sparks (49.0) and Andrew Hendrix (47.5) set their own national record by winning the junior boys 4x400 in 3:13.06, eclipsing Muir High’s 1996 record of 3:13.34.

The Twins, Anthony and Andrew Hendrix competed in the 600 meter run. Anthony took the gold in a time of 1:18.36 while Andrew came in third with a 1:18.89. New Bern also competed in the 4x200 meter relay. New Bern won the 4x200 with a 1:27.06 setting a new personal record.

Word of the Week!

2009-02-05T20:22:00.004-04:00

Perseverance:Steady persistence in adhering to a course of action, a belief, or a purpose; steadfastness.

“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak”

-Thomas Carlyle

Track Eastern Carolina Runs 3:13.24!!!!

2009-02-01T05:45:00.018-04:00

Friday:

Friday was the start of KTC Indoor Track Classic. Track Eastern had some athletes in the first day of competition. In the high school girls triple jump, Kayla Jackson took first with a jump of 37-08.00 feet and teammate Johniqua Fonville took fifth place with a jump of 35-06.00 feet. Track Eastern had two people to compete in the 200 meter dash prelims. Tiffany Downing and the US#1 200 meter runner Fuquawn Greene. Tiffany posted a time off 25.98 in the prelims. Fuquawn ran a 21.56 in the prelims qualifying #1 for the finals.

The story for Friday was the 3:13.24 in the 4x400 meter relay posted by Track Eastern Carolina!

The New Bern boys from North Carolina continue to impress with an incredible indoor season of amazing relay performances topped most recently tonight at the KTC Indoor Track Classic in Tennessee as their 4x400 meter relay ran the #2 time ever in high school history on all sized tracks with a 3:13.24 performance on the oversized track at East Tennessee State. Their time was actually faster than the listed "national record" in the high school boys indoor 4x400 meter relay set by Muir High School in 1996 at 3:13.34, but Muir High School will keep their national record (for now) as they ran their time on a 200 meter indoor track which is the standard for all high school national record performances in the circular running events. The fastest oversized track performance belongs to Dallas Lincoln at 3:11.7, which puts the performance by the New Bern boys in perspective since they just ran the fastest high school 4x400 indoor time since the 1970 performance from the Dallas Lincoln squad.

WHAT A DAY!

Saturday

Track East kicked off day two of competition with the high school girls 800 meter run. Ryhanna Henderson of TEC competed in the 800 meter run taking second with a time of 2:22.82. For the boys, Banks Barnes and Steven Harpe competed in the second section of the 800 meter run. Barnes posted a 2:03.85 while Harpe came in with a 2:06.90. The 60 meter hurdle prelims were contested next. Miles Sparks and Malcolm Nunley represented TEC in the hurdle prelims. In heat six Miles Sparks posted a 8.81, While his teammate Malcolm Nunley ran a time of 8.44 qaulifying for the finals. Malcolm Nunley would go on to run a 8.39 in the finals to take third place. In the 400, Track Eastern had three athletes to compete and all three were in the top eight overall. Anthony Hendrix took first in a time of 48.23, Andrew took second with a 48.64 and Malcolm Nunley was seventh overall with a 50.95. The 60 meter dash gave Fuquawn a chance to showcase his speed once again. In the prelims, Fuquawn ran a 6.95 and would go on to the finals and post a 6.80 to capture the gold.

To finish up the day, Fuquawn Greene competed in the 200 meter dash finals. Although Fuquawn qualified with the fastest time, he was given lane one. That didn't stop Fuquawn from blowing the competition off the track with a 21.55. Great Race! TEC ended the day with a girl's mile run by Ryhanna Henderson, she posted a 5:30.48 to take the silver medal.

Interview of the Week: Anthony Hendrix

2009-01-21T16:39:00.007-04:00

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.

Booker Nunley: A Hurdler with a Heart

2009-01-19T17:54:00.004-04:00

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

Deepest Sympathies

2009-01-16T00:36:00.002-04:00

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

2009-01-16T00:16:00.001-04:00

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

2009-01-16T00:00:00.001-04:00

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

Eastern High School Challenge!!!!

2009-01-15T17:29:00.006-04:00

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.

Track Eastern Runs The Show In Arkansas!

2009-01-12T13:40:00.015-04:00

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.

New Selection Process

2008-12-27T17:22:00.002-04:00

INDIANAPOLIS - USA Track & Field on Tuesday announced that it has revamped the process for selecting its team for the IAAF World Youth Athletics Championships.For the first time, the team will be selected based on performances at a Team Trials event - World Youth Track & Field Trials - which will be conducted less than two weeks before the 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships.

Since the inception of the World Youth Championships in 1999, the U.S. team has been selected by a committee, which reviewed the performances of athletes who had competed in one of three national championship events - USA Youth, USA Junior, and USATF Junior Olympics - a full year prior to the World Championships. "Our goal is to send the best possible team to the World Championships, and having a selection meet just prior to the World Championships allows USATF to do this," said USATF Youth Division Chair Lionel Leach. "As is the case with our elite athletes and their teams, our youth athletes will be able to 'select themselves' based on how they perform at a qualifying meet."

The 2009 World Youth Track & Field Trials will be held on June 30 - July 1 in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in conjunction with the first two days of the USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The event will serve as the qualifying event for the 8th IAAF World Youth Championships to be held July 8-12 in Bressanone, Italy. For more information on the 2009 World Youth Track & Field Trials, including qualifying standards to enter the Trials and team selection criteria, please visit http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/WorldYouthAthleticsTrials.

Arkansas Invitational

2008-12-23T15:07:00.005-04:00

I'm getting my first real test of the season in January, at the Arkansas Invitational. Hosted at the University of Arkansas, this is one of the premiere high school indoor meets. A lot of great competition will be there competing in the hurdles. I'm feeling real good about this season. With all the work I have done in the off-season, its time to see it in actions. Working with Coach Mcgill, I know I'm on track to do some big things indoors and just bust out this outdoor season. Last year at the meet, Booker Nunley and Wayne Davis of Track Eastern Carolina took 1st and 2nd. Its my turn this year. I have already posted a 7.5 in the 55 meter hurdles, although it was hand time, it was still a fast time. This will be my first 60 meter hurdles race. I'm going there to win!

-Malcolm Nunley

Great Start!

2008-12-22T12:39:00.005-04:00

I kicked off the indoor season with three personal records. Last Wednesday at West Johnston High School, I competed in my first meet of the season. I ran in the 55 meter hurdles, 300 meter dash, and the 4x400 meter relay. It was a great meet. I posted a 7.5 in the hurdles, which was better than my time of 8.1 of last year. In the 300 meter dash, I smashed my previous best of 37.75 with a time 35.8. I qualified for the state meet in the hurdles, and missed it in the 300 by .5 seconds. My 300 meter race was promising yet disappointing at the same time because I had great race but still missed the qualification mark. The very next day we had a meet at Wakefield High School. There I competed in the 500 meter dash. I was not to thrilled to run the 500, but the competitive nature in me took over and i just ran it. I forgot to check in, so they made me start on the out side. At the shot of the gun I didn't take out at all. During the race I wanted to quit so bad because I was beginning to feel the the effects of my lunch. I was in the back of the pack getting boxed in, but once I got to the 200 mark it was over. I sucked it up and hoped in lane 3 and kicked all to the finish line. I sucked up everyone in the race to win the 500. I ran the 500 in a time of 1:08.4, a new personal record and yet again falling short of the qualification standards by .4 seconds. I'm feeling real good about this season!

-Malcolm Nunley

The Man Behind The Plan

2008-10-17T14:48:00.011-03:00

Johnny Dutch:2008 Olympic trials 400 hurdles Finalist(48.52) ... Placed 2nd at the 12th IAAF World Junior Championships(49.25) ... Named All-American all four years of high school for indoor and outdoor hurdle events ... Won 2006 Nike Outdoor Nationals in 110 meter hurdles junior year (13.54) ... won 2007 Nike Indoor Nationals senior year (7.71) ... won 2007 Pan American Juniors in 400 meter hurdles (50.87) and 110 meter hurdles (13.47) ... placed second with the USA's 4x400m team (3:06) ... placed second at 2007 Junior Nationals in 400 meter hurdles (50.07) and 110 meter hurdles (13.39) ... won 2007 Simplot Games 60 meter hurdles in Idaho ... broke national record in 55 meter hurdles at an indoor meet with a time of 7.07 ... All- American all four years in high school and a nine time state champion in both hurdle events.

Booker Nunley: 2008 IAAF World Junior 110h Silver Medalist ... 2008 Junior National 110h Gold Medalist 2008 ... Junior Olympic 110h Gold Medalist ... 2008 Youth National 110h Gold Medalist ... 2008 NIN 60h Bronze Medalist ... 13.40 - US#1 Outdoor 110h & World #2 Outdoor 110h ... 7.78 - US#5 Indoor 60h ... 13.91(42"hurdles) 10th Fastest Time for High Schooler over Professional and Collegiate Height Hurdles in US History.

Wayne Davis: US #1 all time 55mH - 7.06 ... 60mH 7.62 7.83 ... soph record 60mH ... 7.32 soph 55mH record ... 13.65 110mH soph record ...13.18 World Youth record ... 7.06 55mH Jr record ...7.62 60mH Jr record ... 7.11 NCSAA 55mH record.

After looking at these athletes' accomplishments above, most of you are pretty amazed at what they have done. There is one thing that you may not know just by reading their accolades. Johnny, Booker and Wayne all have one thing in common, they have been taught by the same coach. Coach Steven Mcgill has been the driving force of the hurdling success of North Carolina
for the past five years. In the past couple of years having the Nations top hurdlers coming out of the Raleigh, NC area is a special honor in the sport of track and field. The strong depth in the hurdles, has helped North Carolina display their dominance in track & field to the rest of the country. North Carolina is in competition with the states like Florida, Texas, California, and Maryland to see who reigns supreme in the sport of track & field.

Coach Steven Mcgill Over the years has studied, learned and practiced the art of hurdling. He is now in the process of mastering the "PROPER TECHNIQUE" of hurdling. He has dedicated his life to the hurdles and by doing so, he has shared his knowledge to all athletes wanting to get better. Those who have taken his teachings and applied them to their race have gone on to do great things in the hurdles so far. Coach Mcgill has helped the likes of Johnny Dutch (Univ. South Carolina), Booker Nunley (Univ. South Carolina), Wayne Davis (Southeast Raleigh High), Malcolm Nunley (Southeast Raleigh High), David Coe, Gabby Mayo (Texas Tech.), James Robinson (NC State), Keare Smith (VA Tech.), Anthony Hendrix (New Bern High), Allison Johnson (Athens Drive High) and many more high school athletes. Steven Mcgill has also published his own website dedicated to hurdles. The site Hurdles first.com, has everything you need to know about the hurdles, training tips, workouts, personal stories and more. This website has helped many people trying to improve their skills and get faster. Coach Mcgill has often been contacted via his website, from athletes who are in need of his teachings. Through his website, Mcgill has worked with many post-collegiate athletes like Byron Gibson (Univ. of Alabama Grad.), Hector Cotto (ECU Grad. and Beijing Olympian), Kevin Watson (UNC Grad.) and many others. Coach Mcgill has plans to coach many more athletes this year and anticipates those who will come back and train after college.

I wrote this article because I wanted people to see just what this man has done in the sport of track & field. I'm not alone when I say that Steven Mcgill is the most under-rated coach there is. He has been credited very little for the success of his athletes. Booker Nunley, 2008 US#1 hurdler (13.40), has given credit to most of his high school success to Coach Mcgill. When Booker was declared ineligible for high school track, Coach Mcgill stepped in and turned up Booker"s training. In three years, Mcgill took Booker from an average hurdler to US#1. Mcgill has produced three US#1 hurdlers in the past five years. Even with all this knowledge in this event, Mcgill is constantly learning something new every practice, in pursuit to master the "PROPER TECHNIQUE". There has also been other speculation about Coach Mcgill. Many people along with myself have asked why Coach Mcgill hasn't had colleges come and offer him a spot on their coaching staff. Especially with local schools around here like NC State, Duke, UNC, these schools would really benefit by having a top-notch coach on staff. I believe he could really draw the top athletes to any school. Steve Mcgill is not only an excellent hurdles coach, he also has knowledge about many other aspects of track & field, like speed training and distance running.

IOC RE-TESTING BEIJING DOPING SAMPLES!

2008-10-12T17:15:00.003-03:00

Every doping sample taken at Beijing 2008 will be retested by the International Olympic Committee to check for traces of the newly-discovered blood-boosting drug CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator).

The IOC conducted more than 5,000 doping tests during this year's Games, and the spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau confirmed today that every sample would be re-examined by the World Anti-Doping Agency's laboratory in Lausanne. The decision to test for CERA, an advanced version of the endurance-enhancing hormone EPO, was taken after the drug was detected in Tour de France samples that had previously been passed as clean.

Doping officials are still retesting samples from this year's Tour de France, and further positive results are expected. "I imagine there could be one or two more cases," suggested the race director Christian Prudhomme after officials confirmed yesterday that Germany's Stefan Schumacher and Italy's Riccardo Ricco and Leonardo Piepoli, who won five of the Tour's 21 stages between them, had tested positive for CERA.

The IOC vice-president Thomas Bach told reporters yesterday that road cycling could lose its status as an Olympic sport altogether if the recent spate of positive tests continued. Moreau was more conciliatory today, stating that: "The IOC will continue to support the International Cycling Union and any other international federation as long as it is deploying meaningful and credible means and efforts to fight against doping."

Six athletes were disqualified for doping during the Beijing Games and three more cases are pending.

The Off-Season!

2008-10-12T16:06:00.002-03:00

As the indoor seaosn draws near, many athletes are putting on the flats and getting back in shape. These off-season workouts are the worst of them all. I just recently started back working out for this upcoming track season. I have many goals I plan to accomplish. I'm really putting in double the work. I'm playing football right now for Southeast Raleigh Highschool, then when I find the time, I'm working out with my coach. My coach, Steve Mcgill, also understands my goals and we both know what it's going to take to achieve these goals. thats why we have gone ahead and went to work.
The workouts are kind of hard. They are all about conditioning. It's the time now we are taking to build the foundation for the upcoming season.

The high price of raising an Olympian

2008-08-24T19:02:00.001-03:00

The expenses start early -- maybe when a child is in kindergarten -- and can total hundreds of thousands of dollars for parents of elite athletes. The rest of the family may pay a price, too.
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E-mail to a friend Tools IndexPrint-friendly versionSite MapArticle IndexDiscuss in a Message BoardDigg This By Abby Ellin, MSN Money
Olympic glory can be expensive.

But the investment has been worth it, at least for the Ali family.

David Ali knew his son Sadam had gifted hands way back when Sadam was 8 years old and dancing around the ring at the Bed-Stuy Boxing Club in Brooklyn, N.Y. That's why the family supported Sadam through 11 years of training, for about eight hours a day. That support helped the 19-year-old lightweight become the first New Yorker to make the U.S. Olympic boxing team since Riddick Bowe in 1988. See Sadam Ali in action

"It cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years," says David, a 46-year-old father of five who works in his family's real-estate company. "But I knew I was going to do whatever I had to make sure he followed his dream." Olympian's dad: 'Never again'

For so many young athletes and their parents, reaching for an Olympic berth is a fiscal, as well as a physical, challenge. Think about it: coaches, clothing, housing, food, travel and baby sitters for siblings.

And unlike in, say, China -- where state-sponsored training schools help support athletes -- the U.S. Olympic Committee is one of few national Olympic committees whose athletes do not receive government funding, says Nicole Saunches, a U.S. committee spokeswoman.

For many years, Olympic athletes weren't allowed to accept endorsements, prizes or corporate sponsorships to underwrite training or living expenses. That changed in 1978 with the adoption of the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. And over the past 30 years, regulations have been changed several times to increase financial support for the athletes. In 1988, the Olympic Games began to allow professional athletes to compete. The payoff from a gold medal

Liberalization of the regulations has helped some athletes, but not all. Many families continue to face major financial challenges as they evaluate options for a young athlete.

Talk back: Would you pay to raise an Olympian?

"You want your child to be happy," says David Ali. "I did whatever I had to, to make sure he had everything he needed."

Sometimes expenses mount in ways that can be hard to predict.

Gymnast Shawn Johnson's parents, for example, took out a line of credit on their home and have used that money over the years to cover travel expenses. The debt has made a dent in the family finances, but that's a price parents seem willing to pay. Photo: See Shawn competing

The financial choices crop up the moment a parent notices a child's special talent.

Donna Williams, a high school teacher in Miami, could not have foreseen that her sprinter daughter Lauryn, now 24, would be an Olympian in track and field, initially in Athens four years ago and now this year in Beijing. But she knew Lauryn could run. Photo: See Lauryn in the '04 Olympics

"Lauryn used to run barefoot as a baby," her mother recalls. "She had the worst case of flat feet on Earth, but she was beating the other kids in the neighborhood, and I said, 'You should go on the track team.'"

When Lauryn Williams was 11, she began training with a community track-and-field group in her family's hometown of Detroit. That was relatively inexpensive. The bills started rolling in the next year, when she switched to the Detroit Cheetahs, a local track club.

"That's when we needed spikes, training shoes, entry fees," Donna Williams says. Not to mention travel fees, hotel expenses and meals.

Williams, a single mom while Lauryn trained, credits her friends and family for helping her finance her daughter's efforts. Photo: See Lauryn with her mom

"Lauryn's success is truly based upon the fact that it takes a village to raise a child," she says. "I have had an excellent, excellent base of friends who, when I said, 'We're going to a track meet, Lauryn needs a pair of shoes, I got $50 for a pair, and I need another $30,' somebody always stepped up to the plate and helped us out. Some days I didn't really have to ask. I would come home and find an envelope with $20 under the door. We all kind of pitched in."

When it came time to go to Athens, Donna Williams' best friend raised more than $10,000 to help Lauryn and her mother get there. Lauryn herself raised $10,000 so her father could go. As for China, Donna is paying for that trip with money left to her when her mother died.

"It was divine intervention," she says.

Some athletes get substantial support from corporate sponsorships. Lauryn Williams is one of 12 "Olympic Hometown Hopefuls" sponsored by Bank of America. The bank has been a corporate sponsor of the U.S. Olympic Team since 1992.

Like AT&T and Nike, the bank helps families with expenses as well. The Bank of America's Hometown Hopeful Family Center in Beijing is designed to support the families of Olympians with free lunches, dinners and snacks, as well as an Internet cafe and free event tickets. The center expects to host 600 families.

All told, the perks at the center could save a family of four about $1,700 a week, says Joe Goode, a Bank of America spokesman in Boston.

Support for the families can be important because a lot of the stress of an Olympic career falls on the family. It can be tough, says Jan Peck, the mother of Heather Mitts, a member of the U.S. women's soccer team that won a gold medal in Athens in 2004.

Mitts, now 30, started playing soccer in kindergarten, and it was clear even then that she had talent. Development of that talent had a major effect not only on the family finances but on Mitts' five siblings.

"It can be a strain on families, both financially and emotionally," says Peck, who lives in Cincinnati. "It can be perceived by the other siblings that one child is the favorite. And then other children may try to overachieve. The high level of competition also just consumes your every holiday. No longer can you enjoy Mother's Day or Father's Day or Fourth of July as a family, because you're always traveling.

"We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Heather," Peck recalls. "Tournaments, hotel accommodations, private lessons, food, travel, sitters for siblings or pets -- all those things cost money."

The family's sacrifices have paid off in a couple of ways. Mitts' athletic achievements have led to modeling gigs, commercials and TV reporting for ESPN.

"She's been one of those real fortunate that's done very well," her mother says.

That's the kind of future David Ali envisions for his son Sadam, the boxer. The family is committed. The trip to China will cost Ali $15,000 to $20,000 for three weeks, but he isn't blinking. He'll be there, cheering every hook, every jab, every uppercut from ringside.

What's $20,000 to witness something he's dreamed about for more than a decade?

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Ali says.

Return to the series home page

Published July 31, 2008

U.S. men sweep 400

2008-08-21T21:25:00.001-03:00

BEIJING -- It was the most anticipated head-to-head clash of these Games and in the end it wasn't even close.

Powering to a one-step lead off the final bend, LaShawn Merritt forged onwards to an overwhelming victory to dethrone defending 400m champion Jeremy Wariner clocking 43.75, to cap yet another dramatic evening of competition at a sold-out National Stadium in Beijing.

In fact, Merritt's margin of victory, at 0.99 just under a full second, was the greatest in Olympic history.

"You don't become a champion without being mentally and physically tough," said Merritt, who at 22 is two year's Wariner's junior. "And you know what, I showed up and got it done."

After watching Merritt romp down the homestretch, there was no simply no debating that assessment.

"I actually focused on running on that back stretch," said Merritt, who improved significantly on his 43.96 career best set it Osaka last year when he finished second to Wariner. "I ran it like I wanted the gold medal. Like my roommate, Angelo Taylor. He ran it like he wanted to win."

Wariner, lined up in Lane 7, got out the fastest, building a marginal lead midway through the back straight. But in the meantime, Merritt, running in Lane 4, opened with a slightly more controlled tempo, running relaxed down the back straight and began to draw even midway through the final turn to enter the straight with a half step lead.

That was usually the point where Wariner begins to pull away. But this time, as was the case in his two other defeats to Merritt this year - in both occasions lined up to Merritt's outside, incidentally - he didn't.

Instead, it was Merritt who turned that narrow edge at the top of the straight into an insurmountable lead which he extended with each long powerful stride. Behind him Wariner was a shadow of his former self. Unable to respond, he began to fade gradually, but held on for second in 44.74.

Closing markedly faster as well was David Neville, whose finishing lean evolved into a dive. He nearly caught Wariner, but fell - literally - just a bit short in 44.80, to clinch the second consecutive U.S. Olympic sweep of the event.

"I felt good off the first 200, when I tried to move it just wasn't there," said Wariner, whose only slower performance in a final this year was his 44.82 in Melbourne in February. "If I could have had the race I had in the semi-finals, it would have been a closer race."

"I had to go in head first," Neville said. "It was a tough race at the end, but sometimes you have to dive in and give it your all."

Payne and Oliver Medal For US

2008-08-21T11:51:00.003-03:00

David Payne and David Oliver took silver and bronze, respectively, for the United States. Payne crossed the line in 13.17 seconds and Oliver was just .01 seconds back in third.

After crossing the finish line, Payne found a television camera and said “5-1-3,” the Cincinnati telephone area code, repeatedly into the camera.

Payne and Oliver continued the run of Olympic success for the United States in the 110 hurdles three days after U.S. men swept the medals in the 400-meter hurdles.

For the sixth time since 1984, the U.S. won two medals in the 110 hurdles. The only time the Americans won fewer than two medals in that stretch was in 2004 in the Athens Summer Olympics when Terrence Trammel was the lone American medalist.

Trammel suffered a hamstring injury in the first round of competition here and was not able to advance, in the first round.

Sheena Tosta Shines in Silver at Olympics

2008-08-21T11:44:00.002-03:00

BEIJING, China (WUSA) A Northern Virginia runner struck gold in Beijing.

Gar-Field High School graduate Sheena Tosta finished second in the 400 meter hurdles event. The Woodbridge native had a time of 53.70, one second behind winner Melanie Walker of Jamaica.

This is Tosta's first-ever Olympic medal. Tosta competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she finished fourth in the 400 hurdles.

Harper Wins Olympic Hurdles

2008-08-20T00:04:00.002-03:00

American Dawn Harper sprung a huge surprise when a dramatic mistake by compatriot Lolo Jones let her through to win Olympic gold in the women's 100 meters hurdles on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old Harper fought back her own tears of joy after crossing the line in 12.54 seconds and admitted her victory was a shock.

"I always thought I was capable if I focused on myself. But for others, yes (it was a surprise)," she said.

"I just knew I needed to react to the gun, and just you know, head down, and focus on me and be quick and attack each hurdle and then head for the line."

Harper comes from the same city, East St Louis, as three-times Olympic champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee and is coached by the former heptathlete's husband.

"This is a kid nobody knew, now she is the Olympic champion. It's breathtaking," Bob Kersee said, adding that his wife had given Harper a pep talk last year when she was not running very well.

Americans Sweep 400 Hurdles

2008-08-18T17:13:00.004-03:00

Angelo Taylor, the 2000 Olympic champion in the 400-meter hurdles, led a U.S. sweep in the event with his finish in 47.25 seconds, a personal best. Kerron Clement claimed the silver in 47.98 and Bershawn Jackson claimed the bronze in 48.06.

It was the first sweep in the event since the United States did it in 1960, according to the Associated Press.

Angelo Taylor won his second Olympic 400-meter hurdle title on Monday a full eight years after claiming gold in Sydney, leading the first American sweep in the event in 48 years.

Taylor won in a career best 47.25 seconds to defeat world champion Kerron Clement by .73 of a second with 2005 world champion Bershawn Jackson third in 48.06, edging Jamaican Danny McFarlane despite clipping the last hurdle.

"It was a great run," Taylor said. "I feel like I'm on top of the world right now."

After US struggles on the track, including Tyson Gay failing to reach the 100-meters final and a Jamaican medal sweep in the women's 100, the Americans finally won their first gold on the track at the Bird's Nest.

"To lead the sweep means so much," Taylor said. "We were talking about it before but had to do it. The USA hasn't had a great showing so far so we wanted to prove something."

Taylor matched countryman Edwin Moses by winning Olympic titles eight years apart in the event, Moses having achieved the feat in 1976 and 1984.

"It's an honour to be mentioned in the same breath as Ed Moses. He is a legend," Taylor said. "It has all been about keeping the faith and staying strong over the last four years,"

It was the fifth US Olympic podium sweep in the event, following medal trebles in 1904, 1920, 1956 and 1960.

"It means a lot," Jackson said. "Just to be a part of this great tradition is a blessing."

Taylor, 29, now shares eighth on the all-time 400 hurdles performer's list, just behind Clement and ahead of Jackson.

"It was great to see Angelo come back," Clement said. "It was a great performance."

Taylor, a member of the reigning world champion 4x400 relay, lost a 4x400 Olympic gold from the 2000 Olympics when the IOC stripped the medal from the US relay after doping admissions or punishments from three of the runners involved.

Only Taylor and Michael Johnson have not been implicated among the five who stood on the highest Sydney podium.

The sweep nearly died at the last gasp as Jackson bumped the final hurdle but held off 36-year-old McFarlane, the 2004 Olympic 400m runner-up and a member of the 2000 Olympic 4x400 gold medal relay.

"I wanted to win it pretty bad, but I made too many mistakes," Jackson said. "I messed up the last hurdle but I recovered pretty good."

Clement, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago but became a US citizen in 2005, had the fastest time in the world this year at 47.79 with Taylor second in 47.94 and Jackson third in 48.02 entering the showdown for gold.

"I'm pretty happy just to get the silver medal," Clement said. "We are the three best guys in the world and that's something I'm really happy about.

"I'm a little bit disappointed that I'm the reigning world champion and I didn't get the gold. I ran a hell of a race. Angelo ran a personal best. I can't complain."

boys hurdles | 07-08 most outstanding performers

2008-08-18T17:07:00.006-03:00

This is the seventh of a series of DyeStat year-end awards for 2007-08. The DyeStat Most Outstanding Performers series, which follows the DyeStat Athlete of the Year awards, includes top honors for boys and girls distances, sprints, hurdles, jumps, throws, relays, and multi-events. Selections are made by DyeStat editors and are based a combination of multiple major victories/honors won and performances on all-time and yearly lists. Performances from outdoor track, indoor track, and cross-country are taken into account..

Text by Dave Devine - Photos by Vic Sailer, Kirby Lee and John Nepolitan

Booker Nunley

It’s a testament to the strength of North Carolina boys’ hurdling that 3 of the 4 2008 Most Outstanding Hurdlers are from the Tar Heel state. Booker Nunley may well have been the best of them all, but was ruled ineligible for much of the indoor season and the entirety of outdoors for failing to carry sufficient credits at Garner Magnet HS his senior year. Even though Nunley had enough credits to graduate as a senior, he mistakenly failed to register for the required amount to participate in athletics.

Watching from the outside, as stars like Wayne Davis II and Spencer Adams dueled at the North Carolina state meets, Nunley exacted his revenge in a breathtaking post-season run which carried him to US#1 in the 110 hurdles and runner-up at the World Junior Championships in Poland.

Nunley was among the nation's elite 55- and 60-meter hurdlers during his truncated indoor season, and third over 60H (7.78) to Davis and Colorado’s Michael Hancock at Nike Indoor Nationals (where he could compete unattached), but it was in the summer outdoor meets where he really hit his stride. Flying under the radar most of the spring, Nunley served notice he was back with a blistering US#1 13.40 (-1.0w) winner at the USATF Junior Nationals. That meet qualified him for World Juniors in Poland, but before departing for Bydgoszcz, Nunley added another 110H gold at the USATF Youth Championships in North Carolina in late June. Then, at the World Junior meet, he was a silver medalist with an impressive 13.45 (1.1 w) over the sticks.

Returning stateside, Nunley again took national laurels at a USATF meet, this time the Junior Olympics, where he ran a meet record 13.41 (1.4w) to beat Texas star Chance Casey and cap off his incredible summer campaign.

From One Parent To Another!

2008-08-11T03:35:00.003-03:00

Written by Jackie Nunley

Well, we have come to the end of yet another track season and I have to say I am so thankful that we made it through. This year along with the victorious triumphs has not been without its pain and what sometimes felt like the agony of defeat. As one track mom put it to me when I started this journey 3 years ago with my sons we are not only parents but we are dream makers and facilitators for our children. As we prepare to send one son to the next level (college) and help the other son continue to grow on his current level. I have to say that as a parent you are your child’s best advocate and don’t let anyone fool you into thinking other wise. I don’t care what extracurricular activity your child decides to partake in you had better be ready to know all of the ends and outs from the administrative to the logistics of the activity. Speaking first hand I can tell you that in the end if your child doesn’t succeed to the best of his or her ability then it will fall back on you. I don’t mean to in anyway take away from the great coaches, instructors, teachers or administrators that are involved in your child’s life; if you are blessed to have them there. My sons have had and currently have some great coaches with regards to their athletics. However, they have also had 1 or 2 who only had their own interest in mind.

I say this not to discount all of the efforts of those who will play meaningful roles in your child’s life but to tell you not to leave anything to chance where your child is concerned. Know your local and state rules with regards to the academic and eligibility requirements of your child who participates in athletics. We were and are very active in our children’s academic and extracurricular lives however; an eligibility rule slipped by us and caused our son to miss the second half of his senior season. At no fault of his own in the end he was held solely responsible. Parents, Students and anyone who is close to a student that participates in athletics please alert them to know all of the rules that govern them; especially, those in their Junior or Senior year of high school.

As a result of what happened I have had many parents from around the country come up to me at meets and tell me that they have become more aware of the rules and that their schools have stepped up making sure that Parents and Students are more aware of all of the eligibility guidelines that affect all extracurricular activities. Our son was blessed he had already secured an athletic scholarship and with a strong support system outside of his school he was able to go on and compete and close out his senior track season during the summer with 3 National Championships and a Silver Medal from an international competition. However for many it sets them back and it is hard to recover from. I also heard from many of those families as well about how similar guidelines or eligibility rules had sidelined their children and how they lost their motivation or opportunities to advance to the next level. With my sons permission I am posting this bit of information on their blog so that it may help you the Parent and Student to be aware of the rules governing school athletics.

Below you will find links to some helpful sites and information.

http://www.nchsaa.org/
http://www.wcpss.net/athletics/ath0809.html#miss
http://www.wcpss.net/athletics/eligibility_requirements.html
https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/common/

2008-2009 HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Students interested in participating in high school athletics in the 2008-2009 school year should familiarize themselves with the following general regulations, academic and attendance requirements, and athletic policies.

Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for tryouts, practice, or participation in interscholastic athletic contests, a player must meet all North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) and Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) eligibility requirements and policies:
Age
• Must not participate if he/she becomes 19 years of age on or before October 16, 2008.
Attendance
• Must follow NCHSAA rules, which have an 85% attendance requirement (approximately 13.5 days) for the previous semester and includes all absences.
• WCPSS requires the athlete to be present the entire day in order to participate in activities or practices.
Academics
• A student, upon first entering grade nine (9), is academically eligible for competition on high school teams. All requirements must be met the first semester (fall) in order for this student to be eligible for athletic participation the second semester (spring).
• Must meet promotion requirements at their school to be eligible for the fall semester
• Must earn passing grades in five subjects, or three for block schedule schools, or six for schools on an A/B form of scheduling, during each semester in order to be eligible for participation during the succeeding semester.
• WCPSS also requires a cumulative overall grade point average of 1.5 or above.
Enrollment
• Must participate at the school to which he or she is assigned by the local board of education based on the residence of the parent or legal custodian within the administrative unit. The athlete must live with the parents or legal custodian. According to WCPSS Board Policy 6201 a “legal custodian” is a person or agency awarded legal custody of a child by a court of law.
• Must be a properly enrolled student in a member school of the WCPSS district, must be enrolled no later than the 15th day of the present semester, and must be in regular attendance at that school.
Medical Examination
• Must receive a medical examination once every 365 days by a duly licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant.
• Must be released by a licensed physician if absent from athletic practice for five or more days due to illness or injury.
Other NCHSAA Requirements
• Must not participate at the high school level for a period lasting longer than eight consecutive semesters beginning with the student’s first entry into grade nine or participation on a high school team.
• Must not participate at the high school level for more than four seasons in that sport (one season per year).
• Must not be convicted of a felony in this or any other state, or adjudicated as a delinquent for an offense that would be a felony if committed by an adult in this or any other state.
• May not play, sit on the bench, or practice if ineligible.
• To maintain amateur status, the athlete must not accept money or awards having utilitarian value (golf balls, clubs, tennis rackets and balls).
• Must not have signed a professional contract, played on a junior college team or be enrolled and attending class in college.
Other WCPSS Policy
• May not participate in practice or play if assigned to In-School Suspension (ISS) or Out-of-school Suspension (OSS).
• May not participate at a second school in WCPSS in the same sport season.

Quoted by a Loving Mom
As a parent you either chase your child down doing good things or you will chase them down doing bad things. The choice is truly yours!

Thank You!

2008-07-29T01:17:00.002-03:00

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Mom & Dad
Coach Steve McGill
Assistant Coach Byron Gibson
Coach Dave Simpson
Coach Nicholas Sparks
Slade C. Trabucco
TEC Officers & Admin Staff
Teammates, Friends and Family

We simply want to say thank you to all of you for your love, support, prayers and encouragement! May God Bless and continue to keep you!

Track Eastern Carolina 2008 Junior Olympic Medalist

2008-07-28T23:58:00.004-03:00

400 Meter Dash Bantam Girls 3rd place Sydney Jenkins of (Charlotte/Track Eastern Carolina) at 1:03.40.

200 Meters 1st place Fuquawn Greene of New Bern (N.C./Track Eastern Carolina), running in lane six, did not miss a step leading from the start and running 21.52 into a 1.5 meter per second wind for the win. Greene had set a personal best of 21.08 in the preliminaries. Track Eastern also had another finalist Chris Herring in 5th at 21.88.

800 Meters 1st place Anthony Hendrix of New Bern (N.C./Track Eastern Carolina), took over the race in the final stretch to go on and win at a time of 1:52.69.

110-Meter High Hurdles 1st place Booker Nunley of Garner (N.C./Track Eastern Carolina) had the best start and was clear of the field by the second hurdle and on his way to a 13.41. The USATF Junior Olympic Young Mens record is listed at 13.40, set in 1978 by Rodney Wilson (Bartrum, Philadelphia, Pa.), but that is actually a hand time. Nunley will get credit for breaking the meet record of 13.42, set by Terrance Trammell of Southwest Dekalb (Decatur, Ga.) in 1997. The race was run with a legal aiding wind of 1.4 meters per second. Nunley whose personal best is 13.40, was second in the World Junior championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

400-Meter Intermediate Hurdles 4th place Malcolm Nunley of (Garner, N.C./Track Eastern Carolina) at 55.14.

100 Meters 4th place Darryl Williams of White Oak (Jacksonville, N.C./Track Eastern Carolina) at 10.58.

4x100 Meter Relay Young Men

3rd place 13 Track Eastern Carolina 40.76

1) Christopher Herring 89 2) Darryl Williams 89

3) Demetrius David 90 4) Fuquan Greene 91

4x800 Meter Relay Young Women

7th place 13 Track Eastern Carolina 9:48.29

1) Brandy Swann 90 2) Allie Johnson 91

3) Ashley Ferrell 90 4) Ryanna Henderson 91

4x400 Meter Relay Young Men

13 Track Eastern Carolina

1) Christopher Herring 89 2) Fuquan Greene 91

3) Anthony Hendrix 90 4) Robett Horton 90

Congratulations to these and all of the Track Eastern Athletes for doing an Awesome Job all year long!

Hurdler doesn't sweat it

2008-07-28T23:23:00.001-03:00

Published Monday July 28, 2008
BY JONATHON BRADENWORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Booker Nunley was strolling to the water cooler with a smile wider than his 6-foot-2, 160-pound frame.His fan club of Track Eastern Carolina teammates, stationed near the finish line in the northwest corner of Burke Stadium, was still showering him with praise.Still walking, Nunley turned to his fan base, removed his sunglasses with his right hand, then used his left hand to ceremoniously wipe imaginary sweat off his forehead.The 18-year-old had earned every clap and cheer after setting a meet record of 13.41 seconds in winning the Young Men's (ages 17 and 18) National Junior Olympics 110-meter high hurdles. The mark also will be considered for listing as the national youth record because the current mark of 13.4 was a hand-held time run in 1978 before electronic timing was used.But Nunley had hardly perspired in the less than 14 seconds it took him to get from his starting blocks to the finish line despite temperatures in the high 80s and a cloudless sky.His fellow hurdlers didn't provide much opposition for the South Carolina recruit, who's only run the hurdles for two years. Since February, Nunley has been competing against collegiate athletes after being declared ineligible from North Carolina high school competition."If I would have known, I would have taken the right amount of courses," Nunley said. "I mean, I'm a smart kid. I've taken advanced classes ever since high school."It was just two days before the North Carolina high school indoor championships in February when Booker's mother, Jacqueline, received word that Booker couldn't compete in the spring season of high school track and field."It was kind of devastating," she said Sunday from their North Carolina home.In the fall, Booker dropped two of his four high school classes. Only needing English to graduate, he thought everything was fine.But athletes have to pass at least three classes to be eligible the following semester, according to North Carolina High School Athletic Association rules.Nunley, who has a GPA of 3.5, said he had no clue about the rule, and his counselor, who was also his high school track coach, also hadn't informed him of the regulation.Just like that, his high school track career was over.But his hurdling career was about to hit new strides.Local universities, such as Wake Forest, North Carolina State and South Carolina, where he'll run both the 110 and 400 hurdles next year, let him compete in meets unattached."I actually ran a lot more than the school season would have allowed me to," he said. "I probably ran more than any hurdler this year."Nunley got used to competing in big meets every few weeks."Right now there's nobody around him that affects anything about his psyche," Track Eastern Carolina coach Dave Simpson said.He also had more time to focus on his technique rather than try to win high school contests, and that helped him become a stronger hurdler.At the collegiate level, the hurdles go up to 42 inches, three inches higher than high school hurdles. The 39-inch hurdles had become easy for Nunley, but the 42-inchers presented a challenge."Forty-twos actually helped me become a better hurdler," Nunley said. "You had to get stronger. You had to do things a different way. You had to be technically sound."Nunley's dedication was on display Sunday for the finals crowd at Burke Stadium."That's the best high school race I've ever seen," Simpson said.But, Nunley said, Sunday's record-breaking time wasn't even his best."Actually, I probably could have gone a lot faster," Nunley said. "I haven't really been practicing lately."About three weeks ago, before he won silver at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Poland with a time of 13.41, he was bothered by some knee tendinitis.Since he returned from Poland, Nunley had only practiced hurdles a couple times before the Junior Olympics in Omaha.With his win Sunday, Nunley has replaced the North Carolina state championship he likely would have won this past spring with an even more prestigious prize. Simpson teased him about it after the race."I guess you'll trade in a state championship for this championship anytime, won't you?" • Contact the writer: 444-1138, jonathon.braden@owh.com

A Season To Remember!

2008-07-17T12:46:00.002-03:00

12th IAAF World Junior Championships Highlights

2008-07-14T14:16:00.005-03:00

Women

1500
US Medal history
No US Medalists
Gutsy races by Jordan Hasay and Alex Kosinski in what began as a painfully slow pace (74 seconds for the first lap). Hasay finished 4th and Kosinski 6th, the best performance ever for American athletes.

Women 4x400 gold
4x400 gold
US Medal history
1986 - gold
1988 - silver
1994 - gold
1998 - bronze
2002 - gold
2004 - gold
2006 - gold
It's 4 in a row for the US, with Lanie Whitaker, Jessica Beard, Erica Alexander and Takecia Jameson. The splits on the IAAF web site are incorrect. The should be (approximately) 53.1, 51.0, 52.6, 53.4.

Erica Alexander 4x400 DT
US Medal history
1994 - Suzy Powell - bronze
1996 - Seilala Sua - silver
Anna Jelmini made the 8 person final but could only manage 7th (162-3). Erin Pendleton was 11th at 158-11.

Men

5000
US Medal history
No US medalists
How do you compete against 13:08.57! That was what Abraham Cherkos of Ethiopia ran to win. Then two others followed at 13:11! This was a race with an African pack and a non-African pack which developed early. When you see the complete results, you'll see what I mean. Matt Centrowitz finished 11th in 13:58.31, a PR for him. Ryan Collins was 16th in 14:30.16.

Booker Nunley - 110h - silver110m Hurdles
US Medal history
1988 - Stephen Brown silver
1988 - Elbert Ellis - bronze
1994 - Dudley Dorival - silver
1994 - Darius Pemberton - bronze
1998 - Sharif Paxton - silver
2002 - Antwon Hicks - gold
2004 - Aries Merritt - gold
2004 - Kevin Craddock - bronze
Booker Nunley, though having the worst start of the field (as he did in the semis) finished second in 13.45 to a very strong Russian hurdler. He now owns the 3 fastest US times for high schoolers. He is the leader of 3 North Carolina hurdlers who are the top 3 hurdlers in the US (Spencer Adams and Wayne Davis are the other two).

3000 Steeple
US Medal history
No US medalists
(On Ethiopia or Kenya have won gold medals – no other country has). The Kenyans took 1-3, with a Ugandan with the Kenyan name of Kiplagat taking second. Curtis Carr got a PR of 8:53.79 for 10th, and Dylan Knight finished just ahead of him in 9th at 8:52.90, just off his PR.

Men 4x400 gold
4x400
US Medal history
1986 - gold
1988 - gold
1990 - gold
1992 - gold
1994 - gold
1996 - gold
1998 - silver
2000 - no US team
2002 - gold
2004 - gold
2006 - gold
(In 2000, when the meet was in Chile, it was held in October. The US sent a skeleton Team. That year the winning time was the slowest winning time ever).
Another gold (4 in a row). The splits on the IAAF web site are incorrect. It was Boyd 46.0, Miller 46.4, Wilder 45.3 and Anderson 46.1, approximately).

HJ
US Medal history
1986 - Hollis Conway silver
2002 - Andra Manson gold

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This has been another enjoyable meet. I've been to all of the World Junior Championships except the first (1986) and this was on a par "presentation-wise" with any I've been to. Of course the music was a bit loud, but I think it's just me getting older. The English language announcer, Marton Gyulai, was terrific. He was informative, "loose" and sometimes funny. He would say things like " … he ran a helluva turn", or "give it up for so and so". He was just fun to listen to.

Some other observations:

No US flags: apparently someone forgot to bring them. Virtually every gold medalist or gold medal team took a victory lap with their country's flag. But no one from the US, the team that won the most golds, had the opportunity to do that.

This was one of the greatest performances by a US team, garnering 17 medals, 11 of them gold. Apparently the conflict with NON did not hurt the team. Of course, two-thirds of the team were collegians, so that helped.

A scary thought: Kirani James of Grenada who finished second in the 400m at 45.70, will be eligible for the IAAF World Youth Championships (17-18) next year.

A guy no one had really ever heard of, Josephat Bett of Kenya, who had a previous best of 28:10, set a meet record in the 10000 of 27:30.85.

The US has made marked improvement in many events. The most obvious is the incredible 1-2 finish in the men's hammer. But some of the other unprecedented performances were Laurynne Chetelat in the 3000 finished 6th and Jordan Hasay and Alex Kosinski in the 1500, finishing 4th and 6th.

It's always enjoyable meeting the parents of some of the athletes. We seemed to run into the Taylors (Christian's parents and his sister Kaitlyn) and Amber Purvis' mom on a daily basis. They are terrific, supportive people. We also met Luke Laird's (javelin) parents who had come from Kansas to see their son compete.

12th IAAF World Junior Championships: USA Day Four Highlights

2008-07-11T21:52:00.005-03:00

Heptahlon 100m Hurdles Erin Sampley looked very good, running 13.89. Ryann Krais ran faster than her Great Southwest time into a slighly negative wind. Here are her projections after this event based on what she had done in the past and what would be her most optimistic performances, after one event:

Men 110m Hurdles, Round 1 – Booker Nunley looked to be the class of the field as he and Ronald Brookins both qualified to the semis.

Women's Discus Qualifying – Anna Jelmini finished fourth in her group and will p19-19robably qualify for the final.(164-5). Erin Pendleton came through in a big way in Group B, throwing 164-5 , qualifying for the final 11th overall. After the other throws in Group B, Jelmini wound up 10th overall, as both Americans advanced to the finals.

Women's Long Jump Qualifying – neither Shakia Forbes (19-7) nor Jameisha Youngblood (19-1.25) advanced to the final.

Women's 1500m Qualifying – Alex Kosinski looked superb in winning (!) her heat. Those things are not supposed to happen in a World Junior championships (meaning, an American winning one's heat). In fact, she got a PR of 4:19.14 and looked relaxed doing so. Of course, running close to 4:10 in the final will probably be a requirement for getting a medal. In another qualifying heat, Jordan Hasay ran an intelligent race, but last week's Olympic Trials activities and the long travel (she arrived 3 days ago) seemed to take its toll. She got bumped around quite a bit and could not respond when the leading trio (she was fourth at the time) made their sprint move with 280 meters to go. She hung on for fifth, being passed down the stretch. The look on her face showed that she was hurting. However, she did qualify on time. I can't recall when two Americans have made the 1500m final (and, since there was no Junior annual this year from the IAAF, I can't easily find out).

Heptahlon High Jump - Erin Sampley no-heighted (4-11.5), so we'll see if she continues the competition. Ryann Krais jumped close to her PR of 5-8, clearing 5-7.75. If she equals or betters all of her Great Southwest marks, she projects to get the high school record by 6 points.

Ryann Krais Heptathlon Projection after High Jump

12th IAAF World Junior Championships: USA Day Two Highlights

2008-07-09T13:35:00.006-03:00

Men 800m – Elijah Greer, the only American in the semis, got an introduction to big time running in this race, running against the World Junior leader Khaki, from Sudan (1:42.). He just couldn't keep up with the pace, and finished 6th in 1:50., well "out of the money".

Women 400m semis – Both Americans advanced. Jessica Beard easily in winning her heat and Lanie Whitaker on time. The top 2 of each of the 3 semis automatically qualified and then those 2 with the next fastest times. Lanie Whitaker was fourth in semi 1 and had to wait until all three heats were completed to find out if she qualified. She did.

Women shot put qualifying – Chinwe Oworo managed 10th overall (50-6.75) to qualify for the final. Becky O'Brien (48-5.5) did not advance.

Men 10000m final – Kenyans (of course) dominated, with both having 48 second PR's, running close to 27:30. Don Cabral got a PR finishing 17th in 30:47.55. Daniel Dunbar was 19th in 30:51.67.

Men Long Jump final – Marquise Goodwin got the first US gold, getting the US High School lead of 25-4.75 on his first jump. Christian Taylor has had better days, managing only 7th.

Women 100m – the smooth Janeba Tarmoh won a close race. Shayla Mahan was 6th.

Men 100m – Dexter Lee of Jamaica wins this meet after winning the World Youth Championships last year. Terrell Wilks was third

Men 400h - Jeshua Anderson had an easy time qualifying, winning his heat in 51.12. Johnny Dutch ran equally relaxed and won his heat easily. Both athletes are the only ones entered in the meet who have bettered 50 seconds.

Women 400h - Kori Carter did not advance, but Tekecia Jameson did.

Pole Vault - Both Rachel Laurent and Leslie Brost advanced to the final, with Laurent clearing 13-1.5 and Brost clearing about 12-9.

12th IAAF World Junior Championships: USA Day One Highlights

2008-07-08T23:43:00.007-03:00

Marcus Boyd of USA in action during the Men's 400m heats

Brian Bishop of USA in action during the Discus Throw qualifications

Jeneba Tarmoh of USA in the Semi-Final of the Women's 100m

American junior champion Terrell Wilks was the quickest to advance to Wednesday’s 100m final, but there was heartbreak for his compatriot, Antonio Sales, who was disqualified for causing the second false start in his semi-final.

Wilks was timed at 10.37 into a headwind, whereas the winner of the second semi, South Africa’s Wilhelm van der Vyver ran 10.38 with a much kinder wind gauge reading.

Wilks was far from impressed though. He admitted afterwards: “I am not happy at all with my semi-final race. I had a bad start, but I got into the final – that’s what really counts. I am still expecting to win.”

Jamaica’s Yohan Blake won the third semi with 10.42 to set up what could be a close final.

American Jeneba Tarmoh goes into the women’s 100m final as favourite, backing up her 11.21 from earlier this year by becoming the quickest in the semi-finals.

She won the third heat with 11.38 into a wind of 0.5m/s. However, Britain’s World Youth bronze medallist Ashlee Nelson suggested she could challenge with her semi-final win in 11.43 (-0.7m/s). Bahamas’ Sheniqua Ferguson took the other semi in 11.56 with a neutral wind reading.

New apparel line for Team USA designed for speed!

2008-07-08T17:17:00.003-03:00

One of the most joyful moments of the 2008 Olympic Trials has been the public unveiling of the new Nike USA Track and Field uniforms last Monday, June 30, to be worn by all Team USA members in Beijing. The unveiling took the form of the 23 Nike athletes who had qualified for the team to date doing a flag-waving victory lap before 20,000 fans gathered at Hayward Field for that evening’s events.

And with that teddy bear of a shot putter, Reese Hoffa, leading the charge, the event couldn’t help but be a lot of fun.

“We debuted The Swoosh at the 1972 Olympic Trials,” noted Nike Media Relations Manager Jacie Prieto. “But traditionally the Nike way is a larger-than-life debut or unveiling. We wanted something organic for this, though, for the track and field fans, and we thought this was perfect.”

The full "We The People" graphic
The Nike uniforms were on display most of last week for select media members to preview. The Nike Swift System of Dress is designed to be lightweight and give athletes plenty of choices.

Featuring the Nike Swift materials the company has just introduced, the uniforms are intended to reduce weight to achieve less drag and lead to faster times. Prieto said the uniform has seven percent less drag than the Athens version, and that wearing the new Nike Swift Suit translates to a benefit of about two-hundredths of a second in the 100 meters.

Continue reading at http://www.dyestat.com//?pg=us-2008-Outdoor-Track-US-Olympic-Trials-Nike-Innovations

Olympic Trials: 110 Hurdle finals

2008-07-06T23:21:00.005-03:00

The 110 hurdles finals at the Olympic Trials, was loaded with America's top talent in the hurdles. The top three will advance to take on the best in the world like, China's Liu Xiang and Cuban world record holder Daron Robles. The race was clean from the start. The top three runners all broke away from the pack by the fifth hurdle. David Oliver, Terrence Trammell and Anwar Moore all established an early presence. In the end; David Oliver took first, Trammell ran in to take a close second place and David Payne earned the last ticket to Beijing after Anwar moore took a spill on the last hurdle. Moore would have easily taken third place if he hadn't hit that last hurdle. As for the top three finishers, its off to Beijing to compete and bring home the gold. Congratulations to David Oliver on the Olympic berth and good luck!

Olympic Trials: Track & Field Wrap-up!

2008-07-06T23:13:00.004-03:00

EUGENE, Ore. - Another American record and some dramatic close calls highlighted the final day of competition Sunday at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field, where a Hayward Field record crowd of 21,176 fans brought the eight-day attendance total to 167,123.

The top three finishers in each event at these Olympic Trials, who have met Olympic performance standards, will earn the ultimate prize of a spot on the Team USA roster for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Stuczynski delivers

American record holder and World Indoor silver medalist Jenn Stuczynski kept the track world on the edge of its collective seat in the women's pole vault, contested in swirling winds. Far and away the top American vaulter, with a best mark this season that is 8.5 inches better than her next-best compatriot, Stuczynski spent the first 90 minutes of competition sitting on the sidelines as other vaulters took attempts at lower heights. When she entered, at 4.60m/15-1.25, only two other vaulters were still jumping: April Steiner Bennett and Erica Bartolina.

But something happened on the way to the bar for Stuczynski: she missed her first two attempts at 4.60m. Were she to miss her third and final attempt, she would have made no height and would fail to make the Olympic Team. With a huge sigh of relief, the two-time USA outdoor champion cleared the bar by nearly a foot, setting Olympic spots for her, Steiner Bennett (4.60m/15-1), and Bartolina (4.55m/14-11).

Stuczynski was the only vaulter of the three to clear 4.65m/15-3.75, and she immediately had the bar raised to 4.76m/15-7.5 in an attempt to break Stacy Dragila's 2004 Olympic Trials record of 4.75m/15-7. She easily soared over it on her first attempt, then raised the bar to 4.92m/16-1.75, 1 cm better than her own American record of 4.91m/16-1.5. After a close miss on her first attempt and a less-close miss on her second, she easily made it on her third try. With all other competition concluded, the full house of 21,000-plus remained in their seats and Stuczynski took two unsuccessful tries at a world-record height of 5.02m/16-5.75.

Jones astonishes in hurdles; Oliver wins first title

The men's and women's hurdles races delivered impressive performances and two new national champions.

In 2004, Lolo Jones had just completed her senior year at LSU and had been fourth at the NCAA Championships. At the Olympic Trials in Sacramento, she crashed a hurdle, dashing her Olympic dreams. Four years later in Eugene, she was dominant in all rounds and left no doubt that the 2008 Word Indoor gold medalist must be considered a contender for gold in Beijing. Jones was astounding in Sunday's final, executing flawlessly and winning in 12.29 seconds (+3.8mps), tying the #2 time ever run under any conditions (windy or not). Damu Cherry was a distant second in 12.58, with Dawn Harper third in 12.62 as all three made their first Olympic Teams. Nichole Denby was fourth in the same time, missing out on Beijing by .007 seconds. Defending Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes, visibly limping, was seventh in 12.96.

In the semifinals, Jones posted a 2008 world-leading mark by winning the second heat in 12.45 (+1.45). A favorite not advancing to the final was two-time world champion Michelle Perry, who has been struggling with a thigh injury and has competed with her left thigh taped. She was sixth in the first semifinal in 12.79 and did not advance.

Like Jones, David Oliver completed a sweep of the 2008 U.S. indoor and outdoor titles in the men's hurdles. Though slow out of the blocks, Oliver rallied past two-time Olympic silver medalist, defending Olympic Trials champion and 2007 World Outdoor silver medalist Terrence Trammell to win the 100H in 12.95 (+2.5). Trammell was second in 13.00 and World Outdoor bronze medalist David Payne third in 13.25, a beneficiary of an untimely fall by Anwar Moore, who was in third but fell over the final hurdle and finished eighth in 16.64.

Oliver also ran an outstanding semifinal race, crossing the line .01 under the American record, in 12.89, but aided by an illegal 3.2mps wind. It was the fourth-fastest time ever run under any conditions. Trammell won the second semi in 13.08 (+2.0mps).

Lagat completes double

In perhaps the most tactical race of these Olympic Trials, world champion Bernard Lagat withstood a relaxed pace, pushing and shoving to win his second title of the Olympic Trials. The two-time Olympic 1,500m medalist for Kenya and the 2007 world champion at 1,500 and 5,000 for Team USA, Lagat will compete in both events in Beijing.

Lagat went to the lead at the gun, but 2000 Olympic Trials champion Gabe Jennings sprinted to the lead after 200m. Running 60-second laps, the tightly packed field came through 800m in 2:00.70 with Jennings, Lagat, Said Ahmed, Leonel Manzano and Lopez Lomong at the front. Approximately 1,000m into the race, Ahmed literally pushed his way between Jennings and Lagat to take the lead, and the race was on.

With 300 to go, it was Ahmed, Lagat and Manzano, and 100m later Lomong had moved up to third. That finishing order remained the same as the three men, all of whom are naturalized U.S. citizens, will represent the United States for the first time at the Olympics. Lagat won in 3:40.37, with Manzano second in 3:r0.90 and Lomong third in 3:41.00. William Leer was fourth in 3:41.54 and Alan Webb fifth in 3:41.62.

A graduate of Washington State University, Lagat has lived in the United States for 12 years and became a citizen in 2004. The 2005 and 2008 NCAA champion, Manzano was born in Mexico but raised in Texas. A Lost Boy of Sudan, Lomong fled the country in 1991 and spent 10 years in a refugee camp in Kenya. He was relocated to Tully, N.Y., where he graduated high school in 2004 before attending Northern Arizona University, for whom he was the 2007 NCAA 1,500m champion.

Terrific 200s

Walter Dix once again made good on the tremendous promise he has shown as a collegiate athlete at Florida State. The 22-year-old won his first national title in the 200 on Sunday, coming from behind to overtake the defending Olympic gold medalist by the smallest of margins.

Gold medalist Shawn Crawford came off the turn running powerfully, with Dix and Rodney Martin trailing him slightly. Roughly 70 meters from the finish line, two-time World Outdoor medalist Wallace Spearmon launched his late-race push as Dix gained incrementally on Crawford. At the finish, Dix and Crawford both were timed in 19.86, a Hayward Field record, as Crawford leaned so severely he nearly fell. Dix was given the win by .005 seconds in the photo finish, with Spearmon third in 19.90. The 2007 NCAA 100 and 200 champion, Dix was runner-up in the 100 meters at the Olympic Trials and will compete in both events in Beijing.

The women's 200 had drama of its own. The world's dominant 200m runner, two-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist Allyson Felix was a heavy favorite to win her specialty event entering the Olympic Trials, even though she had yet to run a 200m in 2008. But coming off the curve in Sunday's final, it was 100m champion Muna Lee, running in lane 6 to Felix's lane 5, who held the lead. A composed Felix pulled even with Lee, then kept pushing to win in 21.82 (+5.6mps). Lee finished in 21.99 as Marshevet Hooker lost her balance one stride before the finish and fell across the line third in 22.20, just .01 ahead of Lauryn Williams in fourth.

Dominant Rowbury

Shannon Rowbury likewise entered the Olympic Trials as the prohibitive favorite in the women's 1,500 meters, and she delivered in convincing fashion. Strong and swirling winds kept the field packed tightly through the first two laps as Treniere Clement handled leading duties through 400m in 68.17 and Lindsey Gallo paced 800m in 2:15.73. Just past 1,000m, Rowbury took off and put on an impressive display of confident running as only Christin Wurth-Thomas and Erin Donohue attempted to move as well. Rowbury crossed the finish line in 4:05.48 - a very fast time in unfavorable winds - as Donohue (4:08.20) passed Wurth (4:08.48) in the final straight for second and third, respectively. Beijing will be the first Olympic Team for all three women.

Men's TJ raises pulses

The men's triple jump saw multiple lead changes and a final-round bomb that shook up the Olympic Team roster and left a world champion without a spot in Beijing. 2004 Olympian Kenta Bell, 2005 world champion Walter Davis, 2007 USA indoor and outdoor champion and '08 indoor champ Aarik Wilson, 2006 NCAA champion Rafeeq Curry, Allen Simms, and Brandon Roulhac traded the first six positions throughout the competition as Bell opened the jumping with a big mark of 17.23m/56-6.5, a jump that kept him in first for most of the competition.

That is, until Wilson took to the runway for his final attempt. The Indiana University grad exploded with a mark of 17.43m/57-02.25 (+2.0) to move from sixth to first, setting a Hayward Field record and knocking Davis from third to fourth. Bell was displaced from first to second with his 17.23, and Curry ended third with a best mark of 17.21m/56-5.75, just 1cm - or .5 inch - ahead of Davis in fourth (17.20m/56-5.25).

Waltz, Smith win throws titles

Ian Waltz won his third national title, and made his second Olympic Team, in the men's discus, as four of his five measured throws were farther than his next-best competitor. Waltz' best mark of 65.87m/216-1 put him well ahead of Michael Robertson in second (63.73m/209-1) and Casey Malone third (62.67m/205-7).

The men's javelin featured an upset as Bobby Smith won his first national title with a throw of 76.06m/249-6. Mike Hazle was second with 75.76m/248-7, with Brian Chaput third with 75.63m/248-1. Hazle and fifth-place finisher Leigh Smith (74.24m/243-07) are the only men's javelin finalists to have met the Olympic A standard, and they will be on the team for Beijing.

Fourth time the charm for Dow

2003 Pan Am Games bronze medalist Joanne Dow won her fourth career U.S. women's 20 km title and earned her first Olympic roster spot in four tries, over a 1 kilometer loop course adjacent to Autzen Stadium. In cool and blustery conditions, the 44-year-old Dow jointly held the lead with 2004 Olympian Teresa Vaill, 45, through three kilometers before breaking away and winning convincingly in 1:35:10, with Vaill second in 1:36:34. Vaill also placed second in the women's 10 km Olympic Trials in 1984 and 1988. Both competitors entered the competition holding the Olympic "B" standard, with Dow qualifying for the Olympic Team roster spot with her victory. Susan Armenta, 34, was third in 1:42:11.

In youth exhibition races, Jordon Berstrom won the boys' 400m dash in 51.62, and BryAnne Wochnick won the girls' 400 in 57.62.

Gay, Stuczynski crowned Visa Champions

The Olympic Trials also was the final event of USATF's Visa Championship Series. At the conclusion of the meet, Tyson Gay and Jenn Stuczynski were crowned Visa Champions as the athletes with the top individual performances of the Visa Championship Series. Gay's wind-aided time of 9.68 in the men's 100m final on June 29 was worth 1,311 points using IAAF scoring tables, comfortably ahead of Brad Walker's score of 1,279 for his American record pole vault of 6.04m/19-9.75 at the Nike Prefontaine Classic.

Stuczynski's AR in the vault Sunday afternoon was worth 1,232 points and the win, while Hyleas Fountain's personal-best score of 6,667 in the heptathlon was worth 1,226 points, good for second place. She had led Stuczynski by 1 point in the standings up until the moment Stuczynski cleared her American record.

World Juniors 110 Hurdles Preview

2008-07-06T02:13:00.002-03:00

Booker Nunley of Garner High in North Carolina was the National Junior champion in 13.40 despite have to run as an unattached athlete when a mix-up of the number of units he was taking resulted in his ineligibility. Running over the 42 inch international height hurdles, where he had a personal best of 13.91 might have helped him work on his technique. Last year his personal best over the high school 39 inch hurdles was 13.88.

Joining Nunley on the U.S. team is Oscar Spurlock of Southern California, who just edged Ronald Brookins of Sacramento St., 13.801 to 13.807. Spurlock set a personal best of 14.01 over the 42-inch hurdles in finishing fourth in the USC-UCLA dual meet and later placed sixth in the Pacific 10 at 14.04. Spurlock set a seasonal best of 13.72 over the 39-inch hurdles in the semifinals of the Junior championships. Last year as a high schooler he had a best of 13.72 and win the Texas State 5A title with a 13.73.

Nunley’s time ranks behind just Yohany Portilla of Cuba at 13.30 and Konstantin Shabanov of Russia at 13.32 on the yearly world Junior list. Portilla has just two FAT times this year but has seven hand times between 13.1 and 13.3, all in Havana. It is good to keep in mind that money is very valued commodity in Cuba and the federation only sends athletes to Youth and Junior championship the feel have an excellent chance of winning a medal.

Shabanov, whose best of 13.40, set a national junior record and came in the Russian Junior championships, has a genetic advantage. His father, Georgiy, who was a 13.71 hurdler in the 1980s. Aleksey Dryomin, was second to Shabanov in the their trials, with a personal bet of 13.50. Jamaican Kieron Stewart set a national record of 13.49 over the 39-inch hurdles in finishing second in the 2007 Carifta Games and then won this years Island Games in New York City with a wind-aided 13.39.

Youth National Highlights: Track Eastern

2008-06-30T18:21:00.010-03:00

This past weekend Track Eastern competed at the 2008 USATF Youth National Meet. We had a number of athletes competing from the Bantam to the Young Men and Women age groups. We kind of used this meet as a tune-up for the regional meet coming up in two weeks in Rock Hill, SC. Overall, we performed exceptionally well, as I said there is still some kinks that we have to work out.

In the Bantam age group we had Sydney Jenkins run the 100 and 200 dashes. Sydney contested a 14.19 in the 100 meter dash placing seventh. That Saturday, Sydney ran the 200 meter dash placing sixth in a time of 28.79.

Erin Jenkins represented Track Eastern in the Youth age group. Erin is a rising hurdler. He competed in the 100 and 200 meter hurdles. Erin qualified for the finals in both of his hurdling events. In the finals on Sunday, Erin ran 28.13 placing eighth, then came back later on in the day to post a time of 15.53 to capture a fifth place finish.

Track Eastern had a lot of representation in the Intermediate age group. For the girls, Dannielle Davis competed in the 100 meter hurdles placing sixth in a time of 15.26. Stephanie Jenkins also ran the hurdles. In the 400 hurdles, Stephanie ran a 1:14 after falling over the last hurdle. Intermediate girl sprinter Dominique Weathers, ran the 200 meter dash. Qualifying for the finals on Saturday, Dominique ran a time of 24.63 seconds placing eighth overall. The intermediate girls also competed in the 4x100 meter relay. The team consisted of Dannielle Davis, Amber Clark, Ronqeiya Luther and Bryanna Wyatt. Each girl ran a strong leg to place fourth in a time of 48.33 seconds. As for the Intermediate boys, it was a meet of fine tuning our races. We had two athletes compete in the 200 meter dash, Dontrez Carmon (23.15) and Thomas Eubanks (24.24). Dontrez also ran the 400 meter dash, in a time of 51.68. David Coe and I ran the 110 meter hurdles. David contested a time of 15.91 just missing the finals. I ran a 15.78 qualifying for the finals. I posted a 15.58 in the finals taking sixth overall. I also competed in the 400 meter hurdles. In the prelims I ran a time of 57.28. I came back in the finals on Sunday to post a time of 55.45 placing second. That Saturday, Thomas, David, Dontez and I came together to run the 4x100 meter dash relay. We took seventh in a time of 44.10.

The Young Women age group displayed a number of outstanding performances. Future Gamecock Kelsey Mckorkle, competed in the 400 meter dash along with Brandy Swann. Brandy posted a time of 55.95 seconds placing fourth, while Kelsey ran a time of 55.04 placing first overall. Ryanna Henderson competed in the 1500 meter run. Ryanna placed second in a time of 4:52.18. Saturday the girls competed in 4x100 meter relay. With strong legs from Kelsey Mckorkle, Toccara Jones, Jayvonna Bowman and Brandy Swann, they ran away witht the victory in a time of 46.75. Some of those girls also ran on the 4x400 meter relay team. Kelsey, Brandy, Jayvonna and Ryanna all ran strong to place second in a time of 3:51.76. Track Eastern had a some of the Nation's best athletes compete in the Young Men age group. In the 100 meter dash final on Sunday, Track Eastern had three sprinters perform well. Demetrius David took sixth in a time of 11.00 seconds. Third was Darryl Williams in a time of 10.84 and coming in second was Fuquan Green run a time of 10.76. Track Eastern had another Gamecock compete, Booker Nunley ran the 110 hurdles. Booker ran a time of 13.72 seconds in the prelims and came back in the finals to post a time of 13.50 seconds to take first place. The young men 4x100 relay team ran well with strong legs from Darryl Williams, Fuquan Green, Demetrius David and Christopher Herring. The Young Men 4x400 meter relay who took a close second place, they ran a great race. Coming up short by two hundredths of a second to run a time of 3:11.25, they took second overall. The race was crazy.

Johnny Dutch .1 Away From Olympic Spot

2008-06-30T17:17:00.003-03:00

University of South Carolina freshman Johnny Dutch, a 2007 Clayton High School graduate and 9-time NC State hurdle champ, finished 5th in the 400M hurdles at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon this weekend. Johnny, who is only 19, ran a personal best time of 48.52, which was only .1 of a second behind the 3rd place finisher (who was the final Olympic spot) and .35 behind the winner (the top 3 are either past Olympic or World Champions!). His time also placed him 5th individually on the IAAF world list (Kerron Clement, Bershawn Jackson, Angelo Taylor, and Justin Gaymon are top 4). His 2008 season will end at the 2008 IAAF World Junior Championships to be held July 8-13 in Bydgoszcz, Poland where he will represent team USA.

Garner's Nunley hurdling obstacles

2008-06-30T16:51:00.001-03:00

By Tim Stevens, Staff WriterComment on this story Booker Nunley can look back on missing the spring track season at Garner High as a blessing -- although when he first learned he had been ruled ineligible, it didn't seem that way.
"I thought I knew what was best for me," Nunley said this week. "But God had a better plan in mind."
Nunley won the U.S. junior national championship in the 110-meters hurdles last week in Columbus, Ohio.
His time (13.408 seconds) was the fastest in the junior division in the United States this year and is believed to be the fastest in the world. His time was almost a half-second faster than his previous career best of 13.88.
The victory earned Nunley a berth on the U.S. team in the IAAF World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in July.
"I don't know what is in Poland except for the junior worlds," Nunley said. "This is our Olympics. I am going to have a chance to compete against the best young runners in the world."
Nunley might not be packing for Poland if an administrative error had not cost him his senior season of high school track.
He had played football through his junior year and was a good enough wide receiver to receive scholarship offers from Miami and East Tennessee.
But for his senior season, he decided to concentrate on track, for which he had offers from Tennessee, N.C. State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and others.
Nunley, who has a 3.4 overall grade-point average, took only two classes last fall. He was on track to graduate and dropped two courses he didn't need.
He passed his two courses, but N.C. High School Athletic Association rules require athletes to pass at least three courses to be eligible to compete in the following semester.
"I didn't know the rule," he said.
He found out he was ineligible days before the NCHSAA indoor championships. He had won a major invitational on Saturday but learned on Monday that his high school career was over.
"It hurt," Nunley said. "My whole track season was wiped out that quickly."
Curtis Frye, the South Carolina coach, called to say Nunley's track scholarship was not in jeopardy and encouraged him to keep practicing.
Steve McGill, a teacher at Ravenscroft and Nunley's private hurdles coach, told Nunley to pick himself up and make the best of the situation.
"We talked about how Booker now had the chance to work on his technique," McGill said. "He didn't have to worry about winning races. He could practice and get a lot better."
Hurdling is a combination of technique and speed, and McGill believes the biggest improvements come in improving technique.
McGill has worked with international champion hurdler Wayne Davis of Southeast Raleigh, former national high school hurdles champ Johnny Dutch of Clayton and the University of South Carolina and former state high school hurdles champ Gabby Mayo of Southeast Raleigh and Texas A&M.
"Look at all of the people, and we all have great technique," Nunley said. "We're not talking about jumping over sticks. We're hurdlers, and Coach McGill teaches us how to get faster."
The final piece of the puzzle came when a woman in Cary --Nunley doesn't know her or even know her name -- sent him a list of college track meets that he could enter.
Running in college meets forced Nunley to move to 42-inch tall hurdles, which are three inches taller than high school hurdles.
Nunley believes running on the higher hurdles this spring helped him improve his technique and made him stronger.
When he dropped back to the 39-inch hurdles for the junior nationals, he never felt faster.
"I guess I surprised a lot of people, but I thought I would do well," Nunley said. "I had run a 13.91 over the 42s, and Coach Fry told me that would convert to around a 13.4."
The championship race felt different than any previous race.
Nunley said he felt fast, but afterward he was sore.
"I've never been sore before or after a race," he said. "Maybe I've learned how to push myself more."
Never before had he been the focus of so much attention.
"Booker has been overshadowed by Wayne and Johnny," McGill said. "We have had some fantastic hurdlers in the area, international class runners.
Nunley said he is surprised a bit by the attention.
"I've always seen people go to the winners to congratulate them, but this time that was me," Nunley said.
tim.stevens@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-8910

OHIO!!!

2008-06-25T17:11:00.007-03:00

OHIO!!
This is where the true action took Place. Well I flew out and arrived in Columbus, Ohio late that Wednesday night. A lot of people tell you to relax before the meet but I had been so focused since we step on the plane to go to Ohio and plus the hotel that we stayed in was the epicenter for all the Jr. Nationals activities. So The first night we just walked the streets looking for something to eat. Once I had eaten I tried to sleep but I didn’t fall asleep until 3a.m. that Thursday morning. I couldn’t help it, I was to hype. The next day we got up to find some breakfast and then we walked the Ohio State campus. Later on that day we went to the track to get a quick workout in before the race the next day. The workout didn’t really go as plan which really had me worried. I couldn’t get comfortable in the blocks and my starts all felt terrible and finally when I started to hurdle I felt really sluggish. I can remember telling myself that I know I didn’t come all the way up here just to lose. Then I thought that maybe it was just that I needed some competition beside me to get my adrenaline pumping and then I would be okay. Later that night to relax my nerves, my dad and I went to see the Incredible Hulk. I really didn't think the movie would be that good but I really like it. The movie did its job because it got my mind off of the race for a while but that lasted until I got back to the hotel to get some sleep. Well that’s funny because sleep is the one thing that I didn’t get. I just kept thinking about all the scenarios that could happen during the race. My legs kept tightening up like they were running and it was like I couldn’t control it. I don’t know when I fell asleep but I do know it had to be after 2 that Friday morning. So I woke up about 11 that Friday morning but that was okay because my race wasn’t until 4 in the afternoon. I felt really tired in my legs from trying to sleep and I had to admit that I thought the day could only get worse from there. So we left for the track at about 1 and I started to warm up at about 2 because the race started at 4 but they want everybody at the hipping tent about 3:40. During the warm up I went to a shaded spot that was far away from everybody to stretch and to really get my self hype. Warm ups went okay but I was really nervous. Its funny because in hurdle warm ups, every hurdler looks like he’s ready to break 12.87. The competition looked really tight. So they called all of us up to get our hip numbers for the prelims and wouldn’t you know it, I got lane 9!!! To me the lanes in the straight away really don’t matter. Usually!!! But this had me really nervous. For one thing I had never been on a 9 lane track. But then I remembered last years World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Liu Xiang had lane 9 and he ended up winning. That really got me motivated. So they took us to the starting line. The first heat ran and the time was a 13.93. This being the biggest meet of the year so far, I was thinking the times would be faster. So I was thinking that maybe it was a very slow track. So my heat was next. I did my warm up but I felt really bad. I mean it was so bad that I thought it would be better to just stand behind by blocks and wait. That’s what I did too. So the starter got us set in the blocks. When the starter shot the gun from what I can remember my start felt pretty normal and my first two hurdles felt normal as usual. But then something happened. After hurdle two, I took off. I mean it felt like when a roller coaster go’s from that slow coast at the beginning to that sudden burst of speed. Everybody beside me felt like they were standing still. That speed also made me so crowed that it felt like I had to twist my body to get over the hurdles. I crossed the finish line expecting the announcer to say something like 13.6 or 5 but when he said 13.49 I just started jumping. I was so excited! Afterwards I Just found a spot just to rest because the finals were at 7 that same day. During my second warm up I didn’t do much because I didn’t want to get tired before the finals. I spent most of my time trying to get myself hyped again. I remember hoping the finals were slower because I felt tired. But once we got into the blocks, all I could think about was going to Poland to represent the USA. The gun sounded and I was out. I told myself that if I was the first one to the first hurdle, I was going to win that race. I felt really fast but I wasn’t feeling as crowded as I did in the prelims. Once I crossed the finish line, the first thing that I thought about was that I had made the USA national team. I really didn’t know what my time was until my dad came running down and told me it was 13.4. I couldn’t even believe it. I finally won a national title. Later that night they fitted me for the USA uniform and other USA clothing. It was the greatest feeling in my life…so far.

110 Hurdle Junior National Champion!

2008-06-25T16:35:00.000-03:00

Booker,

Whew….I have finally accomplished one of my goals for this year! Well it was more like a dream for me; that was winning the Junior National Championship!

About three weeks ago I started my 39 inch hurdle training. I had been hurdling over the professional height for the entire season. My first 39 race was a developmental meet and there really wasn’t any competition there. I ran 13.88. I was kind of worried because I was expecting to run some ridiculous time. Coach McGill just told me that it was just my first meet over the lower height and that there wasn’t any comp. So I threw the race out of my head. The next week I was at an AAU meet near Charlotte, NC. I pretty much had to work with the same conditions but this time I had sort of a bum leg and a very sore groin. But I push through it and ended up running a 13.80. Watching the film of this race I could see that I was very quick over the hurdle and also a lot of the sprint mechanics we had worked on that week were finally internalizing. So I was really CONTENT with the race. I was so excited for the next week because I had run two 13.8’s with no comp and then we were heading to North Carolina A&T for the North Carolina state games. This is usually a very fast track. I had run some of my fastest races there. But boy this meet really turned into a living nightmare. First of all, it was probably about 100 degrees. Then I made the mistake of warming up a lot more than I usually do. I tried to hide in the shade but the damage was already done. I was so drained at the start that when the race started I had to struggle just to reach the first hurdle. It seemed to take an eternity to reach every hurdle. Although, I ended up winning, I knew the time was slow but when I looked at the clock, I almost died. The clock said 14.41???????I really couldn’t believe that with a week to go until Jr. Nationals I ran that slowly. But I knew it was because of almost dying of the heat. My mom said my eyes were bloodshot red. Usually I take the day off after a meet. But after that performance, my dad and I got up early the next morning and went to the track. All we worked on was my start. This IS the weakest point of my race. Once we felt we had straightened out my start it was time for Coach McGill to do his thing. McGill made my last three workouts all about speed. I can’t give away my secrets, so you’ll have to ask him. After those practices I was given two prep talks. One, by my dad; He basically told me to get mad and to get the urge to just want to destroy people when I come out the blocks. The other prep talk was from coach McGill. He just told me to believe in myself and to tell myself that no one was going to beat me. Then it was off to Ohio!!!

Junior Nationals 110 Meter Hurdles Champion!

2008-06-23T16:40:00.004-03:00

On the track the best performance of the day, and perhaps the weekend, came from Booker Nunley (Garner, NC) in the mens 110m hurdles. The University of South Carolina-bound Nunley (pictured right by Margot Kelly) ran 13.49 in the prelims, one of the better times ever. Well, Nunley ran even faster in the finals, placing first in an exceptional time of 13.40.

2008 NIKE OUTDOOR NATIONALS!

2008-06-19T00:47:00.007-03:00

Malcolm,
This year I have accomplished one of my goals, to run at Nike Nationals. I was unsuccessful during indoor season trying to qualify but I worked a lot harder during the outdoor season. I was able to qualify in the 400 hurdles. I am one of the few sophomores running the 400 hurdles this year at Nationals. It feels great to be able to run. Qualifying has shown me that I am making progress and my training is beginning to pay off.

As in preparation for Nike Nationals, I focused on my 400 hurdle training. I watched the film on my last 400 hurdle races (55.73) and (55.13). I realized that I was not attacking the first hurdle like I should be. I told my dad and Coach McGill that I was sprinting out about the first 10 to 15 steps and then I would settle into a rhythm as I approached the first hurdle. Sunday, I worked with my dad on my block start. We were working on trying to be more technical and powerful at the start instead of trying to immediately come out running. We were working on trying to increase the length my drive phase. My dad stressed to me that I need to focus more at the start and become more aggressive.

Last year Coach McGill worked with Johnny Dutch before Nike and Jr. Nationals. Coach McGill got Johnny down to a low 50 in the 400 hurdles, now Johnny is at South Carolina University running a 48 mid in the 400 hurdles. I feel Coach McGill will get my time down to a low 50 before I leave high school. McGill has been emphasizing the same techniques he gave to Johnny, to me. Coach McGill and I talked about my race strategy going into the 400 hurdles Saturday. We determined that my goal is to run a 53 in the 400 hurdles. To achieve this goal, Coach McGill and I thought about my rhythm between the hurdles. My goal is to 15 step between the first eight hurdles. Then on the last two hurdles, take 17 steps. With my 400 meter strength and adrenaline pumping on race day, I know that taking 15 steps through the eighth hurdle will be easy. McGill and I are feeling very confident. Now it is time for me to just go out there to show and prove.

2008-06-16T14:24:00.002-03:00

An Author Underwrites a Successful Track Program

The track at New Bern High School was paid for by the writer and runner Nicholas Sparks, in sunglasses.

By ANNA KATHERINE CLEMMONS
Published: June 14, 2008
NEW BERN, N.C. — At the convergence of the Trent and Neuse Rivers in the wetlands of eastern North Carolina sits this town of 29,000 people. It has been around for nearly 300 years, but has never had a reputation as a breeding ground for professional athletes. One of its proudest athletic achievements came last year, when the New Bern Bears defeated Charlotte Independence for the Class 4A high school state football championship, after which the town threw a parade. Continue reading at,

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/sports/othersports/14sparks.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&th&emc=th

USA vs. Jamaica

2008-06-11T00:11:00.000-03:00

Malcolm,

Just recently, Usain Bolt of Jamaica, broke the 100 meter dash world record with a 9.72. Before that, teammate Asafa Powell held the record with a 9.74. This has sparked another great debate for the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. The question is, Who will win the 4x100 meter relay at the Olympics. I'm pushin for Team USA to bring it home, but with the Jamaicans curently holding the two top 10o meter sprinters, many think the chances of the happening are quickly fading away. Many people justify their argument based on the fact that Jamaica has Bolt and Powell. They are only two guys on a four man relay team. I feel the US is stronger due to the good old saying that its all about quality not quantity. The jamaican 4x100m team will have two runners capable of running 9.7 something, but what are the other two runners going to run? As for the US, we have a number of guys able to break 10 seconds in the hundred. The USA is going to be tested this year in Beijing but I know they'll be ready.

Booker,

OK, let me start off by saying that I am not, by no means, cheering for the Jamaicans. But I find it hard to believe that the U.S. will win the 4x1 in the Olympics. Yeah, its all about quality over quantity but if you put it that way, the Jamaicans have all of the quality while the U.S. have all of the quantity. Other than Tyson Gay, how many Americans can consistently run sub 10s. Only one other American has broken 10 this season and HE WAS IN COLLEGE!! The U.S. has a lot of 10.1 and 10.0 runners but so do the Jamaicans. Like I said before the Jamaicans are the quality team because you have the man who broke the record this year in Usain Bolt and the man who broke the record the record TWICE last year in Asafa Powell. All the other two Jamaicans have to do is make sure the don't drop the baton and run. With the two Jamaican powerhouses, who is going to help Tyson Gay match up with Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt. Lets not forget that Asafa Powell almost ran down Leroy Dixon to bring the Jamaicans back to win the World Championships last year. With the way Usain Bolt is running and with Asafa Powell, the Jamaican might be ahead on the last leg this year. I know that a lot goes into the relay like chemistry and perfect baton exchanges but if everything goes perfect for the Jamaicans, I find it difficult to bet against them. U.S.A..... ALL THEY WAY!!!

TRACK EASTERN: Milestat Meet Champions

2008-06-09T00:13:00.020-03:00

Malcolm,

This past Saturday, I competed at the 2008 Milestat Gala. I ran the 11o & 400 hurdles and the 200 meter dash. Besides the heat being in the high 90s, the weather was nice. The meet started at 5 p.m. due to the extreme heat. First was the 110 hurdles. I was feeling great during my warm-up; so I did a couple of starts over the first three hurdles. During my warmup I felt quick over and fast in between the hurdles. When they called for my heat I was ready to run. By me anticipating the gun, it caused me to jump out early. I clearly false started, so I stood up coming out the blocks. Once i saw that they weren't going to call it I had to play catch up. I came fourth in my heat and ran a 15.66. I felt like Daron Robles from earlier in the season.
I then competed in the 400 meter hurdles. I wasn't feeling to good about the 400 hurdles after the practice I had on Thursday. The 400 hurdle heats were seeded by everyone's 300 hurdle times. I had the ninth fasted 300 hurdle time posted. I missed the fast heat by one time. It turned out to be a good thing. I earned the 4th lane in the next heat. By the time we got to the 400 hurdles the sun had pretty much gone down, and it had cooledoff about 10 degrees. When my heat came, I just let everything go. I went out and attacked the first 3 hurdles good but not like I wanted to. I relaxed down the back straight running my 15 step pattern. Then once I got to the 200 mark, I turned it up. There was no one with me, I had passed the guy in lane 5 coming out the first turn, so I was really racing the clock. In the last 200 I dropped my steps between the hurdles from 15 to 17 and kept my arms pumping. When I crossed the finish line, I was so relieved. I felt like I ran a 54 but it was a 55.13. I was happy, it got me the win in the 400 hurdles. It put me #2 in the state of North Carolina behind my brother.

Event 26 Boys 400 Meter Hurdles
============================================================================
Meet Record: # 54.59 6/9/2007 Brandon Smith, Western Branch
Name Year Team Seed Finals H#
============================================================================
1 Nunley, Malcolm Unattached 39.66 55.13 2
2 Medley, Antonio Unattached 39.34 56.01 3
3 Carnahan, Brad Unattached 39.53 56.98 3
4 Sparks, s Unattached 39.47 57.25 3
5 Osorio, Gustavo Unattached 40.48 57.88 2
6 Lewis, Jeffrey Unattached 39.50 58.62 3
7 Wolff, John Unattached 42.98 59.10 1
8 Kourlesis, Chris Unattached 40.86 59.15 2
9 Grooms, Robert Unattached 40.48 59.26 2
10 Boswell, Cameron Unattached 41.65 59.54 1
11 Jeter, Justin Unattached 42.94 1:00.47 1
12 Kidd, Jason Unattached 42.63 1:00.49 1
13 Bah, Alihaji Unattached 42.53 1:03.51 1
14 Long, Khyiem Unattached 42.11 1:04.84 1

Fuquawn Green Gives a Show at The Milestat Gala

My other Track Eastern teammates had outstanding performances as well. The quality in the sprints was definitely bolstered by the Track Eastern athletes including Fuquawn Green, who placed second in the 400 meter dash (49.35) and came back to win the 200 meter dash (21.46).

Anthony Hendrix Runs 1:51.55!

The 800 meter dash at the Milestat Gala was heated. My teamate Athony Hendrix blasting the field running a 1:51.55. This is a great time. That time put Anthony #2 in the state of North Carolina and 15 overall in the Nation.
Event 28 Boys 800 Meter Run
=========================================================================
Meet: # 1:49.27 6/9/2007 Dylan Ferris, East Forsyth
Name Year Team Seed Finals
=========================================================================
1 Hendrix, Anthony Unattached 1:52.41 1:51.55
2 Collins, Logan Unattached 1:54.13 1:52.63
3 Dorrell, Peter Unattached 1:54.40 1:53.10
4 Zahorodny, Wil Unattached 1:51.15 1:53.83
5 Keels, Allante Unattached 1:56.78 1:53.87
6 Hagen, Ryan Unattached 1:57.20 1:54.28
7 Dinkins, Russell Unattached 1:57.52 1:54.33
8 Hendrix, Andrew Unattached 1:54.37 1:55.19
9 Hencke, Brian Unattached 1:55.09 1:55.34
10 Degfae, Tihut Unattached 1:56.01 1:56.12

Wayne Davis Wins The 110s!

Event 14 Boys 110 Meter Hurdles
=================================================================================
Meet: # 14.07 6/9/2007 Adams Abdulrazaaq, Highland Springs
Name Year Team Seed Finals Wind H#
=================================================================================
1 Davis, Wayne Unattached 13.65 14.31 2.1 3
2 Artis, Jeffrey Unattached 13.99 14.49 2.1 3
3 Radlin, Reynaldo Unattached 14.35 14.79 2.1 3
4 Caines, Gregory Unattached 14.35 14.82 2.1 3
5 Washington, Andre Unattached 14.62 15.11 2.1 3
6 Bolton, Randy Unattached 15.22 15.36 2.3 2
7 Brown, Vincent Unattached 14.10 15.39 2.1 3
8 Fayson, Akeem Unattached 15.13 15.54 2.3 2
9 Harris, Devon Unattached 15.06 15.61 2.3 2
10 Nunley, Malcolm Unattached 15.17 15.66 2.3 2
11 Lewis, Jeffrey Unattached 15.85 15.83 2.4 1
12 Long, Khyiem Unattached 15.22 16.75 2.3 2

As for the Track Eastern girls: Dannielle Davis, freshmen from Southeast Raleigh High, competed in the long jump and 110 meter hurdles. Dannielle placed fourth in the long jump and eighth in the 100 meter hurdles. Brandy Swann Competed in the 400 meter dash placing third and Allie Johnson running a 1:06.52 placing second in the 400 hurdles.

Justin Gatlin: Denied!

2008-06-06T19:36:00.006-03:00

2004 Olympic 100 meter dash gold medalist, Justin Gatlin was denied an appeal to drop his 4 year ban from track & field. If the appeal had went through and Gatlin were to have won the appeal, Justin Gatlin would have been able to defend his title in The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Gatlin had already ran the times that would have qualified him for the Olympic Trials. If Justin Gatlin were reinstated, it would've brought new light and much more publicity to the 100 meter dash. I was really hoping Gatlin got a second chance. Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay would have been the front runners for the USA team. I really don't understand why track & field is so strict with their doping policies. In any other sports, if an athlete of this magnitude had got busted, they wouldn't have got punished so harshly as a track & field athlete. That doesn't mean I'm condoning doping or cheating in track in field, but I also don't believe in a "LIFE TIME BAN". It was a sad day in track & field when Jastin Gatlin was banned. I believe that the top track & field governing bodies should re-think their policies. I wonder if an athlete like Kobe Bryant got in trouble for cheating would he get a life time ban from basketball? What do you think?

Byron Gibson: 100 Meter Olympic Hopeful

2008-06-05T10:00:00.000-03:00

Alabama University alumni and post-collegiate track athlete Byron Gibson is putting in work. Training with Coach Steven Mcgill at Ravenscroft in Raleigh , NC , Byron Gibson is shifting all his focus toward qualifying for the 100 meter dash for the trials in Eugene , Oregon . As a training partner of Byron, I have really seen his improvements. I have also witnessed his times getting faster and faster. Byron is right on the edge of qualifying for the Olympic Trials.

Although, Byron is having much success in the 100 meter, He began the season with high hopes to qualify in the 110 meter high hurdles. This goal was deterred by his new form that was implemented this year. His new method of hurdling, is taking a while to come along. Byron Gibson is a name that we will hear more about in the near future.

Training Session 6/3/08

2008-06-04T05:00:00.002-03:00

To day I had hurdles practice with Coach Mcgill at Ravenscroft in Raleigh,NC. I brought my video of my race from Saturday at AAU Summersports Games in the 110 hurdles. As we looked at the race on film and examined it, Coach Mcgill noticed some flaws in my race. Mcgill said it was technique over the hurdle. Watching the race, He saw that I wasn't running over the top of the hurdles. It started with my arms. They weren't moving in the running motion causing flaws in my lead and trail leg. I wouldn't have thought of that on my on. I ran a 15.13, 4 tenths of a second better than my previous time without any competition. After today's practice, we are feeling pretty good about Saturday. I'm running at the 2008 Milestat meet. There I plan to break 15 big, and go for the meet record in the 400 hurdles(54.48).