Jones To Sit On The Couch For An Image Makeover

In case you have been locked in a closet, Oprah Winfrey’s televised talk show has become the perfect vehicle for celebrities and other well-known figures to salvage their reputation or to fight a controversy.

A quick review of the previous guests, we see that the Queen of Television has interviewed stars from Madonna to Jennifer Anistron, so why not Marion Jones?

The point is that Oprah brings her moneymaking and star power in everything that she does and all those big names that featured as guests on the talk show had nothing to lose from it. To the contrary, one might say. In the light of all this, no one could possibly blame Jones for wanting to be on Oprah’s show.

What is next for the fallen star? Marion will probably embark on writing a book and then hit the road on a speaking tour to tell kids how to not ruin your life?

The trouble-prone former Olympian is said to appear on Wednesdays episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show”in no doubt to clear her name of all the negative attributes that have accompanied the six month jail term after denying for lying about previous drug use.

Jones’s tell-all interview on Wednesday’s episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” is to be her first interview since she was released September 5 from a Texas federal prison after completing most of her six-month sentence for lying about steroid use.

The sprinter admitted last October that she used a designer steroid known as “the clear” from September 2000 to July 2001. Her admission came after years of denials. Marion is on probation and had to get permission to appear on the show, which devoted its full hour to the interview.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.com.

Marshevet Hooker For Adidas Sprint

Adidas continued its unending support for sprinters with the adidas adiStar Sprint.

Was it shoes some have asked. Marshevet Hook, a former University of Texas standout had her best season to date, earning a birth to the 2008 Olympic Trials, highlighted with a fifth place finish (22.34) at 200-meters in Beijing. Even with a wind, the 10.76 she put down at the quarterfinal round of the 100-meters at the Olympic trials was jaw dropping.

According to adidas, the Sprint boasts a synthetic upper with hook-and-loop closures provides variable adjustment and support. Foam insole adds comfort. Pebax® and TPU plate with replaceable spike elements offers lightweight performance and durability.

Others Sports Have a Drug Problem, Too

The National Football League is a prolific money maker. It generates millions in revenues, sells millions more in apparel, and most every form of media benefits from the top professional sport.

Listening to the mainstream media would lead one to believe track and field is full of drug cheats, and that NFL is squeaky clean.

The dirty little secret is that the NFL most certainly has a performance drug problem so big that it that makes Sarah Palin look competent.

The league’s linebackers weigh a whopping 270 pounds and nearly all run close to 4.5 in the 40-yard run.

Denver’s FOX-31 dropped a bomb shell that Deuce McCalister and Will Smith of New Orleans are reportedly tested positive under the NFL’s steroid policy as a result of taking water pills to lose weight, according to a report from Fox 31-Denver reporter Josina Anderson.

He reportedly said, “There are about six to ten overall positive tests. Three to four of them are from the Saints organization alone including McAllister and Smith.

When used as a masking agent a diuretic dilutes the urine, which results in lower levels of the banned substance being excreted from the body. That can make it more difficult to detect banned substances.

The NFL boasts of its drug-testing program that nets a few players here and there. Sure, those offensive lineman are blowing up to 350 pounds on eating right and lifting weights. Right. That’s believable.

The NFL drug testing policy is soft and been criticized by the World Anti-Doping Agency, but the league has rejected any talk of meeting WADA standards.

But there have been clear signs of a drug problem. Some recall the 2006 federal conviction of Dr. James Shortt, who supplied the steroid and human growth hormone prescription to four players of Carolina Panthers.

One of these players was punter Todd Sauerbrun, who was taking steroids. The punter had obtained syringes and injectable Stanozolol, the same chemical Ben Johnson used before the 1988 Olympics. If a punter is taking steroids, common sense tells us that others are using as well.

Cut Track and field some slack, as it has a comprehensive drug testing program and the worlds toughest penalties. The sport is ahead of the curve on the drug issue compared to the likes of the NFL.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

Kicks: Nike Zoom Forever Men’s Cross Country Spike

The Nike Zoom Forever is one of the most popular XC/Distance spikes. It is ultra light at 5.9oz and its classic waffle sole with replaceable spikes makes it good for any surface.

It has cushioning to withstand the continuous pounding during races, the marriage of weight and cushioning make this spike comfortable. The Forever is great for races from 800-meters to 10,000- meters.

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It’s Official: Team XO Will Disband

The 2008 – ’09 season has not even kicked off, and already bad news is flooding into the sport.

The post-collegiate running team, Team XO has recently announced it is ceasing operations due to lack of sponsorships, the latest evidence that in the U.S. track and field is in financial decay.

One of Team XO’s founders Ross Kremply took to his personal blog on Runnerspace to deliver the dreaded news saying:

“As all of you know, Team XO has been very hard to maintain over the past 6 years. And to be honest, the team would have folded years ago without the support and energy from you guys and the community.”

“The business model for XO was based on a small team that was easy to manage and relatively cheap to run,” he wrote. “But as the years passed by, the team kept increasing while the budget stayed the same.”

Krempley however did indicate that he would keep the Team XO organization intact for the high school meet, which is held in conjunction with the Oregon Relays. However, all other aspects of the team are being shut down, such as entry fees, uniforms and travel expenses.

In previous seasons, the Eugene, Oregon-based team got by on a bare bones $15,000 annual budget and over the years Krempley watched the budget remain the same while the expenses soared in light of the team’s growing roster.

Hip hop poet Sean “Diddy” Combs said it best: “It’s all about the benjamins baby.”

A post-collegiate team is compromised of high-caliber runners that continue running without the all-important shoe contract that many of the biggest names in track such as Sanya Richards, Walter Dix, and Bianca Knight have in order to train and compete.

Runners without a shoe contract are forced to go at it alone to raise funds for training costs, which include: living expenses, health insurance, personal trainers, coaching, travel, and equipment.

A gaping hole now exists in the sport in the absence of Team XO. Sure, it comes to no surprise to those around pro track that the organization will not go on but its demise is sad and a sign of sports health.

One of the critical issues facing the sport today is that of cultivating athletes in order to produce athletes at international championship level meets. Countless stories exist of athletes quitting the sport due to financial turmoil and frankly that has to become a thing of the past.

The writing is on the wall. The 2008 Beijing Games served as final notice to those in denial that business as usual is over for the U.S. in terms of dominating while spending relatively little on the sport’s infrastructure.

The sports leadership had better be worried that Team XO for the most part is shutting down their operations, as the organization put forth six provisional qualifiers at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Eugene last summer.

The demise of Team XO further underscores the need of track and field to develop a comprehensive plan to maintain its existing base while growing the sport in this country.

A nation without a mechanism to develop talent is the sign of national athletic program on the decline.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

DWTS: Maurice Speeds Through Performance

In a pleasant surprise, Olympian Maurice Greene arguably had his best night. He responded to partner Cheryl Burke’s demands and delivered a sizzling salsa. Even if Cheryl called him “lazy” during a frustrated rant in the rehearsal studio.

It was an upset on the show this week. Toni Braxton was this week’s celeb-castaway. Cloris Leachman is safe for another week, but Toni Braxton wasn’t so lucky on the DWTS results show. The singer and her professional partner, Alec Mazo, were eliminated Tuesday from ABC’s popular dancing competition.

Celebrities remaining in the competition include TV personality Brooke Burke; singer Lance Bass; former NFL star Warren Sapp; Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene; actor Cody Linley; and actresses Cloris Leachman and Susan Lucci. Chef Rocco DiSpirito, reality TV star Kim Kardashian, actor Ted McGinley and comedian Jeffrey Ross were previously eliminated.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

Trevor Graham Sentenced For Pack of Lies

The final chapter is closing on a story that many would agree has turned into a nightmare for track and field.

Former coach Trevor Graham has been sentenced to a year of house arrest and five years probation for lying during the BALCO doping investigation.

Is the sentence fair? Sure. The Jamaica-born coach was not convicted of steroid distribution but he knowingly concealed doping activities.

Coaches have a significant influence on the lives of young athletes. The judge went to great pains to give the proper sentence without going over board.

I am no Trevor Graham sympathizer.

But is there a conspiracy? After the Mitchell Report and confirmed doping in so many other sports, I find it odd that for the most part individuals connected with track and field are the only ones to see jail time.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

Novel Concept Adopted By London Olympic Committee

Either by choice or necessity, most people in the world live on some form of a budget. The sports chiefs have decided to scale back the Olympic Park and Olympic Village in order to stay within the overall budget.

The decision was based in part on the tightening credit market which has made financing nearly impossible without paying near loan sharking rates.

British Olympic Association are shuttering at the thought of athletes sharing flats during the 16-day competition.

Instead of 4,200 flats, as first configured, it is expected to contain 2,700 flats. The flats would be sold on the open market after the Games to recoup partially the significant public investment in the construction.

Officials told the Timesonline:

“Room configurations will be developed and finalised in accordance with IOC regulations, taking into account the experiences in the Beijing 2008 Games and the requirements of national Olympic committees and national Paralympic committees.”

The urge to keep up with the Beijing Games is a natural one. British officials should erase the memories of Beijing out of their mind completely.

The Beijing Games were financed in a much different environment. London officials will come to regret their actions to over spend to keep up with Beijing, especially if the later on in the project the government is forced to nationalize the project.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.com.

Kicks: Nike Zoom Victory Spike

It is common knowledge that the lighter the shoes, the better. Run to victory in the super lightweight Nike Zoom Victory Men’s Track Spike is the ultimate mid-distance spike for elite athletes competing in 800m to 5000m runners.

It weighs a grand total of 93 grams. What is the cause for this drastic weight reduction you ask? The Nike Flywire technology.

High strength Flywire technology in the upper minimizes overlays and maximizes strength and durability. The shoe features compression molded Flashion foam for a lightweight, responsive foot strike and improved TPU Sharkskin outsole for reduced weight and the ultimate grip on any surface.