UTA Invitational - Angel Perkins

UTA Invitational - Angel Perkins from PreRaceJitters on Vimeo.

Angel Perkins takes a few minutes to talk with PreRaceJitters.com about moving up to the 400 meter hurdles for the open 400 and what she would like to accomplish this season.

UTA Invitational - Sanjay Ayre

UTA Invitational - Sanjay Ayres from PreRaceJitters on Vimeo.

Jamaica’s Sanjay Ayre talks with PreRaceJitters’ about the upcoming season after competing in the 200 meters at the UTA Invitational.

UTA Invitational - Reggie Witherspoon

Reggie Witherspoon from PreRaceJitters on Vimeo.

PreRaceJitters’ catches up with 2008 Beijing Olympian Reggie Witherspoon after running the 400 meters at the UTA Invitational.

Weekend Thoughts: Cold weather dampers times

Photo courtesy of Danny Wariner.

Men’s Collegiate Ranking | Women’s Collegiate Ranking | World Rankings

There was one sub-21 second 200 meters at the UTA Invitational on Saturday, Jeremy Wariner fired off 20.83 seconds in a race including runner up Sanjay Ayres of Jamaica. Wrapped in long tights, Reggie Witherspoon made an appearance in the 400 meters, taking the cold weather conditions to get in a day of work. After running the 800 meter last week, pro runner Angel Perkins opened up her women’s 400 m hurdle meter season at UTA by winning in a wide margin of victory.

The cold and windy condition dampened the performance marks of athletes at the UTA Invitational. Professional runners Darvis “Doc” Patton, Marshevet Hooker, Aries Merritt and Darold Williamson cancelled their race appearances for Saturday at the University of Texas at Arlington.

What kind of shape is one of America’s top options to rival Usain Bolt? At a recent adidas promotional event – Gay revealed that he suffered a knee injury and plans on returning for the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

Collegiate Ranks

Weather affected other meets – the second day of the Yellow Jacket Invitational and FSU Relays were cancelled due to inclement weather conditions.

You could probably say that the LSU Relays came out the winner. Despite cold and windy race conditions – I can only assume that with warmer weather that even faster times would have been produced.

The LSU men’s defense of their 4×100 meter relay NCAA title began this weekend by barely holding off the Baylor Bears in the narrowest of victories. Trindon Holiday edged Trey Harts in a photo finish by one one-thousandth of a second, 39.696 to 39.697.  The Baylor 4×400 meter relay streak extends to 37 races at the LSU Relay running 3:04.93 – winning by over four seconds ahead of TCU in 3:08.63.

Watch out for St. Augustie’s Josh Scott, running at 46.13 this past weekend at the Raleigh Relays while also leading his mile relay to victory in 3:05.95 seconds.

LSU’s Samantha Henry set a meet record 11.37 in the 100 meters in the prelims and over teammate Kenyanna Wilson. In the finals, Wilson prevailed in 11.42 over teammates Henry in 11.59.

In a precursor to Texas Relays, the women’s 4×100 saw LSU run 44.07 ahead of TCU in 45.02 seconds.

In the 100 meter hurdles Tenaya Jones of LSU ran 13.89, finishing second in the race after LSU alum Jessica Ohamaja in 13.41.  Brandon Byram, Michael Ray Garvin, Charles Clark and Maurice Mitchell of FSU passed the stick around in 39.56 at the FSU Relays to win the 4×100 meter relay.  Powered by a +6.0 wind, Terrell Wilks ran 10.23 in the 100 meters at the FSU Relays.

As Oklahoma State University starts the outdoor season the squad will be without German Fernandez for at least some of the season, as he recovers from a foot injury.  Saturday, the OSU freshmen finished 11th (24:13) at the World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan. Fernandez produced the top non-African performance in the race.

USATF Announces launch of USA vs. Jamaica Challenge Series in 2010

Press Release courtesy of USA Track & Field.

INDIANAPOLIS - The USA vs. Jamaica Challenge Series, pitting the two countries’ sprinters, hurdlers and long jumpers against each other in team-based, scored competition, will debut in 2010, USA Track & Field and the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association announced on Tuesday.

The meets would feature male and female athletes in the 100, 200 and 400 meters; 100/110m hurdles and 400m hurdles; long jump; and the 4×100, 4×400 and sprint medley relays.

USATF CEO Doug Logan first proposed the Challenge Series in early March. With the 2009 calendar already full with IAAF, World Championship and regional competitions, the two federations targeted 2010 as the ideal time to launch the highly anticipated Challenge Series.

“We feel the stars will be aligned, literally and figuratively, next May and June for this series to really take off,” Logan said. “We will be working with the Jamaican federation, our athletes and other stakeholders over the next 12-plus months to put together a top-tier event.”

“We look forward to taking on our American friends in head-to-head competition in 2010,” said JAAA President Howard Aris. “We are confident that this kind of team competition, featuring the most exciting events in athletics, will prove captivating to fans around the world.”

The USA-Jamaica rivalry in sprinting events was on full display at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where collectively, USA and Jamaica won 11 of 12 medals in the 100 and 200; 16 of 18 in the 100 through 400; and five of six medals in the 400m hurdles.

“10 Sense” with Angela Williams

The  outdoor season is already here and PreRaceJitters.com caught up with Angela Williams to discuss life on the track circuit and her thoughts on track and field.  The 2007 World Indoor 60 meter champion lives up to her reputation of breaking the sport down.

10 things straight from Angela Williams.

Let’s talk about family. If you are going on vacation, you go with your family members and friends, right?  To those who do not know, it may seem like a vacation, but things couldn’t be further from the truth.  In reality, life on the road can be stressful and even lonely at times.  I’m very close to my family, so it is difficult being away from them for long periods of time.

It’s a blessing to be able to travel the world and meet so many people. The journey opens your mind to new ideas and traditions.  But sometimes on the road, it’s about small luxuries such as as getting a good internet connection to make Skype phone calls to friends and family in the United States

I pretty much live out of a suitcase in Europe.  We travel to compete in a new country about every 2 to 3 days and we end up dragging our huge bags from hotel room to hotel room.  I don’t waste the time unpacking, because we  are not in one place for too long.  During indoors, I was really fortunate because as the the reigning world champion, I had my own room and didn’t have to deal with having a roommate.  Normally, we get assigned a new roommate at each meet and if you don’t already have someone that you like to room with on the circuit.

The airline travel is crazy. Seriously. The airlines and their restrictions are ridiculous!  Everything from the liquid issue to penalties for overweight bags can make things tricky. When athletes are to be gone for months sometimes, one bag is not going to cut it - especially for a women.  Any airlines fees occurred on flights to compete in Europe comes out of the athletes pocket. You always have to be ready for something when going to the airport and we’re constantly praying that we’ll even get our bags on the other side, because they are good for losing a bag!

Track and field is a tough sport. We rely on our bodies to hold up to the hard training and competing.  The slightest ache or pain can prevent us from competing to the best of our abilities. There is no room to hide when your having an off day because track and field is an individual sport.  I tell you what, if you can survive in this game you will have learned a lot.  Being a professional track athlete has taught me to appreciate the small things and to be flexible.

I truly wish that track and field had a union.  An advocate is needed to fight for our rights. For example, as things current stand, the athlete’s do not have a pension meaning we have to make sure to save money for retirement.  And except for a select few athletes - a lot of the track and field athletes do not have health insurance through the sport.  Hopefully we can get one together very soon.

I usually bring a bunch of movies and tv series to make time pass on the road.  Sometimes I read or play video games on my Nintendo DS.  When we hit a city, I like to sightsee, take pictures and of course go shopping.  I look for key chains because I collect them from every city that I visit.

The pro circuit has changed from when I first started running pro.  When I graduated from USC, I learned a lot from the old school about surviving on the circuit and for the most part everyone was friends. At the time, athletes would hang out together in the lobby or in someone’s room playing games.  Today, everyone pretty much tends to stick with their groups. It’s a cordial environment but generally athletes do not hang out.  The new generation athletes tend stay in their rooms playing on the internet or talking on the phones. But hey everything changes, so this is one of them.

Barack Obama is a shot caller.  I think it is fantastic that we have President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.  This is an important piece of history that I have witnessed and it brought hope to many. He is a reminder that change may take a while but it will come.  I like the fact that President Obama is straight-forward and doesn’t try to sugar coat things.  I especially appreciated that he reminds people that if we want change that it will come with hard work. It’s going to take time to clean up their economic mess.  I pray that he stays strong and remains true to himself, his beliefs and does not get swept up into the role as President of the United States.

The sport’s television coverage needs to be upgraded.  We need positive exposure to build this sport back up and simply put the vision needs to be expanded.  I thought of a track and field reality show that would follow a group around and show their world. My idea involves taking athletes from different events and training camps and put them on an island or house somewhere. I would come up with fun team competitions like those seen on MTV’s Road Rules vs. Real World.  We could build teams of athletes from East Coast vs. West Coast athletes.  It would give fans a different environment to see athletes having fun and showing their personalities.   That will help viewers from getting bored with the some old interviews.

I am one of those people who has their hands in a lot of things.  My mind is always thinking of new ideas and things that need to be done.  I don’t like to sit down for too long because feel like I am missing something or could be getting stuff done. One of my main concerns right now, is hiring new employees for my athletic training business.  We focus on having energetic trainers, who are great motivators and enjoy working with all ages. I been placing job ads online.  I’ve also been reaching out to businesses seeking equipment donations and things like that for the gym. It’s a win, win situation for everyone involved because the donations are tax write offs for companies.  Oh yeah, I am also finishing my masters degree and figuring out what I want to do as a career after track.

I have many interests, so I am trying to narrow them down at the moment, but in the mean time it’s back to the track for practice.

Team USA names team captains for World Cross Country Championships

Press Release Courtesy of USA Track & Field.
AMMAN, Jordan - In preparation for Saturday’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Team USA Members selected team captains for the 2009 squad that will compete at Bisharat Golf Course in Amman, Jordan.

Leading the junior men’s 8 km team will be two-time USA junior champion at 8 km German Fernandez (Stillwater, Okla.), a freshman at Oklahoma State University who finished 25th at the 2008 edition of this event. Shippensburg University freshman and USA Junior Cross Country champion Neely Spence (Shippensburg, Pa.) was selected to lead the junior women’s 6 km team.

Five-time U.S. Cross Country team member Kathy Newberry (Williamsburg, Va.) will lead the senior women’s 8 km squad, while the duo of Edwardo Torres (Boulder, Colo.) and Max King (Bend, Ore.) were selected as team co-captains for the senior men’s 12 km. Both Torres and King are three-time U.S. Cross Country squad members.

The 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships will be available on-demand on universalsports.com and will feature a total prize purse of $140,000 for individuals placing in the top-six in both the men’s and women’s senior races with $30,000 going to the champions. An additional $140,000 is on the line for the top-six teams in the senior divisions with the top men’s and women’s teams receiving $20,000.

For more information on the 2009 World Cross Country Championships, visit www.usatf.org.

Weekend Results - March 28, 2009

Weekend of March 28:
-Alabama Relays
-Arizona State Invitational
-Big Green in the Desert Multis - Scottsdale, AZ
-Cal/Nevada Championships - UCLA
-Central Florida Invitational - UCLA
-Florida State Relays
-IAAF World XC Championships
-Indiana Wesleyan Polar Bear Invitational
-LSU Relays
-Maryland Invitational
-Missouri Relays
-Raleigh Relays - NC State
-Rice Bayou Classic
-Standford Invitational
-UTA Bobby Lane Invitational
-UTSA Relays
-UCF Invitational - Orlando
-Tufts Snowflake Classic
-Susquehanna Invitational
-Weems Baskin Relays - South Carolina
-Yellow Jacket Invitational - Georgia Tech

Onodera-Leonard named USA Athlete of the Week

Press Release provided courtesy of USA Track & Field.

INDIANAPOLIS - Sumi Onodera-Leonard has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after setting two world records in the W80 age-division in winning four events at the 2009 USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships at Prince George’s Sports and Learning Center in Landover, Md.

At 80-years old, Onodera-Leonard opened her competition Saturday with a win in the 60 meters in 12.55 seconds. She came back later that day to set a world age-division record in the 400m, crossing the line in 2:03.81 to demolish the previous record of 2:15.67 set by Carol Peebles in 2004. On Sunday, Onodera-Leonard first won the 200m in 48.49 and then set a world record in the 800m in 4:59.60, surpassing the previous record of 5:16.53 set by Canada’s Ivy Granstrom in 1996.

Now in its eighth year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on the USATF website. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2009 USATF Athlete of the Week Winners: January 6, Mason Finley; January 13, Amber Campbell; January 20, Josh Cox; January 27, German Fernandez; February 3, Ashton Eaton; February 10, Shalane Flanagan; February 17, Galen Rupp; February 25, Dexter Faulk; March 3, Terrence Trammell; March 10, Diana Pickler; March 17, Galen Rupp; March 25, Sumi Onodera-Leonard.

BEST MARKS WEEK ENDING MARCH 22

MEN

100 - 10.12 Marcus Brunson (unat) - Tucson, AZ 3/21
200 - 20.71 Jeremy Dodson (Colorado) - Boulder, CO 3/21
400 - 46.33 Joel Stallworth (unat) - Irvine, CA 3/21
800 - 1:48.25 Steve Sherer (NYAC) - Sacramento, CA 3/21
400H - 49.52 Jeshua Anderson (Washington State) - Los Angeles, CA 3/21
HJ - 2.21/7-3 Marquis Mack (unat) - Tampa, FL 3/20
PV - 5.25/17-2.75 Whitney Neves (BYU) - Tempe, AZ 3/21 & Derek Scott (USC) - Los Angeles, CA 3/21
LJ - 7.82/25-8 Johnta Griffin (Boston Elite) - Lake Buena Vista, FL 3/20
TJ - 16.15/53-0 Ronald Carter (unat) - Cerritos, CA 3/21
SP - 19.59/64-3.25 Rhuben Williams (Shore AC) - Athens, GA 3/20
DT - 64.86/212-9 Rashaud Scott (Kentucky) - Tempe, AZ 3/21
HT - 65.73/215-7 Nate Rolfe (Georgia) - Athens, GA 3/20
JT - 78.74/258-4 Corey White (USC) - Los Angeles, CA 3/21
Dec - 7452 Kevin Dwyer (Miami/Ohio) - Charlotte, NC 3/20

WOMEN

400 - 53.13 Ashlee Kidd (unat) - Coral Gables, FL 3/21
800 - 2:02.80 Geena Gall (Michigan) - Irvine, CA 3/21
1500 - 4:20.05 Geena Gall (Michigan) - Irvine, CA 3/20
3000 - 9:30.26 Arianna Lambie (Nike) - Eugene, OR 3/21
5000 - 16:24.48 Amanda Lorenzen (Brooks/TIE) - Charlotte, NC 3/20
100H - 13.35 Jackie Johnson (Nike) - Tempe, AZ 3/21
400H - 57.06 Tiffany Williams (Reebok) - Lake Buena Vista, FL 3/21
HJ - 1.82/5-11.5 Chaunte Howard (Nike) - Lake Buena Vista, FL 3/21
PV - 4.16/13-7.75 Brysun Stately (USC) - Los Angeles, CA 3/21
LJ - 6.31/20-8.5 DeAna Carson (Baylor) - Waco, TX 3/21
SP - 16.69/54-9.25 Jessica Pressley (unat) - Tempe, AZ 3/21
DT - 58.94/193-4 Summer Pierson (unat) - Tempe, AZ 3/21
HT - 69.01/226-5 Amber Campbell (Mjolnir) - Conway, SC 3/20
JT - 55.53/182-2 Kim Kreiner (Nike) - Sacramento, CA 3/21
Hep - 5549 Lauren Collins (Cal-Irvine) - Northridge, CA 3/20

For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org

Olympic Gold Medal Small Part of Reggie Witherspoon’s Journey

Photo courtesy of Danny Wariner.

From Pasadena to Marietta to Waco to Beijing and Back.
FOR REGGIE WITHERSPOOON ATHLETICS HAS BEEN BUILT UPON THESE CITIES.

In breaking down the season of his second year pro 400/200-meter career, it is his journey, his life that is as significant as his accomplishments. Sprinter Reggie Witherspoon runs professional track and field not merely for the journey - from the starting blocks to the finish line – but to win races.

This track existence has put the 23-year-old where he is today: among a rare group in track history as an Olympic gold medalist as a part of the 4×400 meter relay in Beijing; 44.99 pr over 400-meters; and 20.30 pr at 200-meters; and a financially successful summer. Witherspoon, or “Spoonlove” as his friends call him, is a success born in finding and knowing himself amidst the sport’s complexities.

REGGIE WITHERSPOON’S JOURNEY WINDS THROUGH AMERICA’S STREETS.

Tough streets, starting in a state that rings synonymous with gang violence, car jackings and the Rodney King beatings, then flies through the Southern city recognized as home of the Civil Rights Movement where Reggie grew up in after the age of 11, dreaming of a much different life.

It plows through a campus mostly known for Florida Gator football, and even while running 45.5 seconds as a college freshmen and racking up All-American relay honors he was still overshadowed by Kerron Clement. It rolls through two years at Baylor University, known as home of legend Michael Johnson and then back to Atlanta, GA.

And today, the journey settles into a lazy-day cruise, comfortable and far from complete in Waco.

Pasadena, California – nestled 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, widely recognized for hosting the Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade – but despite Pasadena’s upscale reputation, the city had and still has an extensive gang problem.

Pasadena is where he grew up until the age of eleven. “Pasadena was tough.  Growing up in a single parent home was difficult with six other siblings,” said Witherspoon.

“But it [Pasadena] has made me who I am today. Growing up in those rough times and going without things makes me appreciate things more. I appreciate and thank God for everything that I do that is positive.“

Witherspoon was following his older brother a little too closely and found himself getting in trouble.  The final straw was getting caught swimming during after hours at a Pasadena public pool with his brother, his mother - Pearl Grice, knew he was capable of big things. She knew Witherspoon didn’t fit into the gang scene so she sent him to be with his father, Ronald Witherspoon, in Marietta, GA., a suburb of Atlanta.

“She shipped me out to Georgia and told me to not come back until I make something of myself,“ said Witherspoon.

Having his pick of colleges, Reggie went on to the University of Florida, an 8-hour drive away from Marietta. But once there, the former Georgia Athlete of the Year did not completely get along with coach Mike Halloway. As a sophomore Witherspoon led the 4×400 meter relay to All-American honors but he struggled to live up to his own expectations.

So he left.

“I had a lot of people in my ear, as I was trying to do my college selection on my own. I went on college visits by myself and actually committed to Baylor and then a week before signing I backed out and signed with Florida.”

Reggie transferred to Baylor – the school he originally committed to before deciding to head to Gainesville. “I needed a new start to get away and re-dedicate myself to what I was doing. “

His coach Michael Ford said, “I think early on when Reggie first got to Baylor, he was fragile mentality. He didn’t want to get pushed as hard as he needed to be. Now, having a bit of success has made him more hungry.”

How quickly things began to turn around.

In the winter of 2006, Witherspoon became a hot commodity. He became the first athlete in Big 12 history to win both the indoor conference title in the 200 and 400-meters in route to the highest point earner.

“In 2007, I focused more on the 200 my senior year. I never broken 21 seconds before coming to Baylor, and then I ran 20.3. I never thought Baylor could transform my career. “

He ran 1st leg on 2007 NCAA Outdoor champ 4×400m relay and racked up countless number of individual All-American honors during his stint in Bear country.

Coach Michael Ford said, “Reggie is blessed with speed. He is probably most fluid runner that I have coached with great raw 200-meter speed. The key to his success involves getting stronger from a speed endurance perspective.”

FAST FORWARD TO THE 2008 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS IN EUGENE, OREGON

“After the first round it was my season’s best of 45.9, and coach Ford though that it looked easy. “
Coach Ford told me that if I make the finals then I will go to the Olympics. He told me that all I need to do is run the same race and finish it up strongly.

The 400-meter was supposed to be a warm up for the 200-meters. Going into the U.S. Olympic Trials ranked #22 on the 400-meter, and came out with a fourth place finish (45.01) in the 400 meters, earning Witherspoon a ticket to the Beijing Olympic Games as a member of the 4 x 400 meter relay pool.

Not knowing if he would get the shot to hit the track – Witherspoon was tapped at the last minute to run third leg on the U.S. men’s 4×400 relay team that won its opening round and was awarded a gold medal when Team USA finished first in the final.

The Olympic success allowed Witherspoon to earn a good living running on the IAAF Golden League circuit throughout Europe. Success has not gone to Witherspoon’s head, he still drives the same late model Mitsubishi Eclipse and lives in same apartment with his roommates.

While Reggie Witherspoon wants to assume the mantle as one of the world’s top ranked 400-meter runners, he is content to leave the fame for someone else. “I am not comfortable being noticed, said the former Baylor standout runner. “Now walking to classes at Baylor, people recognize me,” said Witherspoon.

Off the track you can expect Witherspoon to make you laugh. He is capable of holding court with impersonations, funny stories, and practical jokes to his friends and coach.

However, the Olympian is not predictable, but rather sophisticated. His favorite iPod singers are Ne-Yo, Maroon 5, The Commodores, and The O’Jays.

WITHERSPOON’S GOALS FOR 2009?

“My family is in Pasadena and Marietta, but I don’t get back there very often because there is not a lot positive there for me,” he shares. Waco is the place he calls home, training with Jeremy Wariner, Darold Williamson and Sanjay Aryes while finishing up his degree at Baylor.

“The goals for Reggie are 44.3 to 44.5 in the 400 and ranked top 10 in the world,” said Ford.

“My confidence is up. I haven’t felt this confident since high school,” said Witherspoon. “It is going to be a good year, if I stay healthy. I want to run sub 44.5 seconds and sub-20s. A great shot to run under 20 seconds this year.”

Witherspoon’s life has come full circle. Going back home to see his mother, will be easy for him. Witherspoon has more than made something of himself, in fact he is someone any mother in the world can be proud to call their own.

All photographs provided courtesy of Danny Wariner.

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