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.

DWTS: Greene Close To The Edge

How much longer can Maurice go?

The competition to remain on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars is steadily increasing with each passing week. This week, Maurice Greene and his partner, Cheryl Burke performed the Samba. The former Olympic 100-meter gold medalist proclaimed that “the samba’s the party dance but man, partying has never been this hard!”

During the practice sessions, Cheryl enlisted the help of Maurice’s daugher to help relax her dad and have a little bit of fun. In the performance, Maurice danced to “That’s the Way I Like It,” in a big afro wig and generally the dance came off as fun, albeit he appeared to miss the beat on a couple occasions.

With that, Carrie Ann said that she felt he was “stuck in the same place” and he is developing as a dancer. Bruno commented that it was “not so fabulous” and that at this point in the competition, he wants to “see some precision” in the dances.

Len said that “that’s the way I sort of like it.” He thought Maurice got the “fun element” of the dance and that it was “fun to watch.” They had a score of 22 out of 30 points.

Phone lines, text votes (AT&T customers only) and online polls will open at the top of each performance show so that viewers can vote for their favorites. Phone and text lines will remain open until noon (Eastern Time) on the day of the results show.

To vote for Maurice Greene, dial 800-868-3404. The text-in code is 3404.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

Universal Sports Provides Live Chicago Marathon Coverage.

Live coverage of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern time at www.UniversalSports.com and on Universal Sports TV.
Universal Sports will also offer an exclusive webcast of the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET.

The is available worldwide except in the Chicago area, where NBC5 is providing local live web and broadcast coverage.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

#1 Ranked OU Poses Robert Griffin with Tough Test

-Waco, Texas-Kickoff between the Bears and Sooners is scheduled for 11:40 a.m. CDT at Floyd Casey Stadium. Saturday’s game will be televised nationally on FSN.

The 18-year-old two-sport athlete known for facing hurdles will certainly have his work cut out for him on Saturday. Baylor hosts the top ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Robert Griffin doesn’t make the same mistakes that typically plaque young quarterback.

So far, Griffin has piled up a bunch of statistics. The Big 12 400-meter hurdle champion has passed for 756 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions this season, while rushing for 334 yards and five scores.

In a 31-28 loss to Connecticut on September 19, Griffin did everything he could passing for three TDs and rushing for another.

It will take the game of his life to pull an Oregon State and upset the number one ranked team. Griffin is hoping to catch the Sooners looking to the upcoming Red River Shoot Out against Texas.

There is history of such a thing happening. At this point in the season last year, the Sooners, who were ranked third in the nation and had defeated each opponent by at least 38 points, stumbled to a 27-24 loss to Colorado.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.

Robert Griffin Earning Star Billing For Baylor Football

Another week went by and another game of eye-popping statistics were produced. Robert Griffin played his first road game for the Baylor Bears against Connecticut. He is quickly earning a reputation as a poised quarterback that can beat opponents with his arms and his legs.

Griffin threw for 208 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another one. The speedster from Copperas Cove also ran for 46 yards on 23 carries with many of his yards coming on scrambles to get out of trouble in the Friday game that aired on ESPN2. Not too bad for the quarterback of the losing team.

The 6 foot, 3 inch true freshmen quarterback narrowly lead a fourth quarter comeback in the in the defeat to UConn (31-28).

In the fourth quarter, Griffin lead the offense down the field with under one minute to play in the game, but the final pass fell just beyond the outstretched arms of his wide receiver.

So exactly how fast is Griffin?

He is the Big 12 champion and finished third in the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, earning him All-America honors and boasts a personal best time of 49.22.

There are a number of great athletes in track and field. If he maintains this level of productivity, does the two-sport star lay claim to best all-around athlete in track and field?

By Jay Hicks.

Bolt Back on The Big Screen

Watch out now.

The world wants to see more of the three-time Olympic champion and world record holder.

Usain Bolt is set to become the first Jamaican athlete to occupy the seat next to David Letterman on CBS’ Late Show.

By all accounts, Michael Phelps is making enough dough to buy an accounting firm to count his money. Can Bolt or any other trackstar for that matter ever cash in on their Olympic accomplishments like Phelps?

By Jay Hicks.

Bryan Clay Takes Clothes Off His Olympic Back For Charity

Nothing grabs the populace like a track star with his shirt off and with that in mind Bryan Clay has teamed up with WIN in the name of charity.

Bryan Clay, a 2004 Olympic decathlete silver medalist is a proven champion both on and off the field. Clay deserves a round of applause for his leadership and his work in the community. He is competing in Beijing after setting an U.S. Olympic Trials record in winning the U.S. Olympic Trials and is lending his for a worthy cause.

In July, Clay introduced a new charity initiative called “Take Your Shirts Off” supported by WIN Products, the official licensed detergent of the U.S. Olympic Team.

Clay is asking people donate workout clothes to WIN, who will then wash them and give them to Winning Is Giving, an organization promoting athletic activities for the youth in refugee camps throughout the world.

A list of participating retailers can be found at sweatlifter.com or the mail-in address where people can send donations.

By Jay Hicks.

A Look At The Russian’s Retro Olympic Uniforms

An Olympic uniform is not just material that is draped over an athlete’s body. They become the face of a nation. Surging oil prices have again made Russia a burgeoning economy. The country is part historical and part modern. The 2008 Russian uniforms are a retro theme that were intended to embody the nation’s rich history.

With a look back at former Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev, you can see where the designers borrowed their ideas (see below). The former missile designer turned President is the man credited by his nation with developing Russia into a super power.

The uniforms for the Russian Olympic track and field team were recently on display at a presentation ceremony of new Olympic uniform produced specially for the Russian team by Nike.

By Jay Hicks.

Made In China: Olympic Uniforms Revealed!

The Chinese economy is growing like crazy. A new skyscrapers seems to pop up everyday. They are so successful and yet so disliked by some around the world for all the issues hanging over the country.

It’s tough not to like their uniforms though. The Chinese Federation went with a pretty straight forward look. They combined maroon and yellow, the nation’s primary colors, for the historic Olympic Games to be hosted on their soil.

For the Chinese, hosting the Olympic Games is intended to demonstrate to the Chinese people that they have officially arrived as a super power.

China needs Nike, because their past history of Olympic uniforms border on uninspiring and lackluster. At the 2004 Olympics, Liu Xiang won China’s only gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles. The uniform he sported in the final is simply unremarkable on any level. A major requirement of being a super power means being admired by the world, and the Olympic Games is the time to look the part to the rest of the world.

In order to deliver on the big day, China tapped Nike to design uniforms for the Chinese track and field athletes. The uniforms include all the latest bells and whistles in running apparel.

The new uniform design is intended to lift and reduce drag, wash without wrinkles, and all the other fine features intended to win gold through a better mousetrap. The Chinese athletes will certainly appreciate the big bucks poured into their development.

Mark Parker, Nike President and CEO, and 22 Chinese Federations unveiled their uniform collections in front of 500 invited guests and media.

“That is at the core of what Nike is all about,” said Nike President and CEO Mark Parker. “This is some of the best work we’ve ever done. From BMX to Track and Field, athletes like Liu Xiang inspire us to create our best and most innovative product.”

For China’s athletes, the experience means wearing uniforms that are steeped in the country’s heritage and combined with Nike’s performance innovations.

The running spike is designed for Chinese athletes participating the track and field events during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. It is designed to shave milliseconds off times which could mean the difference between gold and silver.

Sometimes things do not turn out as originally planned. That is probably the case with the outfits that the Chinese athletes are slated to wear at the Opening Ceremony.

This uniform is awkward and features a little too much maroon and yellow for one outfit.

By Jay Hicks.

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