PreRaceJitters Exclusive Q&A: Ahmad Rashad quickly making a name for himself in track

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - You can’t help but recognize the resemblence.

The name is Rashad, Ahmad Rashad, yes the same as former the NFL great best known for his heroic moves as a member of the Minnesota Vikings from 1976 to 1982.

Many recall the “Miracle Catch” against the Cleveland Browns that helped secure a come-from-behind 28-23 victory in December 1980 and a Central Division title for the Vikings. But in 2010, this Ahmad Rashad is looking to create his own moments to be remembered for.

USC sprinter Rashad finally got to show what he could do on the track at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships after two years of set backs with injuries after showing promise.  He tried to remain patient and waited for opportunities while injuries cut his freshman and sophomore seasons short of their full potential.

Going into the 2009 NCAA Outdoor, none of the well-respected pre-meet polls had him in the mix.  But Rashad finished the race with a second place finished in 10.10 seconds against a deep field of elite sprinters.

This year, Ahmad Rashad is not satisfied with last years second place finish at the NCAA Outdoors. The Flint, Michigan-native is hungry for track’s biggest title, the 100m NCAA title and helping put USC in the middle of contentions for the team championship crown.

Rashad hopes he continues to improve and have more success against elite fields.  But he also knows it is up to him to continue to make a name for himself.

PreRaceJitters sat down with All-American sprinter Ahmad Rashad to talk about his journey, his inspirations, and predictions on the 2010 season.

PRJ: What is the story behind you being named Ahmad Rashad?

AR: My dad got the name from the former pro football player and sportscaster Ahmad Rashad. My dad was a fan of his and I guess that’s how it came about. I actually got to meet him. He called me at school and everything; that was an experience.

PRJ: Your dad, Kevin Rashad is a fan of former NFL football player Ahmad Rashad.  The former NFL Viking made a name for himself in the NFL as a gritty player that made big plays.  What if any resemblances are there between the two of you?

AR: I’d say that I’ve made a lot of big plays as far as track goes throughout my career.

PRJ:  When you talked to Ahmad Rashad, what advice did he give you?

AR: It was around the time when my mother passed away so he gave me his condolences. I haven’t  seen him in person since, but I’m sure if we cross paths again we will have a lot to talk about.

PRJ: When did you fall in love with track and field?

AR: As a freshman in high school. The first time I dropped the baton on a relay, I laid out on the track disappointed in myself. After that point, I knew I had love for the sport.

PRJ: What runner or athlete did you look up to when you were younger?

AR: I looked up to Maurice Greene and Michael Johnson. They broke a lot of records and won Olympic gold medals medals and that was something I aspired to do also.

PRJ: What is the biggest inspiration in your life?

AR: My parents are my biggest inspiration. My father is a strong individual and always pushed me to be the best at what ever I was doing. My mother passed away some years ago and I know that she would want to see me strive to be successful.

PRJ: Your first two years at USC, you battled injuries and showed flashes of success. How do you think those experienced helped your develop as a sprinter?

AR: Those experiences helped me to understand the sport and grow as an athlete. I realized that with success comes adversity and dealing with that helped my mind develop a toughness to deal with the injuries.

PRJ: Since we are talking about battle injuries. What happened differently last year?

AR: I was preventative in my approach to injury. Instead of waiting for an injury to happen I did a lot of work to prevent them. Also just naturally maturing and strengthening I think helped out a lot.

PRJ: Your close to the 2009 collegiate season was amazing. You ran 10.10, which was a personal best in your second-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. How much confidence did that race give you?

AR: That 100 meter race in Fayetteville, gave me a lot of confidence. I always thought that I could run with the best in the NCAA but with injuries it prevented me from actually going out and doing it. That race finally allowed me to realize that I can run with the best.

PRJ: USC traditionally does not participate in the indoor season. Is there any chance that you will run indoors?

AR: No. I won’t be running indoor this season. I’m just focusing on the outdoor season this time around.

PRJ: When did you anticipate kicking off your outdoor season?

AR: I anticipate getting things rolling around mid-march.

PRJ: What is your challenge going into the 2010 season?

AR: My challenge is being one of the hunted instead the hunter. Typically I’ve been the hunter so the reversal of roles will be a challenge.

PRJ: This is your last year of the USC –UCLA duel. How serious is the rivalry?

AR: The USC - UCLA rivalry is more than serious. You would think people lived for that meet. I know my teammates have been talking about it already so I know they’re ready. The coaches put a lot of emphasis on that meet so you know its serious. It’s fun and something I look forward to every season.

PRJ: Last year USC’s men and women squads finished in the top ten and a majority of last years scorers are returning this season.

AR: I know that my teammates always strives to finish well as a team and its no different this year both on the men’s and women’s side. Everyone is excited after last season when expectations were low for what position we would finish. I think that has given the entire program motivation to do better this year.

PRJ: The 2010 USC team features a lot of up and coming underclassman who did well last year at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. How good is this team?

AR: I believe this team has tremendous talent and can place in the top 5 at the national meet.  Our men’s and women’s 4×4 teams did well at the NCAA outdoor championships. Everyone from both those relay teams are coming back, plus we have some new guys that came in that we expect to really step up this season and contribute immediately.

PRJ: This is your senior year. What is your ultimate goal for your college career?

AR: My ultimate goal is to become the NCAA champion at 100 meters.

The Runoff:
PRJ: What is your biggest fear?
AR: Small planes

PRJ: What is your most treasured possession?
AR: My autographed picture of sportscaster Ahmad Rashad.

PRJ: Who would you like to play you in a film?
AR: Jamie Foxx

PRJ: How do you relax?
AR: Watch cartoons.

PRJ: Do you get prerace jitters?
AR: Yes.

PRJ: Thank you for your time and good luck this season.

PreRaceJitters’ Podcast #37, Ahmad Rashad Men’s College Breakout Athlete of the Year

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The 5 foot, 10 inch sprinter swept through the NCAAs earning runner up honors in the 100 meters in 10.10.  The race not only culminated in a personal best for Ahmad Rashad.

The Flint, Michigan native has fought through injuries to become one of the top American collegiate sprinters. For the aforementioned reasons and more, Rashad has been selected as the first men’s PreRaceJitters’ “Breakout Athlete of the Year Award.”

The results were fantastic stuff with the Flint, Michigan - serving notice that not only Rashad can more than run with the big dawgs, but a bigger indictment of more things to come in the future.

6 Things You Oughta Know About Lionel Larry

200m Personal Best: 20.37, Mt. SAC Relays, 2009

400m Personal Best: 44.63, 2008 NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships, Des Moines, Iowa.

• Larry went to Dominguez High School in Compton, California with current NFL lineman Chilo Rachal of the San Francisco 49ers and NBA Center Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets.

• He maintained a 3.83 grade point average in high school, graduating with honors and was also elected to Freshman Class President.

• He has qualified for five 5 national teams. In 2003, he made the World Youth Championships in Sherbrooke, Canada followed by the 2005 Pan American Junior Team in WIndsor, Canada. Then there was the 2006 NACAC team in the Dominican Republic before he moved up and qualified for the Pan American Senior team in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and the 2007 World Championship Team in Osaka, Japan.

• During his career at USC, he won two individual Pac-10 championships in the 400 meters and was a four-time All-American honoree.

• Despite running the race during college and now during his pro career, he hates the 400 meters.

• His is interested in racing in many forms, namely Drag Racing which his father and friends got him involved in when he was a young man.  Some of his off the track hobbies include racing his go kart and restoring cars.

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PreRaceJitters’ Podcast #25 with Ryan Wilson, Breaking Out

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He may not be a household name but so far in the 2009 outdoor season, Ryan Wilson is having a breaking out season. So far he is posted 13.21 in the 40 degree weather at Drake Relays and also with wins at Mr. SAC Relays. The time currently ranks as the third fast time over the 110 meter hurdles and second fastest athlete

If this the season for the former NCAA 110 meter NCAA Champion makes some serious noise such as challenging the world record? We discuss that and more on this very special podcast.

Special thanks for Ryan Wilson and Darrell Smith of D Sports.

“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.

PreRaceJitters’ Track & Field Radio Show with Tasha Danvers

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This week, Great Britain’s Tasha Danvers joins Jay Hicks and John W. Davis to discuss her unlikely story of earning an Olympic bronze medal in the 400 meter hurdles in Beijing, her six degrees separation in the track & field and the inspiration behind her latest ventures which include the Tasha Danvers internet radio shows.

That and much more on the latest episode of PreRaceJitters’ Track & Field Radio Show.

-Galen Rupp NCAA Interview
-Tasha Danvers
-Tasha Danvers’ Internet Radio Show - Real Women, Real Talk, Real Speed
-Tasha Danvers’ Internet Radio Show - Building on Bronze

Special thanks to Tasha Danvers.

“PreRaceJitters Track & Field Radio Show, where the real playas come to hang out.”

USC Standout Runner Shot On Halloween

Violence visits the sports community, although this time it involves ones of track’s own.

University of Southern California sprinter, Bryshon Nellum is recovering after being shot in the leg three times on Saturday after leaving a Halloween party.

The nineteen-year-old sophomore, was hospitalized in stable condition following the shooting at 2 a.m. Friday.

It is unclear at this point, whether the former standout high school runner considered by many as a prospect with the talent to eventually become a professional track athlete.

As a senior at Long Beach Poly, he set the California record at 200-meters in 20.43. Bryshon also dropped 45.54, a personal best, in winning the 400 state title.

Jay Hicks for Prerace Jitters.