He works on His own time! God may not be there when we want him but he will be there on time! So much is happening in DJ's life that looks bleak that I have to operate on faith. Even when my faith is the problem, it is the only thing holding me up.
I tell you all He is always on time. The life I live is filled with expectation, and the knowledge that what me and mine pray for already is. I am telling you that this has proven to be a life changing mindset. I am not saying I walk everyday with the confidence of a mustard seed, I am saying when I question what in the world is happening in my world, I turn and force myself to live in the knowledge that God has already done it for me. So far whenever I think this is it, IT has been success and a blessing.
Blessings are truly all around us and man they come at you from strange angles, some of them you will miss due to your own smoke screen. You will mistake your blessing for another blow to the knees, when if you just give it to him and trust that he has heard you, the blessing will pop out like a red rose on white sheets.
I have a partner in this life and she is my constant source of positivity when I am standing on my head ready to whine and cry and sing the blues. She has decided that she will remain positive through it all and I mean through it all, and it has kept me and helped me push on. Even when she has been the source of my stress and darkness, she has played the dual role of being my source of overcoming.
I believe we are made to be a tandem, and I am telling you without my partner I would be in a different place in my life. LOL That is an inside joke if ever there was one.
Six years ago I was in Saudi Arabia, coaching the national team to the Asian Games. Life was very similar for me, tragic. Yet there I was, focusing all my energy on coaching and making the guys the best they could be. Well here I am right back to the Saudi team. I walked away at the end of 2002 to stake my claim in this world. I wanted no more shadows to outrun, I struck out on my own and became the coach I am today. Now my situation is a hybrid, I am still running from those shadows but I have a flashlight now. And as of today I am repeating history, I am the Saudi Arabian national coach once again.
My boys have been longing to have me back, well now they have it. On my terms, in my country, and everyone is happy. Well, almost happy. Here we go, back in the saddle again. except this time, I have my own athletes to worry about, and I will put them first. They are my people, they are the ones that trust me the most and the ones I care about. A lot has been invested in them and just because I have secured some funds for my life does not mean I am abandoning the crew. DSports is for real and I will make sure we stand out.
I love my job. I love what this is about and what I am about. The devil tried to break me, but he failed. His attacks have come hard and furious, everyday, God is my rod and my shield. The devil does not like that. :-)
Monday, April 7, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
DJ Olympic dreams
It has begun!
As I sat on the grassy hill at Pomona-Pitzer’s famed blue track, watching the athletes go by, I had the Blackberry humming with Texas Relay results. Thankfully, the Florida relays decided to do all their hot running Friday, so all I had to keep up with was the relays in Austin.
If you are a true track fan in the US, you have to appreciate this month of April. We call it the relay season, and it reminds us all of why we started running and why we stick with the sport. All the talk of money and contracts and teams is forgotten for four or five weeks, while we all go back to our childhood. Weekend invitational litter the American landscape of track and field and spawn the superstars of all professional sports. Whether it is an age group meet or an high school meet or a college invitational or a weekend carnival that involves all levels, we sit outside in the sun watching track.
After April you would not see a bunch of world class athletes standing around the track or infield watching someone run a 4+ minute mile, or 12 flat 100 meters. We definitely are not watching a 4x1600 relay. Yet, look at the April weekends and you will see these meets featuring the stars of today and the stars of yesterday being honored or just hanging out. I am not sure there is a better time than April for track purest.
Amateurism survives in these baton festivals. The old adage, “give a starving man a saltine cracker and he will proclaim it is the best cracker in the world.” Same applies for the track athlete in April. They have spent months sweating, crying, bleeding, and dying and their tolerance is over. They will agree to run anything, and coaches try anything. World Champion 100 sprinters running 4x400s, intermediate hurdlers running 800s, 400 runners running sprint relays, it is a veritable smorgasbord of talent in mixed up events.
I give the IAAF and IOC credit for deciding to have the countries qualify their relays. We are guaranteed to see high quality relay races from national teams throughout the relay season. For example, in Texas we had the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia field a team for the first time in history. The irony might be that no one noticed! LOL In a few weeks their will be the Penn Relays and we will have a track full of international stars trying to post qualifying marks for their national relay teams.
And thus begins the Olympic campaign. The excitement is at every meet, in every race. We will hear the word Olympics so many times it will become expected. “So, how did it feel to get back out there and shake off the training cobwebs?” “You know, I just want to make sure I am ready for the Olympics!” “I plan to double and bring home 2 medals.” “What events will you run this year?” “I will run the XXX and the XXX and try to bring home three gold medals.” Etc. There is nothing like the Olympic year.
Athletes spend their entire careers building to this moment, especially in the US, where Olympic spots are never handed out or faxed out. You will earn your Olympic berth, and coveted it just the same. So we see meticulous planning and strategies by coaches. A long run here and short run there, time to go back and train heavy in the midst of it all. All in the name of Olympic gold.
As I sat on the grassy hill at Pomona-Pitzer’s famed blue track, watching the athletes go by, I had the Blackberry humming with Texas Relay results. Thankfully, the Florida relays decided to do all their hot running Friday, so all I had to keep up with was the relays in Austin.
If you are a true track fan in the US, you have to appreciate this month of April. We call it the relay season, and it reminds us all of why we started running and why we stick with the sport. All the talk of money and contracts and teams is forgotten for four or five weeks, while we all go back to our childhood. Weekend invitational litter the American landscape of track and field and spawn the superstars of all professional sports. Whether it is an age group meet or an high school meet or a college invitational or a weekend carnival that involves all levels, we sit outside in the sun watching track.
After April you would not see a bunch of world class athletes standing around the track or infield watching someone run a 4+ minute mile, or 12 flat 100 meters. We definitely are not watching a 4x1600 relay. Yet, look at the April weekends and you will see these meets featuring the stars of today and the stars of yesterday being honored or just hanging out. I am not sure there is a better time than April for track purest.
Amateurism survives in these baton festivals. The old adage, “give a starving man a saltine cracker and he will proclaim it is the best cracker in the world.” Same applies for the track athlete in April. They have spent months sweating, crying, bleeding, and dying and their tolerance is over. They will agree to run anything, and coaches try anything. World Champion 100 sprinters running 4x400s, intermediate hurdlers running 800s, 400 runners running sprint relays, it is a veritable smorgasbord of talent in mixed up events.
I give the IAAF and IOC credit for deciding to have the countries qualify their relays. We are guaranteed to see high quality relay races from national teams throughout the relay season. For example, in Texas we had the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia field a team for the first time in history. The irony might be that no one noticed! LOL In a few weeks their will be the Penn Relays and we will have a track full of international stars trying to post qualifying marks for their national relay teams.
And thus begins the Olympic campaign. The excitement is at every meet, in every race. We will hear the word Olympics so many times it will become expected. “So, how did it feel to get back out there and shake off the training cobwebs?” “You know, I just want to make sure I am ready for the Olympics!” “I plan to double and bring home 2 medals.” “What events will you run this year?” “I will run the XXX and the XXX and try to bring home three gold medals.” Etc. There is nothing like the Olympic year.
Athletes spend their entire careers building to this moment, especially in the US, where Olympic spots are never handed out or faxed out. You will earn your Olympic berth, and coveted it just the same. So we see meticulous planning and strategies by coaches. A long run here and short run there, time to go back and train heavy in the midst of it all. All in the name of Olympic gold.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
DJ from the Crates
We have officially kicked off the outdoor season.
For the first time I will post something about my athletes. Probably the last time too. Anyway, Tasha and Jonathan have run their first 2 800's of their careers and I have to admit I am very happy with the results. They ran strong, looked comfortable and most importantly showed great fitness. Tasha's pr now is 2:06.25 and that was her first time running the race. Jonathan gave me a 1:52.33 in his first outing.
They ran their second ones last week. We set out to run fast but the work week and subsequent hour delay at the meet was too much to overcome. Both of them ran well and had a full week of training, the meet was actually day five of running. For Tasha it marked something I will never do again, 5 days of hurdling in a week.
Ok enough about them and those.
I have talked enough about Obama now I will switch focus and talk about that woman. For the record i do not like the Clinton's anymore. Not since around the Lewinski embarrassment have I been a big Clinton fan. They proved to me then that politics and power came before EVERYTHING else, including integrity and respect for the highest office in the land. Now we have Hillary lying, oops, I mean "misspeaking" about her trip to war torn Bosnia in 1996. She claims sniper fire and the tape shows her in no danger whatsoever.
The spin has been that she was sleep deprived. Only problem with that excuse is she has been spinning this fish story for months! There was no danger, no sniper fire, and she is shown shaking hands with the Bosnian president on the tarmac.
These people keep proving that they are charlatans and it is high time the puppet show ended. She is ripping apart the DNP primary, she should have clearly stepped down and backed Obama after Super Tuesday. Instead she is fighting to the bitter end and threatening to use the Super delegates to win the nomination which would overturn the will of the people, something they DNP has cried about for eight years and used to their advantage 2 years ago to take over congress. What a mess!
For the first time I will post something about my athletes. Probably the last time too. Anyway, Tasha and Jonathan have run their first 2 800's of their careers and I have to admit I am very happy with the results. They ran strong, looked comfortable and most importantly showed great fitness. Tasha's pr now is 2:06.25 and that was her first time running the race. Jonathan gave me a 1:52.33 in his first outing.
They ran their second ones last week. We set out to run fast but the work week and subsequent hour delay at the meet was too much to overcome. Both of them ran well and had a full week of training, the meet was actually day five of running. For Tasha it marked something I will never do again, 5 days of hurdling in a week.
Ok enough about them and those.
I have talked enough about Obama now I will switch focus and talk about that woman. For the record i do not like the Clinton's anymore. Not since around the Lewinski embarrassment have I been a big Clinton fan. They proved to me then that politics and power came before EVERYTHING else, including integrity and respect for the highest office in the land. Now we have Hillary lying, oops, I mean "misspeaking" about her trip to war torn Bosnia in 1996. She claims sniper fire and the tape shows her in no danger whatsoever.
The spin has been that she was sleep deprived. Only problem with that excuse is she has been spinning this fish story for months! There was no danger, no sniper fire, and she is shown shaking hands with the Bosnian president on the tarmac.
These people keep proving that they are charlatans and it is high time the puppet show ended. She is ripping apart the DNP primary, she should have clearly stepped down and backed Obama after Super Tuesday. Instead she is fighting to the bitter end and threatening to use the Super delegates to win the nomination which would overturn the will of the people, something they DNP has cried about for eight years and used to their advantage 2 years ago to take over congress. What a mess!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Life happens!
So I am at the meet this week and few things go down to remind me that "life happens"!
Great race in the short hurdles, 2 women running step for step when uh oh, off balance and smash hit the hurdle and one gets V and the other gets DQ. As I said to my athlete it is a hurdle race, hitting them is a part of the race.
The second was more dramatic. Old time coach is caught slipping, walks across the track and WHAM! sprinter takes him out doing blow outs. Watched the coach get carted off the track on a stretcher. Life happens!
Oh and the meet was an hour behind. I think I mentioned that in my last post.
So I find out Xavier Carter has put down a nice lead off leg on a 4x4 down in Miami in the rain. 45.6 is the reported split. Whatever it is I am glad to see the moles start to come out of the holes and run.
Asafa Powell has continued his busy season with an easy 4x1 anchor that is reported to have melted the track under his feet.
Walter Dix runs a 45.2 relay leg. Impressive.
VaTech breaks out the outdoor season with two young ladies in the 12.8 range.
David Oliver opens the sticks with 13.33!
I love track.
Meanwhile in the world the Bruins survive the first weekend and have the mandatory close call that all championship teams have to go through.
The Lakers are playing steady and gearing up for the playoff push. Kobe is the MVP anything else is Memorex!
Baseball season is coming, someone shoot me now!
Is it football season yet?
And lastly why do all my friends, all two of them live in Texas?!
Great race in the short hurdles, 2 women running step for step when uh oh, off balance and smash hit the hurdle and one gets V and the other gets DQ. As I said to my athlete it is a hurdle race, hitting them is a part of the race.
The second was more dramatic. Old time coach is caught slipping, walks across the track and WHAM! sprinter takes him out doing blow outs. Watched the coach get carted off the track on a stretcher. Life happens!
Oh and the meet was an hour behind. I think I mentioned that in my last post.
So I find out Xavier Carter has put down a nice lead off leg on a 4x4 down in Miami in the rain. 45.6 is the reported split. Whatever it is I am glad to see the moles start to come out of the holes and run.
Asafa Powell has continued his busy season with an easy 4x1 anchor that is reported to have melted the track under his feet.
Walter Dix runs a 45.2 relay leg. Impressive.
VaTech breaks out the outdoor season with two young ladies in the 12.8 range.
David Oliver opens the sticks with 13.33!
I love track.
Meanwhile in the world the Bruins survive the first weekend and have the mandatory close call that all championship teams have to go through.
The Lakers are playing steady and gearing up for the playoff push. Kobe is the MVP anything else is Memorex!
Baseball season is coming, someone shoot me now!
Is it football season yet?
And lastly why do all my friends, all two of them live in Texas?!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter
On this day faith was tested and measured and forged!
Since last I spoke a lot has happened.
Bianca Knight is pro. Good luck lil one. She set a precedent for track and field. She and her mother set out to run fast and go pro, similar to a football or basketball player in college. I have definite doubts about this path being effective in the current state of the sport but I am excited by the move. On the business side of things it lets me know the kids see this as a viable path to monetary success. And like it or not that is what entertainment is about and one of the main driving forces behind pro sports dollars. When the athletes start pushing the economy the dollars will start to flow with regularity.
The secondary effect in this is the benefit to my profession, coaching. The shoes companies are willing to pay these kids then they have to start paying the people that train them to produce. It is a matter of time now. They are paying the young ones on potential and it is proven that certain coaches have a system that produces consistently.
Now here is the rub, do your shoe dollars dictate movement? In business promotions come with relocating. Right now the athletes think they can have the dollars and stay home with mommie near by never having to move. Completely unrealistic.
On the track I will confess my people have started competing. Nothing in their pet events though. It has been fun just going to meets with no pressure or expectations. Running new events to see what they can do and how the training is translating. This week in particular has been an adventure. Never have I worked so much for so many days in a week. Time for a mini break. Rest is a part of training too.
The political landscape is off the charts now. For a few days I was seeing doom for Barack and then I read the actual context of some of Wright's words and the farce is up. He was quoting someone else in some of the most inflammatory remarks. Damn shame what the media can do. I being the conservative gentleman that I am it is difficult to watch the right wing attack unwarranted on this. The game is now completely corrupt like never before. I knew Barack would have to eventually fight and here we are. now we will see if he is tough enough to lead this country in the future.
Bless you all. I will start blogging less as the season gets going. I am too tempted to talk trash LOL. See you all on the chitlin' circuit.
Since last I spoke a lot has happened.
Bianca Knight is pro. Good luck lil one. She set a precedent for track and field. She and her mother set out to run fast and go pro, similar to a football or basketball player in college. I have definite doubts about this path being effective in the current state of the sport but I am excited by the move. On the business side of things it lets me know the kids see this as a viable path to monetary success. And like it or not that is what entertainment is about and one of the main driving forces behind pro sports dollars. When the athletes start pushing the economy the dollars will start to flow with regularity.
The secondary effect in this is the benefit to my profession, coaching. The shoes companies are willing to pay these kids then they have to start paying the people that train them to produce. It is a matter of time now. They are paying the young ones on potential and it is proven that certain coaches have a system that produces consistently.
Now here is the rub, do your shoe dollars dictate movement? In business promotions come with relocating. Right now the athletes think they can have the dollars and stay home with mommie near by never having to move. Completely unrealistic.
On the track I will confess my people have started competing. Nothing in their pet events though. It has been fun just going to meets with no pressure or expectations. Running new events to see what they can do and how the training is translating. This week in particular has been an adventure. Never have I worked so much for so many days in a week. Time for a mini break. Rest is a part of training too.
The political landscape is off the charts now. For a few days I was seeing doom for Barack and then I read the actual context of some of Wright's words and the farce is up. He was quoting someone else in some of the most inflammatory remarks. Damn shame what the media can do. I being the conservative gentleman that I am it is difficult to watch the right wing attack unwarranted on this. The game is now completely corrupt like never before. I knew Barack would have to eventually fight and here we are. now we will see if he is tough enough to lead this country in the future.
Bless you all. I will start blogging less as the season gets going. I am too tempted to talk trash LOL. See you all on the chitlin' circuit.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
DJ's Playlist
So what had happened was....
Bianca Knight looked all world in that 200 yesterday. The young lady will be heard from outdoors. I was impressed.
I was less impressed with the 60s. It was a bit of a let down after watching the 200s get blitzed the night before.
Something on my mind so I will let it out. Why do stars and celebs hide their charity? I know the cookie cutter answers, my question is actually one that is a little deeper. See I listen and watch these folks of means complain about how their "good" works are never talked about but when asked about them they say they do not want their "good" works publicized. Something about it being private and from the good of their heart and they do not want to exploit a good deed for personal gain. ALL OF THE ABOVE IS SELFISH!
If you are about the charity then you of course realize that your name brings attention to a cause you deemed good. You do not focus on the "you" part but on the giving. To say you do not want it public is to keep to yourself and in the end you have cost that cause through omission.
Do not get me wrong, I comment all of you out there doing your utmost for others and giving you free time to those that need you. Just tell us about it so the rest of us know and our aware. I know a few people who are in search of a cause they can get behind and stand behind. A cause they can endorse.
On a lighter note, my son is three. Well my baby boy is three. He is out of control. I dare you to ask or tell him to do something. You will get a frown, and a lengthy pause, and no words. Quite simply the most frustrating thing you will ever experience. I just want to throttle the little man. Has me and my wife running around like 2 black folks screaming and yelling and him crying. I know my neighbors must be tired of us. I do not think he cried this much as a baby. They boy will cry because you asked him to use the bathroom, even though he has been pacing, running, and dancing a jig in the middle of the living room! LOL You should see him, he will start running back and forth but will not go to the toilet. LOL And I will not understand baby logic, I was never like him, he has peed on himself standing at the door of the bathroom all because HE refused to go. That was at day care, and that was the day he went home in wet clothes. It was time for a lesson to be taught, you want to be wet, then stay wet. I am quite comfortable in my DRY underwear.
Do you hear the silence? It is the calm before the storm we call outdoors. I am a little different type of coach, kind old mixed with the new so please understand when I say this to some of you reading. If you are in an event I coach, I am coming for your head. Just want everyone to know what this game is about. I like most of y'all and would love to coach you too, but for now, see you between the lines.
Bianca Knight looked all world in that 200 yesterday. The young lady will be heard from outdoors. I was impressed.
I was less impressed with the 60s. It was a bit of a let down after watching the 200s get blitzed the night before.
Something on my mind so I will let it out. Why do stars and celebs hide their charity? I know the cookie cutter answers, my question is actually one that is a little deeper. See I listen and watch these folks of means complain about how their "good" works are never talked about but when asked about them they say they do not want their "good" works publicized. Something about it being private and from the good of their heart and they do not want to exploit a good deed for personal gain. ALL OF THE ABOVE IS SELFISH!
If you are about the charity then you of course realize that your name brings attention to a cause you deemed good. You do not focus on the "you" part but on the giving. To say you do not want it public is to keep to yourself and in the end you have cost that cause through omission.
Do not get me wrong, I comment all of you out there doing your utmost for others and giving you free time to those that need you. Just tell us about it so the rest of us know and our aware. I know a few people who are in search of a cause they can get behind and stand behind. A cause they can endorse.
On a lighter note, my son is three. Well my baby boy is three. He is out of control. I dare you to ask or tell him to do something. You will get a frown, and a lengthy pause, and no words. Quite simply the most frustrating thing you will ever experience. I just want to throttle the little man. Has me and my wife running around like 2 black folks screaming and yelling and him crying. I know my neighbors must be tired of us. I do not think he cried this much as a baby. They boy will cry because you asked him to use the bathroom, even though he has been pacing, running, and dancing a jig in the middle of the living room! LOL You should see him, he will start running back and forth but will not go to the toilet. LOL And I will not understand baby logic, I was never like him, he has peed on himself standing at the door of the bathroom all because HE refused to go. That was at day care, and that was the day he went home in wet clothes. It was time for a lesson to be taught, you want to be wet, then stay wet. I am quite comfortable in my DRY underwear.
Do you hear the silence? It is the calm before the storm we call outdoors. I am a little different type of coach, kind old mixed with the new so please understand when I say this to some of you reading. If you are in an event I coach, I am coming for your head. Just want everyone to know what this game is about. I like most of y'all and would love to coach you too, but for now, see you between the lines.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Practice what you preach
As a coach this is not what you want to talk about. Sets you up for failure and hypocrisy. I do not say it or use it when it comes to my coaching. If I could practice what I preached on the track I would still be 165, and all of you would know my name.
In real life, not track, I cannot practice what i preach. Not by choice. I want to but I am faced with some life issues that challenge me every day. All I can do is read and think and search for that space that allows us to walk the walk we talk.
I am waiting for that space to reveal itself because believe me, all the space I see is filled with the complete opposite of what I preach LOL. I mean you ever notice how it is so easy to counsel and console our friends but when it comes to ourselves we are virtually unreachable. LOL All of my friends are that way strangely enough. I have sat and told them that all they need to do is follow their own words. Well now the tables are turned and I cannot follow my own advice and damn sure cannot follow theirs. Makes me laugh the laugh of a man that knows he is dying.
It is not funny but if I do not laugh I will cry. It is that time for me, the world seems as though it is disintegrating on my head, RIGHT NOW! Everything is wrong and nothing looks like it is getting better. That rain cloud is my rain cloud and all rays of sunshine are deflected by the mirror of darkness. And I am tired of the damn cloud. I want to kill the cloud, squeeze all the water out of it, and watch it evaporate for the rest of my life.
I tell the athletes when they cross the gates at the track to leave the outside world outside. I am in desperate need of a gate right now.
In real life, not track, I cannot practice what i preach. Not by choice. I want to but I am faced with some life issues that challenge me every day. All I can do is read and think and search for that space that allows us to walk the walk we talk.
I am waiting for that space to reveal itself because believe me, all the space I see is filled with the complete opposite of what I preach LOL. I mean you ever notice how it is so easy to counsel and console our friends but when it comes to ourselves we are virtually unreachable. LOL All of my friends are that way strangely enough. I have sat and told them that all they need to do is follow their own words. Well now the tables are turned and I cannot follow my own advice and damn sure cannot follow theirs. Makes me laugh the laugh of a man that knows he is dying.
It is not funny but if I do not laugh I will cry. It is that time for me, the world seems as though it is disintegrating on my head, RIGHT NOW! Everything is wrong and nothing looks like it is getting better. That rain cloud is my rain cloud and all rays of sunshine are deflected by the mirror of darkness. And I am tired of the damn cloud. I want to kill the cloud, squeeze all the water out of it, and watch it evaporate for the rest of my life.
I tell the athletes when they cross the gates at the track to leave the outside world outside. I am in desperate need of a gate right now.
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