Did you know there is Professional track?

I have had the pleasure of loving track and field for as long as i can remember.  My first season of racing was when I was 6, the trophy is downstairs, says 1977.  I was chasing my dreams and fulfilling the family legacy.  All over my homes were pictures of dad and uncle running in high school and college.  This is what I was born for, it was easy and fun and I won.  More importantly I loved to race and compete.  I still do.  Win, lose or draw I love the competition.  I smile when I realize I am stressing because one of my guys lost or underperformed because it is all apart of what I do.  I was never more pleased than to learn athletes would be able to receive money and still compete at the Olympics.  That was in the 80s.
So here I sit writing you all about the amateur mindset that still dominates the internal workings and thinking of the track world.  From administration to fans we are inundated with constant criticism that is rooted in the soil of amateurism.  It has manifested itself into a self hate that fights all change and/or evolution, and an aversion to marketing in the name of purity and economics.
A friend and I had a lively exchange about the Great City Games in Manchester.  He is of the opinion that until we heal and better the pure product, we cannot afford to put on street fairs and fringe events.  For him, and those that share his opinion, it is not building the sport, promoting the on track product, and most importantly building the fan base.  he rather see these efforts put into the meets, especially in the US where we are woefully lacking pro meets that capture the public attention.  He knows we need better marketing, and feels events like this do not produce long term benefits that will specifically result in a bigger fan base and public interest.  His argument has merit and historical backing.  Yet, I find it short sighted and destructively narrow in scope.
As a shining example, the Great City Games in Manchester, England is a great marketing tool.  The city used to have the UK national championships, and occasionally host a meet but they no longer do for various reasons.  This event is staged on the streets and is promoted in conjunction with the London and Birmingham Diamond League meets to be held later this summer.  The events ranged from traditional races, such the 110m hurdles, 100 hurdles, and a straight away 200m, to rarely run distances such as 150m and a 200m hurdle race.  The athletes are always A list international stars mixed with A list domestic stars.  The fans are less than ten feet from the races.  TV coverage is comprehensive domestically, which means track is on TV with full production, not studio voice over replays 24 hours later.  YET, the old guard frown upon the street races as a side show.  Once again, shooting down another tool we can use to achieve what is a common goal, growth of track and field and its fan base.
These critics will wow you with the stories of yesteryear.  Remembering the time when dual meets sold out stadiums and cities like LA hosted 4 meets (2 indoor meets,2 outdoor meets).  The glory days of the 60s and 70s.  40+ years of remembering, that have done NOTHING to solve today's new problems of low fan turnout, poor public image, and a general malaise of the loyal fan base.
Today I read a blog from Toni Reavis ruing the current CEO search by USATF and the recent news that Stephanie Hightower may be the new CEO.  Other very good candidates have turned down the job and it seems as though Ms. Hightower wants the job.  Yet as true to the sport, we have decided to talk about the negatives and make sure that we all know why this may not work and is not the best deal we could have had.  Cynicism.
I write all of the above to say this...I am tired of the cynicism and cowardly way we go about promoting ourselves.  From drug rumors, to public face time, to internal talks about officers in the sport, to the fledgling athletes union.  We are the most tested, most busted best self policed sport in the world, but all we present is "track is the dirtiest sport".  All we present is a bunch of athletes, coaches and fans that swear before God such and such new superstar is dirty!  And if that's not good enough, such and such old super star was dirty.  No proof to support it but rumor is fact in our sport, until the accuser runs fast and wins then they are the lone shining angel in a world of devils.  Fans and media, sometimes one in the same, sit back and suspect sprinters and hurdlers while marveling at the distance runners.  Cannibalism. 
At what point will we wake up and start internalizing our concerns and presenting a sellable product to the public?  When will we move on from the 70s and realize we have today issues to address.  This is no longer about putting on a good track meet nor is it about getting the stars on the track, it is about promoting the product.  No more network presentations filled with drug stories that are years dead.  Interest pieces about the stars on the track.  Lack of personality is not an excuse for lack of exposure.
We are a great sport with educated and intelligent participants.  We are a sport, not a game.  We are self policed and have spear headed the drug war.  Through track and fields efforts the other sports have been forced to develop comprehensive testing programs and actually suspend players.  We are the sport that test the ultimate in human boundaries, no teams, no hand signals, no timeouts to regroup.  The other athletes in other games watch us and talk about us.  They seek out our athletes and our coaches to train under.  These are some of the narratives we HAVE to start promoting.  If we are serious about growth, those with voices have to do better and STOP dominating the media super highway with cynical pieces, criticisms of successful events, while ignoring the core structures and successes.
Did you know there is professional track?

The Lakeshow takes a sitdown

It is hard being from LA and listening to Lakers fans.  LA is the most optimistic place with the most pessimistic attitudes!  We lose a series and the world has ended.  Bynum is the devil!  How did this happen?
Three runs at the final and we won 2 more back to back titles, yet in the fourth year the team ran out of gas and all is terrible?  Looks like more than just the players needed a break from this roller coaster.I have little problem with the way this year ended simply because I can see what happened.  The team ran out of pixie dust.  It was a great ride and the batteries need to be recharged.  I guess it is the coach in me that can be so practical about it.  Lakers for life!

Meanwhile, the track season kicked off in dramatic fashion.  In Jamaica the sprint gods returned back to the sport.  Carmelita ran 10.86.  Yohan Blake dropped a windy 9.80.  Shelly Ann Fraser ran a windy 22.10.  Fantastic meeting.  On to Asia for most of the athletes to race in Daegu and Shanghai.

IN my own camp, Ryan left Friday to run Sunday in Kawasaki.  He won in 13.73 w -2.2.  Less than 24 hours off the plane we will take the W and move onto Daegu.  Kevin is on a plane on his way to Daegu to get his baptism in to the pro circuit in his first full pro season.  We are working to build on his indoor success.

Osama is dead.  Obama pulled the trigger.  Thank you!  Thank you President Bush for taking the steps to get after this menace to the world who randomly murdered thousands in the name of his own religion.  Thank you Obama for giving the order to end this terrible time in the world.  And I pray we all heal and move forward and stop living as partisan politicians.  We can get back to being Americans.

Indoors is over!

Congrats to all who ran indoors and a special congrats to my hurdler, Kevin Craddock.  Kevin ran a pieced together indoor campaign and capped it off with a second place in New Mexico.  Gave us a chance to see where he is, and how effective training has been up until this point.
I know many use indoors as a barometer, and others as preparation for outdoors.  Being a LA kid born and raised, I use it simply to appease the hunger in an athlete and break training up IF it is needed. I do not translate or over evaluate the races because they are so different from outdoors my mind doesn't even relate the 2.
That being said, now we can focus solely on outdoors, and negotiating 10 barriers to Daegu.  The ultimate goal is always making the outdoor teams and winning medals, indoors has zero bearing on that so I give it little weight.
The beauty of living and training in LA is that the weather is rarely terrible.  So we can train all year long and at distances we can use.
One of the joys is watching the best of the best train.  It is hard work being the best and contrary to the rumors that permeate our sport, the best train hard to earn their station.  I watch those I have been in charge of and those under other coaches, and I know what is to come when the summer gets here.  The pureness of track is marveled by no other sport in the world.  Run faster, jump farther, throw farther, these are the simple skills of the sport.  Gods majesty is unrivaled, and all of you that participate in this great sport should enjoy the gifts you are so blessed to use and display.
First stop is Texas, then Mt SAC, then we shall see.  One thing I know, this is going to be a fast year in the sport.  All signs point to a lot of fast times and high standards.  Here we go!

Musings

My intent is to blog a lot or at least more frequently but I end up on twitter and by the time I decide to blog I have nothing to say lol.  Well kind of, more like I do not feel like writing too much more than 140 characters.  So here I am, lets go with these random thoughts and points.

Track -
Threshold is off to a successful start.  Kevin Craddock ran an abbreviated indoor season and will conclude it this weekend in New Mexico.  He started this yr with a pr of 7.73 and now is the proud owner of 7.57.  He damn near won his first race in Europe.  I am happy for the kid, he worked hard to get a chance and through his hard work he has made himself a name again.
Ryan is training well and we will be ready for outdoors.
I cannot wait for outdoors.  Just because I am a fan of this thing and it is going to be a FAST year in track, we have already seen hints.
Congrats to Kellie Wells on a fantastic indoors season.
David Oliver looks to be picking up exactly where he PAUSED his outdoor campaign.
It will be interesting to see who new pops up, thats always interesting.

Life -
My youngest took a dive off his bed and it took a minute to sink in but it scared the holy out of me. Spent the night in the hospital as a precaution. Glad that is over, kind of.  He has a concussion, which means I have to watch him for signs of anything more serious.  So far so good, he is returning back to himself.

And back to twitter I go. I think I have developed a short attention span.  That means I have to get back to reading and writing more.  See you at a meet somewhere

2011

Happy new year.

My guys have had an effective fall. Looking forward to the season. This is why I love this sport and what I do.

Lakers making the drive for three stressful.
The Heat playing the role of blonde bombshell lol.

The BCS is still an eyesore. More on that when I have a proper keyboard.

NFL playoffs on tap. I'm taking the Pats v the Saints. Mike Vick will make a run at it and is my sentimental favorite.

Did I mention the BCS sucks!

TAG game

In the evolution of life we are changing.  That statement is redundant but so am i lol.
I want to introduce my new company, threshold athletics group, tag for short.  Firmly based in this wonderful sport of track and field, tag is not merely a training group or track team, it is my brand.  Stay tuned to other ventures such as clinics, speed training, hurdle training, personal training, and whatever else i decide to explore in this wonderful life we all occupy together.  so please welcome tag and look forward to seeing the logo soon at a track and website near you!
TAG team members are; ryan wilson, jonathan williams, and new comer kevin craddock. 
Meanwhile on the track i want to thank and congratulate ryan on a terrific 2010 season. our goal was to stay healthy and consistent and get his name where it belongs in the rankings.  mission accomplished. this was a building year and i feel we are set up to accomplish the bigger goals on our shared goal list.

Props to David oliver (do) on a tremendous season and his american record. it has been a renaissance period for the high hurdles and do is the latest to push the limits and expectations. also props to his coach Brooks Johnson.  They have been on a five year journey, and their success speaks volumes to the recipe for success in our sport, stability.

Ryan has one race left in this season and then we start preparing for Daegu and London. Jonathan, Ryan and Kevin are my main focus but i do have a couple of choice spots available. I am waiting to see who out there is ready to step up and reach for their dreams.

TAG

I dont want to write an article

This is a blog. You want news go to TFN.com or follow Conway Hill (

http://theviewfromthefinishline.blogspot.com/
), my space is random and sometimes less than thoughtful.
So on to the show.

A white guy broke ten seconds.  A few want to cry about the skin of the man being insignificant, but oh well, it is an event.  Lemaitre did it to win his nationals in 9.98 and he did it in beating my sprinter Martial MBandjock (10.08). 
Allen walked away.  Over the last couple of years we have become friends, and throughout his entire career I have remained a fan.  I used to believe I would end up coaching him back in the early/mid 90s but it never happened.  He is my mental model of hurdling, even more so than Skeets, which is saying tons for me.  When I picture what I want for my athletes, it is AJ is see.  Lil fella did it like no other for a long time, I will do all I can to convince him to stay in the sport in some significant capacity.
Paris was shaping up to be the big showdown between Dayron and David, but the Cuban champ pulled out with sore legs then went down to injury at practice the next day.  We may have seen something extra special now we are just left with special. ;)
On the home front I am in full track withdrawal!!! I have not been to a significant meet since 2008 and it is killing me.  These are the business months, where I get to see my work flourish and mature, and make those on the move decisions that give races that unknown excitement.  Instead I have become an expert at coaching by Internet feed, emails, skype and BBM!
Speaking of, all my iphone friends, until they show me something that can do what BBM does, text unlimited for FREE, I will remain on #teamblackberry.  BTW I love the iphone and it one touch apps and screen etc.  I have a itouch and it is great.  But I know what my athlete is feeling as soon as he can get his phone.  INSTANTLY.
Meanwhile, Paris is tomorrow, July 16th.  Pls send me all live feeds and result pages, I collect em from meet to meet.
Oh, please congratulate Kevin Craddock on making it to the circuit.  He's a year away but the experience is invaluable. 
Other than that Ochocinco show is great entertainment, TO is melodramatic, Wipeout is the funniest shit on TV, please believe it.
That is all...for now.