The Nike Sprint Summit will be held on Friday evening, March 14th from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. on the track at the Prince George facility. It will be free to all athletes registered for the NIC. Coaches, parents and others wanting to attend will pay only $10.00.
Sprint Summit Coordinators, Joy Kamani and Cedric Walker are both excited about the event which is clearly in concert with the commitment of the NSSF to provide not just quality competition for high school athletes but also to strive forward in its mission to be the vanguard of the development of our future Olympic athletes. It also reflects Nike's commitment to the sport as reiterated by Nike representative Josh Rowe, "Nike is proud to be a part of the Sprint Summit. We at Nike are dedicated to helping all runners, from high school competitors to elite Olympians, achieve their personal best."
Clinic Coordinator Coach Walker is one of the country's leading high school coaches and has been a member of several national coaching staffs. Most recently, he was the women's sprint and relays coach for the 2002 IAAF Junior National Championships in Kingston, Jamaica. He is also a member of the NSSF Board.
"When Joy first approached me with the idea, I immediately saw the potential impact it can have on our up and coming athletes," Walker stated. "This opportunity for athletes with a desire to be better than good, to learn additional skills and race technique from experts is unparalleled."
So just what is the Nike Sprint Summit? "It's the cutting edge in sprint clinics," Kamani described. "We're breaking the old mold and replacing it with an innovative hands-on presentation which will include analysis and demonstration of race phases, reaction time testing, drills for speed and sprint mechanics along with an extensive question and answer session, all knowledgeably presented by super-qualified coaches and elite athletes."
"Our presenters will include such notable coaches as Orin Richburg who has had several national coaching appointments, and Tony Wells, known for his development of emerging sprinters such as Alesha Latimer, the current holder of the national 60 meter high school record, and Alexis Joyce whose 7.29 remains the NIC meet record.. They will be joined by at least two other coaches yet to be named as well as some of Nike's elite sprint athletes."
"Unfortunately, " Kamani continued, "we can't disclose the names of the elite athletes at this time because, although we have received tentative commitments, particularly from several Nike sponsored HSI athletes, many of them are hinged upon plans for the World Indoor Championships in Paris which are the same weekend as the Sprint Summit."
"We are very fortunate to have snagged Coach Richburg," Walker stated. "He agreed to forego the World Indoor Championships just so he could do this which says volumes about his commitment to youth track and field."
For those unfamiliar with his name, Coach Richburg brings with him an incredible coaching resume. He was the Head Men's coach for the 2001 World Indoor Championships, 1997 Assistant coach at the World Championships in Athens, as well as a member of the staff of the 1994 USA/Great Britain dual meet in Birmingham, England and the 1998 Junior World team. His most recent appointment is to the 2004 Olympic team staff.
"Coach Richburg is well-qualified to speak specifically to the sprints," Walker said. "He is currently the Chair of the USA Track & Field Men's Development Committee for the 200 meters, and a member of the USATF High Performance Committee for national relay team development. In this latter role, this year alone, he was instrumental in national team performances at the Tri-meet in Glasgow, Scotland between the USA, Great Britain and Russia, the Under 25 meet in San Antonio, Texas, the World Cup in Madrid, Spain and, most important to us, the 2002 Junior Worlds in Jamaica. It was there that the USA team set a new world record of 38.92 in the 4x100 meter relay!"
Walker continued, "To his own credit coach Richburg has coached several Olympians including Aretha Hill and the bronze medallist in the 200 meters, Thomas Jefferson. He retired in June from the University of Washington where he coached for over 17 years and currently coaches such elite sprint athletes as Ja'Warren Hooker."
The Sprint Summit has grabbed the attention of other athletic sponsors besides its title sponsor, Nike. "We're happy to welcome M-F Athletics who will provide all of the equipment for the Summit as well as items for give-aways, and Daktronics who will provide electronic starting equipment," said A. J. Holzherr, Director of Business Development for the NSSF and the National Boys Recruiter for the meet. "Many of the items provided by M-F may be available at extremely discounted prices after the Summit and others may be raffled. There is also the strong probability of other sponsors coming on board for the Summit," he continued.
"Both Coach Walker and I see the importance of the Daktronics' electronic starting system in that it's the method for starting at international competitions," Kamani stated. "I've been on the staff of both the 1999 and 2001 World Youth Championships and have seen the reaction and initial disadvantage our young athletes had being unaccustomed to the difference in the sound of the electronic gun."
Negotiations are being finalized with additional Summit sponsors. Negotiations are underway with one sponsor who may make their start reaction equipment and software available for the Summit. "We really hope this comes through," Walker stated. "This technology is an integral part of what was formerly considered "high-tech" coaching but is the standard today. Reaction time analysis is critical in formulating workouts to correct problems out of the blocks."
"We're also bringing focus on one of the hottest topics currently being researched in track and field," Kamani added. "The use of drugs to enhance performance in our sport has been an issue. Because of the legal and health implications the recent trend is veering more toward getting athletes to tune into how they treat their bodies and on those things they can better control to improve their performance. Obviously nutrition plays a major role there.
"For that reason we're delighted to welcome Dr. Robert Portman of Pacific Health Laboratories to the Summit. Dr. Portland will lead a very informative discussion on "Getting An Edge: How Recovery and Muscle Restoration Can Improve Track and Field Performance."
Pacific Labs is the developer of Accellerade, the first sports drink that shifts the energy dynamic during exercise to improve performance. They are previous NIC sponsors. Summit participants will also receive a goodie bag from PHL which will include a sample of Accellerade as well as educational materials.
Finally, as an added inducement for athletes to attend the Nike Sprint Summit, any athlete registered for the meet may drop their name into a drawing when they pick up their registration package on Friday for a chance to be on the track with the coaches and athletes during the Summit. "We'll pick only two," Kamani said.
"The Nike Sprint Summit will set the standard for future sprint clinics," Kamani predicted. "We look forward to packing the bleachers with every athlete and coach registered for the Nike Indoor Championships."
For Further Information Contact:
Joy Kamani Jkamani@aol.com
Cedric Walker flowercitytc@yahoo.com
http://www.nationalscholastic.org