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Spencer on preseason watch list for The Bowerman

Junior sprinter among 10 considered for the top women’s track and field athlete in the nation award

NEW ORLEANS – Junior sprinter Ashley Spencer was named to the women’s preseason watch list for The Bowerman, an award presented annually by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) to both the most outstanding male and female collegiate athletes in the nation.

Spencer, one of 10 women on the preseason list, is entering her first season at Texas after transferring from Illinois where she had a stellar two-year career. She was a five-time All-American with the Illini and is the two-time defending NCAA champion in the outdoor 400 meters. She also won 12 Big Ten Conference titles.
 
A native of Indianapolis, Spencer was a silver medalist in the 4×400-meter relay at the 2013 IAAF World Championships, while also qualifying in the 400. She was a bronze medalist in the 400m at the 2013 USA Outdoor Championships to earn a spot on Team USA at Worlds. Spencer captured a pair of gold medals at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships, winning the 400m in 50.50 seconds and running a leg on the 4x400m relay (3:30.01).
 
Spencer is a two-time semifinalist for The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, and is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.

Ryan Crouser and Johannes Hock were named to The Bowerman’s 10-member men’s list Wednesday. Texas is one of just three schools with three student-athletes on the combined men and women’s list (also Florida and Texas A&M).
 
The Longhorns open the 2014 indoor season on Friday, Jan. 17 with a dual meet at Arkansas.

The Digicel/MVP team-up to unearth talent through Grassroots Athletic Programme

KINGSTON, Jamaica – As part of its longstanding commitment to investing in and preserving athletics in Jamaica, Digicel has partnered with the MVP Track & Field Club to conduct a series of island-wide Athletics Training Camps for student athletes in all 14 parishes across Jamaica to introduce them to world class training methods.

Titled the Digicel/MVP Grassroots Athletics Programme, thisexciting new programme will see MVP coaches helping student athletes to develop fundamentals in five main areas of track and field athletics – hurdles, throws, jumps, middle distance and sprints (including relays).

Three clinics have so far being held in Vere, Clarendon; Morant Bay, St. Thomas and Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth from November 23 to December 7, 2013, with each clinic hosting over 100 student athletes and their coaches.

The next two clinics will be held on January 10 in Montego and on January 17 in Kingston where a top athlete will be selected to receive a four-year scholarship to the University of Technology, Jamaica to the tune of J$1,000,000,where they will continue their education as well as training among some of the best athletes in the world.

In speaking about the initiative, Digicel’s Marketing Director, Peter Lloyd said, “Digicel is particularly pleased about this partnership as it adds to our existing grassroots sports portfolio which also includes football and cricket as we continue our work together to help develop and preserve sports at all levels in Jamaica”.

Coach Stephen Francis of the MVP Track & Field Club added that, “this programme is an important way to further strengthen the development of Jamaica's track and field infrastructure.” For his part, Bruce James, President of the MVP Track & Field Club emphasized that this form of giving back to Jamaica is what the MVP Track & Field Club is about as the student-athletes form the core of the future of Jamaica's athletic success.

The programme is also being supported by other partners including Powerade/WATA as the official hydration partner, Jamaica Broilers through their Best Dressed Chicken and Reggae Jammin brands as the official nutrition partner, National Commercial Bank through its OMNI Educator product, as well as Nike which is the official apparel partner.

Peter Lloyd closed by saying, “There is a wealth of track and field talent here in Jamaica just waiting to be discovered and that’s what this grassroots athletic programme is all about – to unearth these young talent while helping to develop them into becoming world class athletes like  our ambassadors Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce and Usain Bolt. As a brand that is committed to youth development through sports, we are therefore very excited about what lies ahead for this programme and these students.”

Digicel MVP Grassroots Athletics Programme Overview – Bruce James

Digicel MVP Grassroots Athletics Programme – Tahnida Nunes

Digicel MVP Grassroots Athletics Programme – Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce

Digicel MVP Grassroots Athletics Programme – Paul Francis

Powell testifies at Simpson’s hearing

By Amanda Wilkins, Trackalerts.Com Contributor 

Former world 100m record holder Asafa Powell was called as a witness by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel at Sherone Simpson's drugs hearing in Kingston today. They both tested positive for the stimulant oxilofrine (methylsynephrine) at the Jamaica National Senior Championships in June 2013.

Powell said he was unaware his former training partner was taking similar supplements until they both failed the drugs test. He also denied telling Simpson physical trainer Chris Xuereb had given him the supplement. Powell backed up what Simpson had told the Jamaica Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel three member panel of chairman Lennox Gayle, Peter Prendergast and Dr Japheth Ford earlier by saying he was unaware she was taking it until after the positive drugs test.

Powell,whose hearing begins next week,said he was introduced to the supplement by the Canadian physical trainer who was staying in his house at the time. Xuereb noticed Powell was waking up at 4.45am and leaving the house for his 5am training session without having anything to eat. He told the athlete he should be taking greater care of himself and it was then he introduced Powell to the supplements.

Powell's testimony lasted 10 minutes but Simpson had testified earlier that Xuereb had introduced her to several supplements but the one she had never heard of was Epiphany D1. As she had googled it and found nothing wrong with it she had not worried about taking it.

The hearing will resume on February 4 and 5. 

Jamaica’s Pocket Rocket Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce insists she’s not stuck in shadow of Lightning Bolt

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce said: "To me, Usain is Usain. He's doing wonderful. He deserves all of the attention he gets. For a man that's running so fast, he deserves it. I never feel I'm living in anybody's shadow. I never feel that, 'Oh, I deserve this amount of attention.' No I'm fine."

Jamaica's other Olympic 100m champion – indeed, the country's only other winner of an Olympic 100m crown, a feat she achieved, like Usain Bolt, in both Beijing 2008 and London 2012 – happens to be a fine athlete in her own right and a very fine individual.

3 Quick Fixes to Sprint Faster Immediately

Being faster is a desirable quality in almost every sport. Many people mistakenly think speed is completely attributable to genetics and there’s little you can do to fix it. While that’s completely incorrect, we also need to recognize that to make big improvements in the physical, and sometimes the technical, capacities associated with speed is a gradual process that must be continued over time to expect maintenance or improvements.

Technical changes are a little less cut and dry. In some cases, you may change an athletes mechanics to what you perceive to be ideal only to find them initially slower as they learn to adjust to new positions, muscle activations, encountered internal and external forces, etc. And I’ve also had the rare case where I’ve changed things and even after a conservative adaptation period the athlete still didn’t improve so we had to revert back to the old ‘less efficient’ model.

Jamaicans Thompson, Francis listed among 10 teenagers to watch in 2014

By Amanda Wilkins, Trackalerts.Com Contributor 

Jamaicans Yanique Thompson, 17, and Javon Francis, 19, have been listed by SpikesMag among the ten top teenage athletes from around the world to watch in 2014.

Yanique Thompson, the youngster from Holmwood, specializes in 100m hurdles and earned fifth place on the list by making history at the 2013 Youth World Championships. She became the first Jamaican to create a world record over hurdles in any age group when she crossed the line in 12.94secs which was a new world youth record.

Javron Francis, nicknamed "Donkey Man" of Calabar High, got on to the list in 9th place after a successful 2013 season. He recorded a personal best of 45.25 when he finished 2nd at the Jamaican Championships and he reached the semi-finals of the 400m in Moscow.His blistering 44.00 anchor leg in the relay lifted the Jamaican team from 5th place to take the silver medal in Moscow which makes him one to watch.

The full list of teenage rising stars to watch in 2014 are:

1.Mary Cain (17) USA. Middle Distance
2.Sofi Flinck (18) Sweden.Javelin
3.Robert Kiptoo Biwott (17) Kenya.Middle Distance.
4.Arman Hall (19) 400m
5. Yanique Thompson (17) Jamaica. 100m hurdles.
6.Tessica Judd (19) Middle Distance.
7. Consenslus Kipruto (19) Kenya. 3000 steeplechase.
8. Eleanor Patterson (17) High jump
9. Javron Francis (19) Jamaica. 400m
10. Nafissatou Thiam (19).Belgium. Heptathlon.

Indian Athletics League could attract Bolt, Fraser-Pryce

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is considering launching a franchised-based league offering big prize money which will attract Olympic and World Champions from all over the world.

At a recent meeting of the AFI executive committee the possibility of starting such a cash-rich competition was discussed. It will be called the Indian Athletics League (IAL) and a sports management firm will present a blueprint.

The finer details are yet to be finalized but the proposed IAL competition will be franchised out on the same lines as the Indian Premier League and the Indian Badminton League.It will also be similar to the 14-leg Diamond League series which is organized annually by the world governing body IAAF.

A spokesman for the AFI told PTI that the budget for the proposed new league would be around US$16 million and some of the best International athletic stars in the world would be invited to take part.

The likes of two-time Olympic Games sprint double champion Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Olympic and World 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Warren Weir Track are just some of the stars who could be invited to compete in the league. The AFI also hopes to attract athletes like Jehue Gordon from Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamians Anthonique Strachan and Shaunae Miller, Grenadian Kirani James and top American stars like London 2012 silver medallist Galen Rupp and former Olympic bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan.

The spokesman said, "It's early stages now. We have discussed the feasibility of the league in the executive committee meeting as we want to raise the profile of athletics in the country. We decided if the necessary funds and sponsors are forthcoming then we can hold the league in August.

"If our plans materialize and corporates are willing to come forward it will be a big ticket event which will be as big as any leagues around the country and outside."

Davis II, Lendore selected to preseason watch list for The Bowerman Award

NEW ORLEANS – The preseason watch list for the 2014 Bowerman Award announced on Wednesday by the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association includes a Trinidad & Tobago's and Aggies pair of Wayne Davis II and Deon Lendore. The Bowerman Award is annually awarded in December during the USTFCCCA convention to the most outstanding male and female collegiate track and field athletes of the year.

Ten athletes were named to The Bowerman men’s preseason watch list and Texas A&M was one of three schools to have a pair of athletes chosen. The two other programs with double selections included Florida and Texas. Representing the Gators were Marquis Dendy and Arman Hall along with the Longhorn pair of Ryan Crouser and Johannes Hock.

Also named to the men’s preseason watch list were Sam Kendricks of Mississippi, Lawi Lalang of Arizona, Anthony Rotich of UTEP and UCLA’s Julian Wruck. Lalang and Wruck were two of the three finalists for the 2013 honor.

Aggie senior Davis returns as the NCAA Champion in the 110 hurdles while A&M junior Lendore finished as the NCAA runner-up in the 400 meters a year ago. Both played key roles as Texas A&M shared the NCAA Outdoor men’s team title with Florida. It was the fourth national championship for the Aggie men since the 2009 season.

Indoors a year ago Davis and Lendore each broke Texas A&M school records. Davis claimed the 60m hurdle record with a time of 7.59 while Lendore recorded a world-leading time of 45.15 to garner the 400m record. Davis finished as runner-up in the 60 hurdles at both the SEC Championships and NCAA Indoor Championships with career best times of 7.65 and 7.59.

Lendore won the SEC Indoor title with a 45.23, after setting his record of 45.15 in the prelims, and anchored the Aggies to an SEC and Aggie school record of 3:04.18 in the 4×400 relay with a split of 44.50. In lowering his own Trinidad & Tobago national record in the 400m, Lendore’s 45.15 moved to No. 5 on the all-time collegiate list with the No. 6 performance with the 45.23 equals the No. 8 performance on the all-time collegiate list.

Davis, who was a semifinalist for The Bowerman Award in 2013, won a total of nine 110 hurdle races last season between prelims and finals. He captured four 110 hurdle finals in 2013 and placed second in three other finals on the way to reaching the semifinals of the World Championships in Moscow, Russia.

After opening the outdoor season with a 13.54 win at Arizona State, Davis missed a month of action following an injury at USC. Returning to action at LSU, Davis finish second in 13.65 and then rolled off victories at the Penn Relays (13.67) and SEC Championships (13.46) before claiming the NCAA title with a wind-aided 13.14.

The swift clocking by Davis was the second fastest in the history of the NCAA meet, trailing only a 12.91w mark set by Renaldo Nehemiah in 1979. Under all-conditions, Davis moved to No. 2 performer on the all-time collegiate list with the third-fastest performance.

Summer action for Davis included runner-up finishes at the Trinidad & Tobago Championships (13.30w) as well as the Central American and Caribbean Championships (13.50A). A season best of 13.38 in the prelims of the World Championships preceded a 13.47 in the semifinals. The 13.38 by Davis was just off his school record of 13.37 he set in 2012 to equal the Texas A&M record also held by Larry Wade.

Lendore has established a set of five personal best times over the past two outdoor seasons with the Aggies, improving his time in the 400 from 46.50 to 44.94 seconds.

In 2013 Lendore opened the outdoor campaign with a 45.00 victory at LSU. A 45.02 winning mark followed at the SEC Championships and then Lendore posted a 44.94 to place second at the NCAA Championships. Summer competition included a title at the Trinidad & Tobago Championships in 45.29 as well as advancing to the semifinals (45.47) of the World Championships in Moscow, Russia.

Crouser, Hock on preseason watch list for The Bowerman

NEW ORLEANS – Junior Ryan Crouser and sophomore Johannes Hock were named to the men’s preseason watch list for The Bowerman, an award presented annually by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) to both the most outstanding male and female collegiate athletes in the nation.

Crouser and Hock, among 10 on the preseason list, are the defending national outdoor champions and they were both on the final 2013 regular season watch list for The Bowerman, with Crouser earning a spot as a semifinalist. 

A five time All-American, Crouser won the 2013 NCAA outdoor title in the shot put with a throw of 66 feet, 7 3/4 inches (20.31m). He also placed eighth in the discus at nationals. The native of Boring, Ore., set a new personal best and school record in the shot put with a toss 69-2.50 (21.09m) en route to the title at the 2013 Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

Hock had a dynamic first year in Austin. He started off 2013 by winning the Big 12 heptathlon crown and went on to finish sixth in the event at the NCAA indoor meet. He then set a meet record in the decathlon at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, leading from start to finish in registering 8,293 points.

The native of Cologne, Germany, capped off 2013 by winning the decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor meet, totaling 8,267 points. He became just the second freshman in NCAA history (also Tito Steiner of BYU, 1977) to win the decathlon crown. 

The Bowerman, which debuted in 2009, is named for legendary Oregon track & field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman.

Crouser, Hock and the rest of the Longhorns open the 2014 indoor season on Friday, Jan. 17 with a dual meet at Arkansas.