American Track & Field - Spring09

Spring 2009 $5.95 Volume 16, Number 2

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6 Publisher’s Note

10 Starting Blocks

16 Track Construction

38 Exit

18 Stephanie Brown Trafton

25 The Running Network’s2009 Spring Shoe Review

33 Maximizing Effective Weight Training for High School Throwers

36 Universal Drills for Throwers

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Cover and above: 2008 Olympic Discus Champion StephanieBrown Trafton.


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See our full selection of track apparel online at gtmtrack.com or call 1.866.744.2331 for a FREE catalog!

Package #173 includes: Medalist Warm-up, Performance Singlet and Short, Performance Tee and Thrower Short. Includes left chest embroidery on jacket, two color imprint on singlet and tee.

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f r o m p r a c t i c e t o p e r f o r m a n c e

ADTR1108

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p u b l i s h e r ’s n o t e

Welcome to our New Look

O ur peerless designer, Kristen Cerer, has presented us with a stylish newremake of American Track & Field: simple, elegant and tasteful. As I

emailed her when I first saw what she had come up with, “I love the new look!”Kristen’s wry comment was, “It’s about time,” and of course one look will showyou she was right.

I hope you will like the new look as much as we do.And what about the content? Well, at the Olympic Games in Beijing, on

day four of the track and field competition, Stephanie Brown Trafton won thegold medal in the discus! Stephanie was not only the first win by a U.S. womansince 1932, when the US went one-two, but also the first American discus medalof any color since 1984, when Leslie Deniz won the silver.

Stephanie Brown Trafton is an exceptional human being. We believe you'llfind Mark Winitz' interview of Stephanie very rewarding, as part this Springissue which is focused on the throws.

Also, one of our frequent contributors, Don Babbitt, has produced an arti-cle on weight lifting which everyone who coaches high school throwers willwant to read and save.

Our sport continues to surprise and delight us with up-and-coming youngathletes. On March 13, an amazing evening of track and field was had by all atthe Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, MA. That day, the high school indoorrecord for 5,000 meters was broken twice! First at the NYC Armory, and, thena high school freshman, Lucas Verzibicas destroyed the high school and fresh-man record, running 14:14.82!

Not to be outdone, world junior hammer silver medalist Conor McCul-lough took the high school record for the weight throw and went into hyperspace: his throw of 92 feet, seven inches or 28.23m, made Conor the first overninety feet! We can not wait to see Conor with the hammer this spring!

Two more things: all AT&F issues are being offered now online; on thesame day we mail them, you can also read the magazine in digital form onwww.american-trackandfield.com. And, if you really want to keep up on oursport, then sign up for runblogrun.com and get your daily fix on the sport!

Citius, altius, fortius!

Larry Eder, Publisher

Group PublisherLarry Eder, [email protected]

Group EditorChristine Johnson, [email protected]

Advertising Larry Eder, [email protected]

Writers/Contributors Don Babbit, Byron Collyer, Dick Patrick,

Mary Helen Sprecher, Cregg Weinmann, Mark Winitz

Circulation Changes [email protected]

PhotographersLisa Coniglio/PhotoRun, Victah Sailer/PhotoRun

Layout/DesignKristen Cerer

EditorJames Dunaway

[email protected]

Pre-Press/PrinterW. D. Hoard & Sons Company, Fort Atkinson, WI

Publisher’s Reps Peter Koch-Weser

[email protected]: 310-836-2642; fax: 310-836-7093

Special ProjectsAdam Johnson-Eder

[email protected], 608-957-2159

Special Thanks To Tim Garant, Alex Larsen

Tom Mack, Mary Atwell, Julie Wells

In loving memory of Violet Robertson, 1913–2003

www.american-trackandfield.comph: 608-239-3785; fax: 920-563-7298

[email protected]

American Track & Field (ISSN 1098-64640) is produced,published and owned by Shooting Star Media, Inc., POBox 67, Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin 53538-0067, ChristineJohnson, President, Larry Eder, Vice President. Copyright 2008 by Shooting Star Media, Inc. All RightsReserved. Publisher assumes no liability for matter print-ed, and assumes no liability or responsibility for contentof paid advertising and reserves the right to reject paidadvertising. Opinions expressed are those of the authorsand not necessarily those of the Publisher. No part of thispublication may be reproduced or stored in any formwithout written permission of the Publisher.

American Track & Field is not related to or endorsed byany other entity or corporation with a similar name andis solely owned by Shooting Star Media, Inc.

Publisher recommends, as with all fitness and healthissues, you consult with your physician before institut-ing any changes in your fitness program.


G L O B A L P E R S P E C T I V E S

The great relay carnivals of April and May are uniquelyAmerican. There’s nothing like them anywhere else inthe world.

And perhaps the most uniquely American of all is…

Drake.

Lolo Jones

Proud presenting sponsorof the Drake Relays

brought to you by ASICS®

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The great athletes who compete here every year–world and American record holders, Olympicchampions, world champions, and national champions–are only part of what makes these Re-lays so special. Equally important are the thousands of high school and college runners, jumpers,and throwers who provide four days of exciting, nearly nonstop action.

The setting is perfect: an attractive university campus in a friendly, medium-sized Midwesterncity smack in the center of the nation’s grain belt. The jewel-box of a stadium puts fans intoseats just a few feet away from the athletes–even closer than many indoor meets.

But perhaps most of all, it’s the Drake fans, the enthusiastic hometown crowds that have pro-duced Saturday sellouts for decades, sometimes with three generations–parents, grandpar-ents, and sons or daughters–sitting together, often in the same seats, year after year.

The athletes who compete here love the knowledgeable Drake crowds, their closeness, andtheir enthusiasm. And the athletes respond with great performances.

First-time visitors can’t believe how compact the stadium is, how handy everything is. There’sno need to bring sandwiches. Just outside the stands there’s a huge food court offering hotdogs and hamburgers, cotton candy and popcorn, and lots of other food choices, including twoIowa specialties: pork sandwiches and jumbo turkey legs. And if you like the discus, hammer,and javelin, you can stroll half a block away from your seat in the stadium and get a closerlook at the throwers than you can at any other major meet.

For the winners, whether they’re a world-leading distance medley team or a girls’ high schoolfoursome with pigtails and braces, there’s another unique Drake tradition: they get to take avictory lap, carrying blue-and-white Drake flags and exchanging high-fives with the spectatorsas they circle the track.

The Relays have come a long way since 1910, when Major John L. Griffith decided that Philadel-phia’s Penn Relays, the only other major relay carnival, was too far away for Midwestern col-lege athletes. (For many, the train trip took more than 24 hours, each way.) With Des Moinesalmost in the center of the Midwest, what better place than Drake for a meet?

That first Relays, run in a blizzard, attracted only 82 athletes, mostly from nearby colleges,and a few hundred shivering spectators. High school teams joined the action in 1911, andthe same year saw the fledgling meet’s first world record, 1 minute, 31-3/5 seconds for the880-yard relay, by a University of Illinois quartet.

In the 1920s, Olympic champions and world record holders began to make regular appear-ances: Californian Charley Paddock, 1920 Olympic 100-meter champion and the first “World’sFastest Human”; 1924 Olympians DeHart Hubbard, who won the 1924 Relays long jump andwent on to win the event in Paris that summer and become the first African-American goldmedalist, and Illinoisan Harold Osborn, 1924 gold medalist in the decathlon and the highjump; Clarence “Bud” Houser, Olympic shot put champion in 1924 and 1928.

Since then, hundreds of great athletes have won Drake Relays watches and gone on towin well over 100 Olympic medals, including Jesse Owens, Al Oerter, Wilma Rudolph, BobHayes, Bruce Jenner, Carl Lewis, and Michael Johnson, who among them have won 29gold medals.

ASICS is proud that some of the most outstanding athletes in Drake Relays history haveperformed in ASICS gear. Among them are sub-3:50 milers Steve Scott and Jim Spivey,high jumpers Amy Acuff and Dwight Stones, and most recently, Des Moines native LoloJones, currently ranked No. 1 in the world by Track & Field News in the women’s 100-meter hurdles.

Scott and Spivey were two of the best American middle distance runners of the 1970s,1980s, and 1990s; both had long and successful careers at distances from 800 meters to5000 meters.

Steve Scott first came to Des Moines in 1979 and, wearing his “Sub-Four” singlet, promptlyproduced Drake’s first sub-four-minute mile, a 3:55.26 meet record that stood until 2007.Scott also won the Drake 800 in 1980, the mile again in 1981, and the 5000 meters in1982. Perhaps the hard-running Californian’s most remarkable achievement was his total of136 sub-four-minute miles, more than any other runner in history.

Jesse Owens

This edition of Global Perspectives is brought to you by ASICS®



Jim Spivey, a high school star in Illinois, won his first Drake Relays watch as anchor ofIndiana University’s winning distance medley relay teams of 1981 and 1982. Althoughperhaps most famous as a miler (his best was 3:49.80 in 1986), Spivey’s record atDrake included three victories in the 5000 meters (1984, 1993, and 1996) and a 1985win at 800 meters.

Perhaps Spivey’s greatest Drake moment came in that 1996 5000-meters race, at age36. He started off slowly and at 3000 meters he was half a lap behind the leader. Butfeeling strong, he picked up the pace. “There was a real strong wind in the homestretch,”he recalls, “and I figured the only way I could win was to surge down the backstretchwhere the wind would help me and then stay close behind another runner on the home-stretch to break the wind and save energy.”

When he made his first surge, with five laps to go, people in the stands along the backstretchbegan to nudge their neighbors and say, “Hey, that’s Jim Spivey. Go, Jim!” and lap by lapthe cheers grew with each surge. With one lap to go, Spivey had moved into second, perhaps30 yards behind the leader. As he came into the backstretch and surged again, the packedstands stood up and screamed encouragement. The margin grew smaller and smaller, andSpivey sprinted down the homestretch, passed the leader, and won.

Says Spivey of the Drake fans, ”They’re the most knowledgeable and loyal fans of any Re-lays crowd in America.”

Successful high jumpers have long careers, few longer than ASICS stars Dwight Stones andAmy Acuff. Stones sandwiched his two victories at Drake, in 1973 and 1975, between thetwo Olympic bronze medals he won in 1972 and 1976. During his career, he raised theworld record three times–7-6 ½ in 1973, 7-7 and 7-7 ¼ in 1976–and won an amazing19 national championships indoors and out from 1984 to 1984. These days, Stones worksin television, equally adept as a host, a play-by-play announcer, or an incisive expert commen-tator/analyst.

A slender blonde from Corpus Christi, Texas, Amy Acuff’s equally long and distinguished ca-reer includes Drake Invitational high jump victories in 2001, 2004, and 2007, and she holdsthe meet record at 6 feet, 4 inches, set in 2007. Nationally ranked since 1993, when shewas 17, Acuff has been the No. 1 or No. 2 U.S. high jumper for 12 of the last 14 years, andin March of this year, at age 33, she won her eleventh national championship at the USATFindoors with a 6-4 clearance.

ASICS’ newest star is 100-meter hurdler Lolo Jones, the perfect person to represent thefuture of the Relays, and indeed the future of the sport of track and field. At 26, Lolo hasalready won four straight Drake hurdles titles (2005–2009) and is ranked No. 1 in theworld by Track & Field News.

Although she is currently most famous for clipping the ninth hurdle in the 2008 Olympic finalin Beijing (she was two meters ahead and on her way to the gold medal and possibly a worldrecord), her behavior after that race brought her worldwide admiration and popularity for hergraciousness and sportsmanship in adversity.

Born in Des Moines and a graduate of the city’s Roosevelt High School, Jones has never for-gotten where she’s from. “I love to compete at the Relays,” she says. “It gives the fans whohave supported me throughout my career another opportunity to see me race.”

A year ago, she returned to Roosevelt High and gave $3,000 to help the track team andASICS joined her effort by donating a new pair of track shoes to each team member. And lastJuly, she gave her $4,000 Olympic Trials prize money to a family left homeless by the floodin Cedar Rapids–a gift which ASICS was also happy to match.

ASICS is proud to salute 100 years of the Drake Relays and athletes like Steve Scott, JimSpivey, Amy Acuff, Dwight Stones, and Lolo Jones, who have made Drake truly America’s Ath-letic Classic!

Writer/Editor: American Track & Field Staff; Design/Layout: Alex Larsen; Proofreader: ChristineJohnson; Photos Courtesy of PhotoRun.net; Special Collections at Cowles Library, Drake Univer-sity. © 2009 by Shooting Star Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may bestored, copied, or reprinted without prior written permission of Shooting Star Media, Inc.

Lolo Jones

Jim Spivey

Steve Scott


Doug Logan, CEO of USATrack & Field, wasn’t kiddingwhen he said, “Change is a-

coming,” after the Project 30 reportwas issued in early February.

Within a month, after talking toadministrators, athletes and coaches inthe sport, Logan issued his Project 30Plan, adopting many of the recom-mendations contained in the 69-pagereport.

A New Model for the SportSome of Logan’s measures to reach hisgoal of 30 medals at the 2012 LondonOlympics:• Hire a general manager of high per-

formance. Logan wants someone inplace by June 1. The GM would over-

see the majority of the recommenda-tions in the report as well as have theresponsibility “to produce a seamlessathlete-development pipeline, fromyouth to elite.”

• Shorten the Trials: The Trials last sum-mer in Eugene, Oregon were widelyhailed as an unparalleled success, eightdays of competition over a 10-dayspan that drew capacity crowds toHayward Field and showcased thesport. “But the era of eight days ofcompetition is over,” Logan wrote.

The new model appears to be fiveor six days of competition, possiblyheld on consecutive weekends with ayouth meet in between. Logan wantsa format for the 2012 Trials, to beheld in Eugene, finalized by July 1,2010.

The knock on the 10-day versionof the Trials, according to Logan:“Many athletes feel the 10-day Trialsare too draining, and many pointedto the personal financial drain aswell.”

• New model for coaching staff. Thereport says the size of coaching staffs,18 total for men and women, canremain the same but there should bemore managers and less coachesappointed.

“There is no debate on this topic,”Logan wrote.

Logan also wants to create a “trans-parent, criteria-based” system forselection of coaching staffs for Worldsand Olympics. The system will becreated by the GM.

Another topic to be considered:

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s ta r t i n g b l o c k s

Logan Proposes Changes


credentials for coaches. After the Bei-jing Games, many personal coachescomplained about lack of access totheir athletes at practice or warm-uptracks.

The U.S. originally was given sixnon-transferable coaching credentialsin Beijing, a number that wasincreased to 14 after lobbying.

“Credentials are a controversialtopic that leaves some coaches andathletes feeling left out or not appre-ciated,” the report stated. “However,the extreme limit on (such) creden-tials is entirely in the hands of the(International Olympic Committee)and will not change without heavylobbying efforts by (the internationaltrack federation)”.

• Target and develop technical eventsfor medal growth: The task forcebelieves the greatest potential forincreasing medals comes in technicalevents such as the jumps and throws.The field event performance in Bei-jing was anemic—a men’s shot putSilver, a women’s discus Gold and awomen’s vault Silver. USATF shouldestablish High-Performance TrainingCenters to develop both athletes andcoaches. The report noted that“American coaches and athletesunder-utilize the facilities andUSATF sport science available tothem.”

Logan plans to establish two high-performance training centers per yearfor the next three years. USATF willprovide financial support for coach-ing salaries, support staff and insur-ance.

• Terminate national relay program:Logan wrote that Gold medals can’tbe guaranteed in unpredictable eventssuch as the 4x100 but that any medalswon will cost “thousands of dollarsless than it did under the Relay Pro-gram.”

• Establish a comprehensive 2012 teampreparation program: Logan wantsbonuses of $15,000 to be paid to ath-letes who achieve personal bests at theGames and a $5,000 payment for aseasonal best in London. He alsowants a training camp in Europewhere athletes can be based duringthe Grand Prix season to reduce trav-

el between the U.S. and Europe.To fully enact his proposals, Logan

will need the support of the new,streamlined 15-member Board ofDirectors. He also needs to raise fundsto implement the plan.

“The resources aren’t there yet,”Logan wrote, referring to money. “Itis my job, and the job of USATF’s

national office, to go out and find thefinancial and other resources neces-sary to bring this organization to thelevel at which it needs to be.”

Logan believes a more efficientorganization will translate to betterperformances on the track: “We haveoverlapping, duplicative committeesand panels that instead of stimulatingcreative results, actually stifle progressand promote bastions of false power.If the definition of a camel is that it isa horse designed by a committee, thatexplains why I sometimes feel like Iam working in the middle of theSahara.”

More 4x100 horror storiesMaybe you thought the big problemwith the U.S. 4x100 relay teams at theBeijing Games was botched handoffson the anchor legs in the semifinals.

Think again. It turns out U.S.team management couldn't even getthe proper bib numbers to the runnersbefore either race.

The deeper concerns includedbreakdowns in communicationbetween athletes and coaches and insome cases incompetence, according

to the Project 30 Task Force report.Though the report did not name

the parties, there were problemsbetween the national relay coach, OrinRichburg, and team coaches BubbaThornton and Jeanette Bolden:

“USATF policies indicate that theNational Relay Coach was to makedecisions regarding lineups at the

2008 Olympic Games, but particular-ly on the men's side, the head coachtook responsibility for the lineups andsupervising relay practices. … In theend, nobody—least of all the ath-letes—seemed to know who was mak-ing decisions and why.”

Nobody on the staff, neithercoach nor manager, picked up the run-ners' bibs before the semifinals. Theathletes made up their own hand-writ-ten bibs.

The report stated: "One athletewas on the verge of tears as she spokeof how the staff had let them down,nearly crying when she spoke of howembarrassing it was to them."

And on the way to the track, anathlete who was not chosen as part ofthe relay team called the team togeth-er to vent her frustration at beingomitted. "The result was tensionamong the team just hours beforecompeting," the report stated.

In the race, third-leg runner TorriEdwards and anchor leg LaurynWilliams dropped the baton. The taskforce blamed the failure on "drama, atotal lack of chemistry and poormechanics."

In the men's race, third-leg

Continued on page 14






Darvis Patton and anchor Tyson Gayfailed to complete the pass. Gay, usu-ally a third-leg runner and battling aserious hamstring injury after winningthe 100 at the trials, took the blame inBeijing.

The report exonerated Gay, call-ing his switch to anchor a poor coach-ing decision: "Placing him on theanchor leg—the most high-pressureposition—when he himself had to bequestioning his fitness, was a poordecision.”

The task force recommended thatthe National Relay Program, formedin 2003, be disbanded because of itslavish spending, $1 million-plus overthe past six years, and mixed results inthe 4x100—two DQs for the men andthree for the women at major meetsduring the time period. Logan said theprogram would be terminated imme-diately.

The task force recommended thatrelay teams be chosen and managed bythe sprints/relay coach of the U.S.team in consultation with a HighPerformance General Manager, thatintended relay lineups be made clearto athletes preferably weeks beforeinternational championships and that4x100 teams practice several times andcompete twice in Europe prior toworlds or the Olympics.

Required readingIf you haven’t read the Panel’s 69-pagereport, you can take a look at it bygoing to www.usatf.org and clickingon Project 30 Report at the lowerright. There’s also a link to USATFCEO Doug Logan’s blog, which con-tains his comments on the Report andhis plans to implement major changes– changes which if adopted might wellaffect coaches more than any othergroup in the sport.

Financial troubles for JJK Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who won admir-ers on and off the track, is now fight-ing for her reputation and the contin-uation of a youth center bearing hername in her hometown of East St.Louis, IL.

The Jackie Joyner-KerseeFoundation paid at least $457,000 inconsulting fees to a foundation run byher husband and former coach BobKersee, who did not file requiredpaperwork, according to the Belleville(IL) News-Democrat. Meanwhile, dur-ing this period of 2003 through 2006,the Jackie Joyner-Kersee CommunityCenter was losing millions of dollars.

Bob Kersee said the lack ofrequired forms was an oversight thatwould be rectified.

In addition, a former board mem-ber said Kersee was paid $180,000 asan advance for fundraising but that nofunds were raised and the money wasnever accounted for.

The couple also has problemswith the Internal Revenue Service.They failed to file income tax returnsin 1996, ‘97, ‘01, ‘02, ‘03 and ‘04.The IRS placed a lien for $425,496 ontheir home in Ballwin, MO.

Joyner-Kersee, a six-time Olympicmedalist as a heptathlete/ long jumper,told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch shewants to restore the foundation’s repu-tation: “Does it hurt? Yes. But I putmyself in that position and I need toget myself out of that position.”

Bell lap• Galen Rupp had one of the great per-

formances in NCAA Indoor Track

and Field Championships history inMarch when he won the 5000 (in13:41.45) and 3000 (7:48.94), andin between them anchored the dis-tance medley relay to victory with a3:57.08 1600 meters—equivalent toa 3:58.5 mile—to lead Oregon to itsfirst indoor team title.

• John Godina, a four-time worldchampion and two-time Olympic

medalist, announced his retirementin February. The ex-shot putter ownsa fitness center with his wife in Mesa,AZ, and has opened a 13,000-foottraining center in the city.

• Who knew that track and field wasa contact sport? The men’s teams atSouthern and Jackson State were dis-qualified from the Southwest Athlet-ic Conference Indoor Champi-onships at Baton Rouge, LA, after analtercation in the stands between theteams.

• Hurdlers Lolo Jones and TerenceTrammell won $25,000 bonuses forearning the top scores during theVisa Indoor Series.

• Jenn Stuczynski, silver medalist inthe women’s pole vault in Beijing,broke the U.S. indoor record in thepole vault twice this winter, clearing15-9¾ (4.82) at the Reebok Bostonmeet on February 7 and 15-10 (4.83)also in Boston March 1 at the U.S.Championships.



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Seasons change. Students becomeseniors and graduate. Admin-istrators and coaches retire.

Given the natural cycle of things,it shouldn’t come as any surprise thattrack and field facilities go throughtheir own aging process. But if you’renot a track construction expert, thesigns of wear and tear might go unno-ticed until they reach crisis propor-tions. So what are some warning signsthat an athletic facility might be inneed of repair, aging, or even nearingthe end of its useful life?

“The best indicators are generallyvisual,” says Bob Zerull of AthleticField Services, Inc. in GenesseeDepot, WI. “These will point to obvi-ous problems.”

In general, what an owner shouldlook for depend on the type of a tracka facility has, says Devin Conway ofVerde Design in Santa Clara, CA. “For

a latex or polyurethane track, anycracking or surface delaminationshould be addressed immediately. Wewould suggest the owner contact thedesign professional and track surfacerwho completed the initial construc-tion for a review of the condition.Typically, years of usage results in thetrack surface being worn down to thebase course layers, at which point aresurfacing or replacement of theentire track surface may be necessary.Other owners have used the trackstriping as a benchmark to review theentire track surface. As the track strip-ing fades, it’s a good rule of thumb toreview the quality of the track surface,especially in high-wear areas, forexample, inside lanes, sprint starts,common finish, et cetera.”

Some other visual cues, Zerulladds, are particularly striking. “Howdo the inside three lanes look com-

pared to the outer three lanes? Sincethe inside lanes are used more often,this is where most of the damage andwearing of the surface will occur.”

Other questions to ask, he says,include, “Are there puddles on thetrack after a rain, which do not drainproperly? Do the track lines appearuneven, or wavy, when viewed fromthe side? Are the lane lines right at theedge, or even off the pavement? Arethere visual cracks? Is the surroundinggrass higher than the track, high jumppad or event runways?”

If any of the above conditions arepresent, adds Zerull, “simply resurfac-ing will probably not take care of theproblem.” If the track surface isuneven, he notes, asphalt repair to thetrack base is necessary. If the problemsare minor, a track professional mayrecommend simply filling thedepressed areas with additional asphalt

Track Touch-Ups

t r a c k c o n s t r u c t i o n


mix, or else a leveling compound.Situations in which there are numer-ous depressions but the base is soundwith no structural cracks, may requirefilling the low areas, followed by anoverlay with new asphalt.

According to Zerull, a facility inwhich the track lines give the appear-ance of not fitting on a track surfacemay be symptomatic of a surface thathas deteriorated with age (somethingall facilities do, if not repaired andupdated periodically), of problemswith the original track base installa-tion, or even of lines and markingsthat have been painted incorrectly. Atrack builder will be able to evaluatethe facility and make recommenda-tions on a course of action.

“Structural cracks in the trackbase that reflect (or travel) up throughthe resilient surface may be a symptomof poor subsurface drainage,” addsZerull. Depending on the amount andextent of cracking, repair may be pos-sible, or not feasible, with a totalreconstruction recommended. Again,professional assistance may berequired to determine the best remedy,based on a facility’s age and condition.

Unfortunately, says Art Tucker ofAndover, MA–based PlexipaveSystem, Div. of California ProductsCorp., it happens all too often thatadministrators overlook the fact thatevery facility all eventually wear outand require updates. Even the newest,most high-tech, state-of-the-art facili-ty doesn’t remain new indefinitely.

“It is my opinion that one of thebest things an owner could do for bothtracks and tennis facilities is acknowl-edge the age of the structure,” saysTucker. “We have generally neglectedthe basic structure of many facilities.Asphalt has a life expectancy of about20 years. Many owners ask contractorsto resurrect a facility that is over 30years old. They want cracks to disap-pear and planarity to be perfect. It isnot possible. That level of expectationcan never be met.”

Tucker says he has discussed theissue with colleague Bill Seymour of

Gale Associates (Weymouth, MA),and the two have concluded thatadministrators “need to budget prop-erly at the front end of the process.

In these times, we see money

available for infrastructure reconstruc-tion. If we offer Band-Aids whenmajor surgery is needed, we have failedin our duty to customers.”

In short, notes Zerull, all tracksurfaces require some level of mainte-nance, and facility managers shouldhave an awareness of how often thefacility should be inspected for possi-ble signs that resurfacing is necessary.“In our part of the country, the mid-west, average resurfacing interval isonce every seven to eight years for anytrack surface type that is built on site.If you use your track regularly, hold alot of meets and have an average main-tenance department, you may have toresurface more often. If you have avery good maintenance departmentand your track does not get a lot ofheavy use from track meets, etc., resur-facing as often may not be necessary.”

In all respects, say the experts, it’simperative for athletic directors, facili-ty managers or coaches—whichever isresponsible for the facility (and some-

one should be named the primarycaregiver, as it were)—to have a pro-fessional contact they can call foradvice on everything from minordents and dings in the track surface, to

serious concerns. Stay in touch with arepresentative of the company thatoriginally installed the facility, or elsecall a colleague and find out whomthey recommend. In all cases, keep thelines of communication open. A regu-lar walk-through of your facilitynow—and a call to a professional nowand then—can pay dividends downthe line.

Note: The American Sports BuildersAssociation (ASBA) is a nonprofit asso-ciation helping designers, builders, own-ers, operators and users understandquality sports facility construction. TheASBA sponsors informative meetingsand publishes newsletters, books andtechnical construction guidelines for ath-letic facilities including running tracks.Available at no charge is a listing of allpublications offered by the Association,as well as the ASBA’s MembershipDirectory. Info: 866-501-ASBA (2722)or www.sportsbuilders.org.

t r a c k c o n s t r u c t i o n


Stephanie Brown Trafton is gradu-ally getting used to the idea thatshe’s an Olympic champion.

A month after winning herOlympic Gold medal in Beijing, shewalked into a packed PacificAssociation USA Track & Field boardmeeting while new USATF CEODoug Logan was outlining his plans torevitalize the challenged federation.The meeting abruptly stopped, andBrown Trafton received a rousing ova-tion.

The suddenly renowned U.S. dis-cus thrower found refuge against thenearest wall, looking as if she wantedto hide. It wasn’t long, however, beforeBrown Trafton was outlining to thegroup her most recent grant applica-tion for funding to support U.S. ath-letes—this one for 2009 WorldChampionships team members.

Once you get to know StephanieBrown Trafton, her occasional polarswitches between wallflowerism andactivism don’t seem so off the wall.

The 6-4, 225-pound athlete hasstruggled with visibility for a low-visi-

bility track and field event—and, apersonally ingrained tendency towardinvisibility—for much of her life.

“As a six-foot seventh grader, Iwas clumsy and really hadn’t growninto my body,” Brown Trafton said.“In terms of socialization, I had somegood friends, but I was like a loner. Itwas hard for me to come out of myshell and deal with self-esteem issues.”

Stephanie Brown, however, founda somewhat comfortable outlet insports, where her size was frequentlyan advantage, and success boosted herself-confidence. A decade and a halflater, adjusting to luminary status on astage as large as the Olympic Games isjust another step in the maturingprocess of 29-year-old Brown Trafton.

Stephanie Brown grew up inOceano, a beach town with miles ofsand dunes on California’s centralcoast. Her mother, Philippa, diedwhen Stephanie was four, Her father,Steve Brown, a cabinet maker, workedhard to carry out Philippa’s wish thather two children attend college, per-haps on scholarships. He also encour-

aged both Stephanie and her brotherto participate in a variety of sports andcultural activities. As a youngster, sheparticipated in soccer, swimming andvolleyball, and played in the youthbasketball league. Her first experiencesin track were in junior high school, inthe high jump and hurdles.

At Arroyo Grande High School,she was a three-sport athlete in herfreshman and sophomore years beforedropping volleyball to focus on basket-ball and track—sports where sheexcelled. She was the California statehigh school champion in the shot put asa sophomore in 1996, was the runnerupthe following year; and in 1998 sheadded California state prep shot putand discus titles. As a track and fieldscholarship athlete at CaliforniaPolytechnic State University (San LuisObispo) from 1999 to 2003, Brownearned fourth-place finishes outdoors atthe 2002 (discus) and 2003 (shot put)NCAA Division I Championships. Shealso played basketball for Cal Poly, butan ACL injury in her sophomore yearput the lid on her hoops career.


Stephanie Brown Trafton:


In her first post-collegiate seasonoutdoors, Brown placed second at the’04 Olympic Trials with a61.90m/201-3 then-PR. This securedher an Olympic “A” standard and aspot on the team, but in Athens shefailed to advance to the final.

In 2008, the track world saw atransformed athlete. In May, she set anew PR of 66.17m/217-1 at theHartnell Throwers Meet in Salinas,CA, a world-leading mark for sixweeks. Two weeks before the U.S.Trials, Brown Trafton defeated a tal-ented field at the Prefontaine Classic,indicating she was rounding into peakform. She returned to Eugene andplaced 3rd at the Trials (62.65m/205-6) behind Aretha Thurmond and SuzyPowell-Roos.

Then, in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest,under less-than-ideal still air andhumid conditions, Brown Trafton’sstrong first throw of 64.74m/212-5held up to earn her the first U.S. Goldmedal in the women’s discus sinceLillian Copeland in 1932.

Today, Brown Trafton and herhusband, Jerry Trafton, who were mar-ried in 2005, live in Galt, Calif., mid-way between Sacramento andStockton. Off the track, she works apersonally satisfying part-time job inproject management and engineeringsupport at Sycamore EnvironmentalConsultants Inc. in Sacramento, andchairs Pacific Association/USATF’sElite Athletes Committee while serv-ing on several national USATF com-mittees.

American Track & Field’s MarkWinitz interviewed Brown Trafton inlate September, shortly after the closeof her outdoor campaign.

American Track & Field: Track andfield fans all over the world nowknow you’re pretty good throwing thediscus, but few know you also playedbasketball.

Brown Trafton: Many colleges wantedto recruit me for track and field, butonly a few contacted me for basket-

ball. That’s pretty much what I want-ed to do—to play basketball in col-lege. Cal Poly recruited me for bothbasketball and track and field.

But I never learned how to jump.It was never something that reallycame naturally to me. Basically, Istood underneath the basketball hoopand caught the ball and put it in. So,my athleticism in that respect waslacking. After my ACL tear in mysophomore year, I decided not to con-tinue with basketball and I focusedexclusively on track and field.

ATF: What was it like growing up asa tall youngster—physically, socially,emotionally, or otherwise?

SBT: I was clumsy, but still I was afairly decent athlete. It wasn’t so badthat I had to quit playing. In highschool, the draw is to be part of thecrowd. You really don’t want to standout. You have to wear the right clothesand have the right friends. I was neververy successful at making the rightfriends. I never had the right clotheseither, because we were poor growingup. When I was a freshman in highschool there were times when I couldput on a mask of confidence and usemy natural abilities to charm my wayinto certain situations and overcomemy insecurities. It wasn’t until I was asenior that I could let go of my fears ofexposing my insecurities to the worldand be proud of who I was.

ATF: How about the challenges ofbeing a tall adult?

SBT: Once again, not being able to goanywhere without being noticed. I’mstill learning to embrace that. Evennow, I’m becoming more bold andcoming out of my shell. Did you seemy cartwheel on the Oprah Winfreyshow?

ATF: What coaches or other peoplewere most important to you as youdeveloped in athletics?

SBT: Every single coach I had growingup was influential in my progressionto a world-class athlete. In junior high,my basketball coach, Coach Enyart,knew how to motivate people in a pos-itive manner without negativity. Youneed that in junior high school. I wasfortunate to have a single track coach(throws) while at Arroyo Grande HighSchool, Robert Budke, who was veryinstrumental in my success.

When I was four years old, MaryLou Retton (1984 Olympic gymnas-tics multiple medalist) really startedmy dream of being an OlympicGames Gold medalist. I watched heron TV and wanted to be a gymnast. Iwanted to wear the USA outfit andcompete for my country. Of course,many of the track and field kids at myhigh school wanted to be the nextSuzy Powell (3-time U.S. Olympianand U.S. record-holder in the discus)because she was successful—a JuniorOlympian and so forth—when shewas so young. In high school, I want-ed to be like Suzy.

ATF: How about your college coach-es at Cal Poly?

SBT: [Cal Poly throwing coach] PeteCorkery was very good for me at thatpoint because he was mellow just likeme and taught us how to be internallymotivated, rather than [relying on]external motivation. He taught us howto be good athletes, students and goodpeople. He was concerned withrounded individuals. The same withmy basketball coach, FaithMimnaugh. She was more concernedwith building all-around balanced cit-izens rather than just stellar athletes.

ATF: Where do you do most of yourtraining now? Whom do you trainwith?

SBT: I do most of my throwing prac-tice at Sacramento City College. Itrain with the college athletes thereoccasionally. There’s a dedicated fieldfor discus throwing, separate from the


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track. Sac City (College) coaches LisaBauduin and Robert Dewar help meout.

I have an entourage of people—coaches, trainers and physical thera-pists—that I work with. I have severalpeople who are helping me out withtechnique. Mac Wilkins (1984Olympic discus champion) is one ofmy advisors. Karin Smith (5-timeOlympian, javelin throw) advises meon mental aspects and preparation. Ihave a massage therapist.

On a weekly basis, I see TonyMikla (DPT) at Results PhysicalTherapy and Training Center inSacramento. He’s my physical thera-

pist. He helps me improve my balanceagility, speed and he’s helped me togain incredible core strength. He wasable to help me implement the techni-cal changes in my event that made mea world class thrower.

ATF: Can you describe these techni-cal changes?

SBT: I needed to have more control ofmy speed in the ring. I see a lot ofthrowers try to [substitute] good tech-nique with speed. Faster speed mightseem to translate to further distance,but at some point you max out thatcompromise. Since I have such longarms and legs, speed is hard for me to

do. At the same time, I don’t need a lotof speed to throw far. I just need to usemy levers properly, and have a lotmore patience with my rotation in thering.

I implemented a static start thisyear (instead of using a windup),which has really helped me control myspeed. Plus, I have much more bodystrength and flexibility in my core,which allowed me to alter the torqueratio between my hips and my shoul-ders during my spin. If you can getyour hips in front of your shouldersduring the rotation, that translates tomore pull on the discus which trans-lates to farther throws.

ATF: Do you have a principal coach?

SBT: It’s really a team effort. There’snot one specific person. Everyone hasan important role. There are so manyathletes who have nobody—so I’mreally blessed with a solid team. At thispoint, I have to be self-directed. I havea part-time job that I really enjoy andwhere I have flexibility with my hours.So, I set my own schedule and myown practice time. Everything is self-directed. It’s really about what worksfor me, which is what every athleteshould be concerned about. I’m anincredibly independent person, and Ireally don’t like being on a specific

time schedule. I’m really lucky thatmy college coaches taught me to beself-directed, and have the internalmotivation to set my schedule and getthe work done—on and off the track.

ATF: What does a typical trainingday and week look like for you?

SBT: I go to work (at SycamoreEnvironmental) in the morning. Inseason, I work for about three hours,sometimes more. In the off season, Iwork more. Then I go to a trainingsession, which might be throwing,weight lifting, or working out with myphysical trainer, or massage. Training

is a three to four hour block of my day.Then, I go back to work around 4p.m. and work until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.I like it because the way I set my train-ing is autonomous and my job is alsocompletely autonomous.

I lift weights four times a week. Ido supplemental training such as agili-ty, balance, flexibility, and corestrength training about four days aweek. This training might be on thesame day or on different days as mylifting. I throw about three times aweek. Typically, my throwing volumeis heavier in the pre- and early seasonand lighter towards the end when I’mpeaking. I have about 12 discs that Icarry around and throw in training.


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(That’s about the most I can carry inmy reusable shopping bags.)

ATF: Why so many platters?

SBT: Because I’m naturally lazy. It’sfewer times I have to walk out andretrieve them. Just walking aroundtakes a lot of energy because I’m sotall. My natural speed is basically sit-ting on the couch. I think I’m good atwhat I do because I focus my energyon things that are important, on spe-cific tasks.

ATF: Stephanie, you made some real-ly dramatic breakthroughs this year.

Prior to 2008, your PB was61.90m/203-1, set in 2004.

SBT: And, that was only one time. Ididn’t hit that again until 2007 inHawaii with the hurricane winds.

ATF: This year, you improved to66.17m/217-1 (wind aided). Youwere leading on the world perform-ance list for six weeks. And, of course,Olympic Gold...

SBT: Yes, in 2004 I had a 9-foot PR tomake the Olympic team. That’s notunheard of for me because I’ve alwaysbeen a fierce competitor when itcomes to the big meets. And, usually,

my first throw is the best. So, if thesegirls were doing their homework at the(Beijing) Olympics, they would haveknown my first throw would havebeen my best.

2005 was a big transition year forme. I moved from the San LuisObispo area to Sacramento. I was mar-ried. I had an injury. I fouled threetimes at the national championshipsin qualifying. But USATF continuedto fund me through their elite athletedevelopment grant program. Thatpaid off, bigtime. Nike signed me justbefore this year’s Olympic Trials.

ATF: So, until then, USATF assisted

you and, of course, you worked.

SBT: Yes, USATF’s support was a largepart of my financial assistance. I like towrite technical documents on my job,and that translates well into grantapplications (for personal athlete sup-port). I’m an expert at it. Since 2003I’ve been writing grant applicationsand receiving donations from localcompanies and non-profit organiza-tions. So, the bulk of my athleticsbudget came from these generousorganizations and USATF.

ATF: So, what happened after 2005that got you to the Olympic podiumtoday?

SBT: Well, in 2006 I had anotherinjury, a stress fracture. It was anotheryear that I just had to push throughand figure out if I was motivated tokeep doing this. Before, my goal wasjust to make the Olympic team. Iachieved it in 2004. I finally decidedto keep going because I was good attrack and field and so many peoplekept telling me that I could be somuch better. Plus, I didn’t want towork full time.

In 2007, I started training andphysical therapy with Tony Mikla atResults Physical Therapy. I reevaluatedmy goals. And, in 2007, I had my best

year on record to that point in termsof consistent distances. I threw 201 inHawaii, made the Olympic “A” stan-dard, and was ranked #3 in the U.S.But I wasn’t motivated for my meets. Ididn’t have any energy. I flopped at thenational championships, but still gotfifth place and made the U.S. NACAC(North America, Central America andCaribbean) Championship team.

I knew I could be so much better.Between the 2007 and 2008 sea-

sons, I didn’t take my usual twomonths off. I took two weeks and thenstarted doing my supplemental train-ing—core strength and flexibility, bal-ancing, etc. That’s when I transformedmy body, which allowed me to imple-



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ment the technical changes. My 2008season completely reflected that. Everymeet this year I was throwing fartherand farther. 2008 was the first yearthat I knew exactly what it felt like tothrow far—the arm position, thetorque and amount of tension that

your body needs. And, I could repli-cate that. Not necessarily the tech-nique, because that was hit or miss,but the feeling of getting into the cor-rect position.

ATF: What do you think about incompetition? How do you warm upboth physically and mentally?

SBT: I focus on keeping my energylevels up, which basically means sit-ting down. When it’s close to my turnto throw, about three people back, Iget up and start moving around. Ihave a specific routine that Tony(Mikla) helped me come up with toget my body going again in terms ofenergy. It’s (composed of ) specificmovements. It doesn’t matter what themovements are. What matters that it’spart of your routine, and that it getsyour mind and your body ready at the

same time.After getting up, I do a few hops

and skips. Then, I do a couple of hipturns using a bungie cord. After theOlympic Trials, I really started payingmore attention to my approach intothe ring—to take my mind off of wor-

rying about technique and put it onauto pilot. Again, it’s a specific set ofmovements to accomplish that.

ATF: I’ve noticed that generally youseem very relaxed and focused incompetition. Where does that comefrom?

SBT: I’m a very mellow person, whichis one of my advantages in competi-tion. It takes a lot for me to get reallystressed out about anything. It’s a nat-ural trait. I’m really even keel. I don’tget overly exited, and I don’t getdepressed about many things. Itsounds good, but it’s not [a] veryinteresting [person] to be around. TheOlympic Trials final was the first timeall season that I was nervous. I had thefeeling that this is big time; this is themeet.

I’m a person of faith and some-

times I do a lot of praying and micromeditation in competition. I pray forpeace of mind, that’s all. I prayed inBeijing when I needed some crucialthrows to make the final.

ATF: Do you usually communicatewith your coaches or advisors duringcompetition?

SBT: Basically, my team has about tenspecific cues, which I also have writtendown in my notebook (for reference atcompetitions). I use three or four ofthem a lot as reminders to focus onspecific problem areas that I have.They’re composed of one or twowords, or a short phrase. I use them allyear long. For example, “walk the dog”is one of my cues. It reminds me torun away from the discus, keep myarms level, a combination of things. Imight think about a specific cue priorto the throw. During the throw, you’renot supposed to think about anything.Cues can also be communicated to meduring the competition by my team(coaches, advisors, trainers, etc.),either written or verbally as reminders.

ATF: Did you have specific expecta-tions going into Beijing?

SBT: Actually, following last season Ijust wanted to make the Olympicteam again. Other people’s expecta-tions were higher. People would askme, “Are you going for a medal?” Ofcourse, I’d say yes. Who wouldn’t wantto go for a medal? I had a distance goalof 220, but I didn’t really believe Icould win an Olympic medal.

When I finally admitted that tomyself, I reevaluated. I asked myselfwhy I’m working so hard (in thesport), taking so much time off work,and making my family sacrifice if Ireally didn’t think I could (win amedal). I did a lot of praying about it.I finally had a revelation that if Godwants me to win a medal He can makeit happen. And, for the first time Irealized that it was a possible task.Suddenly, I had a focused goal and a


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belief that I could do it. The hardwork and effort was up to me.

At the Games, my goal was tomake it to the final. My aspiration wasto win a medal.

ATF: In your blogs, you describe howyou watched Internet videos of (’08Olympic Gold medalist) Gerd Kanterwhile you were in China for motiva-tion.

SBT: Yes, the one that I watched wasfrom the 2007 World Championshipsin Osaka. He does specific things thatI need to do better—specifically, inthe rhythm of the throw. They werethings that I wanted to emulate. Iactually watched the tapes for abouthalf of the season. It was a visualiza-tion technique.

ATF: Do you think your Olympicsuccess will help improve the visibili-ty and coverage of women’s discusthrowing in the U.S.?

SBT: It will help visibility locally inCalifornia because there’s a local con-nection. On the national level, trackand field has a long way to go in gar-nering attention. With the discusbeing on the low end of the totempole in track and field, that’s a hardthing to predict. We have a group ofthe best U.S. throwers in history andthey’ve had the best marks in theworld at some points in their season.These throwers are capable of doingwell at international meets. But therehasn’t been a confidence level in them.I hope that I can break the [percep-tion] that U.S. discus throwers aren’tgood at big, international meets.That’s now been blown out of thewater. It gives our girls some confi-dence that they can repeat what I’vedone.

ATF: What’s ahead for you?

SBT: In 2009, I want to concentrateon being consistent at the 63m/206and 64m/210 level, and possibly hav-

ing wind-aided throws at the68m/223 to 70m/229 level. While our[event] accommodates wind-aidedmarks, I believe I can throw far innon-windy conditions. Obviously, Ishowed that at the Olympics when Ithrew 212 feet without wind in damp,humid conditions. But it does taketechnical maturity. Usually, discusthrowers hit their peak around 31 or32. So, I’m still three or four years out.Also, I’d like to win a U.S. nationalchampionship. I’ve never done that.[Editor’s note: The U.S. women’s dis-cus record is 67.67/222-0, set by SuzyPowell-Roos in 2007.]

ATF: Do you have any advice foryoung athletes who are just taking uptrack and field?

SBT: I’m mentoring several youngthrowers. The first thing I tell them isto start writing a journal. And writingdown your goals is hugely important.A journal is a tool for stating yourgoals and tracking your progresstowards them.

This is what Pete Corkery didwith us at Cal Poly. Every year he hada goal-setting seminar and evaluationfor all of his athletes. We reviewed ourathletic and our general life goals.

Today, I have my own long- andshort-term goals posted on my bul-letin board. I wrote my long-termgoals back in 2005—to buy land andbuild a home by 2010, and to breakthe American record in the discus.Now, they’re both very much withinreach.

ATF: What about advice for athleteswho are making the transition fromhigh school to college and from col-lege to open status?

SBT: Entering college there are somany distractions—so it’s very impor-tant to stick to your goals and not getdissuaded from them. There’s a bigdifference between reevaluating yourgoals, which is part of the periodicprocess, and being distracted from

them. The new collegiate athlete mustpick mentors carefully and listen tothem. For example, there are a coupleof collegiate kids who I mentor thatare not happy with their distances ortheir training. But, they’re not reallylistening to their coaches. They’re sec-ond-guessing their coaches and they’renot really following the plan theircoaches have for them. I tell these ath-letes that they need to implementtheir coach’s plan, and, then, if it’s notworking out it’s time to reevaluate.

For athletes transitioning fromcollege to open, I advise learning howto write grant applications. Practicewriting essays in which you give a lotof thought to the exact reasons whyyou’re continuing in athletics. Be pas-sionate about what you do. If you’renot passionate about it, then find yourcalling. It doesn’t have to be track andfield. Don’t rely on external motiva-tors. Find your internal motivation.

ATF: Finally, do you have any tips forcoaches who are working with youngfemale throwers?

SBT: In general, female throwers arean interesting breed of athlete. Peoplewho are good at throwing are basicallyhead cases. I was a head case in highschool and college. We’re difficult peo-ple to work with and we need a lot ofpatience. I believe women are drivenmore by self-esteem issues than byanything else. So, a coach should con-centrate on making the female throw-er feel like she’s worth something morethan just an athlete—that she’s a well-rounded person. They should concen-trate more on their athlete’s personaldevelopment. Then the athletic devel-opment will naturally evolve.

MARK WINITZ is a longtime contrib-utor to American Track and Field. Heis also a veteran member and secretaryof USATF’s men’s long distance runningexecutive committee. He admits that heis still learning about the field events.



In 2008, Stephanie Brown Trafton’s throws increased anaverage of 20 feet over recent seasons, she became aconsistent thrower, and she reached the top of the

Olympic podium. How did it happen?“It takes a village,” says Brown Trafton about the size-

able coaching and support team that assists her. The teamconsists of more than a dozen individuals in specializedroles—a technical coach, physical therapist, massage thera-pist, sports psychologist, sports nutritionist. The list goeson and on -- but Brown Trafton makes it clear that she isthe quarterback of the team and she sets her own timeschedule.

ATF talked to two of the key individuals on the team.

WWho: Tony Mikla, Director of Sports Performance,Results Physical Therapy and Training Center(Sacramento, Calif.).Role: Sports Performance Coach and Physical Therapist

Background: Mikla started working with Brown Trafton inearly 2007 to rehab a stress fracture in her ankle. He soonexpanded his physical therapist’s role to oversee the throw-er’s “supplemental” workouts.

Challenges: To correct Brown Trafton’s inconsistency in thering—specifically by improving the athlete’s control of herlong limbs which were causing off-balance throws andfouls. Maximize the use of the athlete’s “levers.” Increase theathlete’s body control to allow her to incorporate specificthrowing techniques introduced by her Technical/ThrowsCoach (Robert Budke, see below).

Program: Mikla began with a two-month (September-October, ’07) general strength-building phase designed tokeep Brown Trafton injury free through the ’08 season. Itconsisted of supplemental high-rep weight training andbasic cardiovascular work (elliptical machine, exercycle,light interval sprinting).

He then introduced a regimen designed to increaseBrown Trafton’s agility, speed, and balance within the con-fined space of a discus ring, and to increase her corestrength. Workouts included ladder agility drills with tight,fast footwork (Two Foot Runs, Lateral Shuffle, and IckyShuffle), and hurdle drills.

When Brown Trafton began throwing workouts in theSpring of ‘08, Mikla incorporated a dynamic pre-throwingwarm-up into the routine. These exercises focus on neuro-muscular activation and control—activating her core mus-cles and glutes while stretching out specific “problem” areas(hip flexors and quads in Brown Trafton’s case). Warm-upexercises include lunges (forward and laterally, still andwalking), and a backwards “T Walk”, a variation of theyoga Warrior pose, but balancing on one leg with the otherleg stretched out behind while bending forward at the waistand reaching forward – in a “T” position..

This dynamic warm-up is part of Brown Trafton’s 30-minute routine prior to throwing (in workouts and in com-

petition). The routine also includes ladder drills and tossinga medicine ball in different directions with maximumintensity (several squat throws, squat underhand throws,and rotational throws).

Who: Robert BudkeRole: Strength and Technical Coach

Background: Budke coached Brown Trafton as a prep atArroyo Grande (Calif.) High School, where he coached 11state champions. He began coaching her again after the2004 Olympics.

Challenges: To eliminate a “hitch” in Brown Trafton’sthrow, improve her balance and footwork in the ring,smooth out the throwing motion, and eliminate a tenden-cy to “lift off the back of the ring, turn away from thethrow, and fall off the throw during the finish. Essentially,to harness her power in the right direction.

Program: Pre-Season: Strength building in weight room(Olympic lifts, front and back squats, step-ups) four days aweek in two 12-week cycles.

Late Pre-Season (Winter) through In-Season:Throwing 2-3 days a week; throwing drills 2 days a week,weight lifting 4 days a week. Volume of weight trainingdecreases, and lifting speed increases, as peak seasonapproaches.

Throwing practice sessions consist of 35 to 50 throws(split between standing throws, half spins, modified fullspins, and full spins). The goal is to keep the athlete fresh,rather than fatigued from over-throwing. Full throwing istimed to begin depending on the projected length of theoutdoor season. As the season progresses, up to 80 percentof practice sessions are devoted to full throwing, and 20percent throwing with drills.

Drills are focused on the athlete’s turning position atthe beginning of the throw (out of the back of the ring),pivot position/weight transfer in the middle of the ring, anda balanced finish position in the front of the ring. Theyconsist of half turns into a double pivot, standing doublepivots, and step-overs out of the ring. Since Stephanie has atendency to stay back on her right side and not transfer herweight to her left side very well, the step-overs are focussedon keeping her right side moving.

Basically, Budke oversaw Brown Trafton’s training andtechnical development for the 2008 season using the iden-tical approach he used in three previous years. But, for her2008 campaign, for the first time he was present at all herthrowing practice sessions.

He attributes her success in ’08 to: (1) improvementsin diet and physical conditioning which resulted in a 10 to20 pound weight loss and a 20 percent increase in strength,(2) concentrating on the technique areas they had workedon for the previous three years, and (3) Brown Trafton’sability to intensely focus in an Olympic year.

—Mark Winitz

B r o w n T r a f t o n : A T e c h n i c a l P e r s p e c t i v e


SHOE REVIEWS:

Neutral iii

Motion iv

Stabilizing

Performance vi

Two trends are in the forefront this season: gender and money. A fewseasons back, some brands attempted to market to men and womenseparately—even with different names for the same shoes—with less-than-successful results. This season, the shoes carry the same namesand attempt to provide the same kind of running experience for runnersof each gender. More than one-third of the shoes in our Review havebeen modified to account for differences between male and female run-ners. Men generally weigh more than women and have more musclemass, which means they can more easily flex running shoes. They alsoland a little harder than women do. Designers adjusted their shoes toaccommodate these very real differences. For men, the landing area isa bit larger and firmer, while the women’s models are, in comparison,softer and more flexible.

The second trend has been a noticeable jump in prices. This may havebeen some time in coming, as the world economy is shifting. Workerseverywhere expect higher wages, the costs of resources and trans-portation have increased, and the bottom line is the bottom line—run-ning shoes are not what they used to be. While they’re not rocket sci-ence, running shoes are technical, and technology, research, and deliv-ery have very real costs associated with them.

Both trends coincide with the continued push to make running shoesbetter able to handle the idiosyncrasies of the human foot and, byextension, make your daily run more beneficial.

Shoe Review2009 SPRING


ii| Running Network 2009 Spring Shoe Review

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Athletes Onlywww.atf-athlete.com

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Austin Runnerwww.austinrunner.com

California Track & RunningNewswww.caltrack.com

Club Runningwww.rrca.org/clubrunning

Coaching Athletics Quarterly www.coachingathleticsq.com

Colorado Runnerwww.coloradorunnermag.com

Get Active!www.getactivemagazine.com

Greater Long Island RunningClub’s Footnoteswww.glirc.org

Latinos Corriendowww.latinoscorriendo.com

Michigan Runnerwww.michiganrunner.net

Missouri Runner & Triathletewww.morunandtri.com

New York Runnerwww.nyrrc.org

Running Journal & RacingSouthwww.running.net

RunMinnesotawww.runmdra.org

RunOhiowww.runohio.com

Track & Field Newswww.trackandfieldnews.com

USATF’s Fast Forwardwww.usatf.org

USATF/New England’sExchange Zonewww.usatfne.org

The Winged Footwww.nyac.org

The Winged Mwww.themac.com

Youth Runnerwww.youthrunner.com

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WELCOME

Saucony Triumph 6

Best Shoe—Neutral

Zoot Ultra TT 2.0

Best Shoe—Performance

adidas adiStar Salvation

Best Shoe—Motion

Stabilizing

ASICS GEL–1140

Best Value

K-Swiss Run One

miSOUL Tech

Best New Shoe

Diadora Mythos 280 GB

Best Renovation

Award Winners

BEST SHOENeutral

S P R I N G 2 0 0 9

BEST SHOE

S P RI N G 2 0 0 9

Performance

BEST SHOEMotion

StabilizingS P R I N G 2 0 0 9

BEST RENOVATIONSPRING 2009

BEST NEW SHOESPRING 2009

BEST VALUESPRING 2009

Welcome to the Running Network’s2009 Spring Shoe Review!

If you’ve been a longtime reader of our Reviews, you may notice that the review is nowpart of each Running Network magazine partner’s regular pages. We have done that,quite frankly, in response to the challenging economic times. Our focus is the weartest-ing and review of running footwear and providing that information to you, the runningconsumer, in a timely fashion. We publish two large reviews a year (in the spring andfall), and additional shoe features in the May, July, September, and November issues. Inaddition, we are excited to provide you with an expanded version of this Review—withreviews on an additional 10 shoes— online at www.runningnetwork.com in April 2009.

Please remember that our reviews are only the starting point on your personal journeyto find the best running shoe for you. We urge you to visit your local running store formore help. If you don’t know where to find one, visit our website and we’ll help youlocate your local running store.

Happy (and Healthy) Running and Walking!

Larry EderPresident, Running Network LLC


iii | Running Network 2009 Spring Shoe Review

adidas Supernova Glide—$100

The Supernova Glide is as good as the best neutral shoes in the adidas line. The name is new (it was previously the SupernovaCushion), but the other changes seem cosmetic until closer inspection. The changes, though slight, do improve the shoe. Theupper features better breathability and reduced weight, thanks to a change in the mesh that doesn’t sacrifice comfort. The GeoFitmemory foam ankle collar still provides a cozy fit around the ankle. The midsole sports slight changes to the molding andretains the ForMotion cassette, so the ride is still the same. Subtle changes in the outersole’s appearance improve its flexibil-ity, and adidas has kept the carbon heel-and-blown rubber combination that has worked well for the Supernova series. If theadidas fit and the neutral Supernova shoes have been your cup of tea, drink up.

“Fits great, very comfortable, and wraps around the foot nicely. They felt light weight and felt great while running. The cush-ioning was very noticeable—almost bouncy, but protective. The shoes are very comfortable, but I think a little overpriced.”

Sizes: Men 6.5–13 (whole & half sizes), 14–20 (whole sizes only); Women 5–12 • Weight: Men 12.6 oz. (size 11); Women 10.2 oz. (size 8)• Shape: semi-curved • Construction: Strobel slip-lasted, adiPRENE+ Strobel board (heel) • For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutralbiomechanics to very mild overpronation

Diadora Mythos 280 GB—$100

The Mythos series displays the best Diadora Running offers, and the 280 GB is a nod to Olympic Marathon champion GelindoBordin, longtime brand icon and one of its key developers. The Mythos 280 improves the ride by adjusting its Axeler technol-ogy. The threadlike titanium wire is unchanged, but Axeler WI5 adds angled thermoplastic elements to absorb shock by flexing and then springing back to shape, providing an energetic toe-off. The upper is open airmesh with synthetic leather over-lays to support the foot, and accommodate a range of foot shapes. Reliable Elaston foam means that the midsole is well cushioned and durable. The shank is vented, providing support and breathability.The outersole is Duratech 5000 and Flexoft(carbon rubber heel, blown rubber forefoot) because it works. New cushioning technology, fine-tuned fit, cushioned ride, andflexibility have earned the the Mythos 280 GB our Best Renovation award.

“The fit allows good heel fit and support with a good amount of toe room. I was impressed with the cushioning and fore-foot flexibility, though they were heavier than other Diadora shoes I have tried.”

Sizes: Men 6–13.5; Women 5.5–10 • Weight: Men 13.8 oz. (size 11); Women 11.1 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:Strobel slip-lasted, EVA Strobel board • For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

New Balance 1063—$125

The 1063 stays true to the mission of its predecessors: providing great cushioning for low-arched, neutral feet. The upper hasbeen upgraded for a bit more support, with a full rand, redesigned and repositioned overlays in the saddle and the toe, and alittle softer mesh to go with the same smooth interior. The midsole sports a new configuration of DTS (Dynamic TransitionSystem): a crash pad that improves the lateral release on touchdown and better smooths the foot’s transition through the foot-strike. The forefoot cushioning has been enhanced with a little more Abzorb SBS, but, almost magically, the weight has beenreduced (by almost 3% in the men’s shoe), which means less work for runners, and a little faster time on the watch.

“The shoes felt supportive and fit quite well. Excellent cushion, especially for long training runs. The support and cush-ion were better than expected, and this is a good step forward for NB.”

Sizes: Men 7–13,14,15 (B,D,2E,4E); Women 7–11,12 (B,D) • Weight: Men 13.2 oz. (size 11); Women 11.0 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved• Construction: Strobel slip-lasted, Abzorb Strobel board • For: low- to medium-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

Reebok Premier Ultra KFS VI—$120

If there were an award for best aesthetic improvement, the Premier Ultra KFS VI would certainly be in the running. Reebok hasraised the bar to a new height, gaining ground in both fit and performance. The upper has received improvements to fit, sup-port, and comfort. The KFS inserts have been repositioned nearer the instep, which opens the stretch mesh across themetatarsals, and the overlays have been enhanced from the midfoot to the heel to better secure the shoe to the foot. The mid-sole is still responsive, but a little better cushioned than version 5, thanks to minor tweaks to the DMX Shear and the shank.The outersole features new flex grooves for better flexibility, and a noticeably more energetic toe-off. Runners looking for highmileage performance will do well to slip their neutral mid-arched feet into the Premier Ultra KFS VI.

“Good fit, snug on the heel, and comfy toe box. Bit of a lift (roll up) at the tip of the toe box, which fosters a natural toepush-off. Definitely durable. After 100+ miles, no noticeable wear and tear—shoes still feel like new.”

Sizes: Men 6.5–13,14; Women 5–12 • Weight: Men 14.0 oz. (size 11); Women 11.2 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:Strobel slip-lasted, DMX Foam Strobel board • For: medium to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

Saucony Triumph 6—$125

The Triumph epitomizes the Saucony commitment to producing quality running shoes. The sixth edition, like other updatedshoes in this review, requires close inspection to see the changes. The upper is much the same, but the tongue is better padded(though a good deal thinner), and the overlays have been trimmed back or repositioned to provide more open space across themetatarsal area, making the shoe bunion-friendly. The midsole appears largely untouched, though the shank reveals a bit moreof the thermoplastic than the Triumph 5 did. The ride is responsive, with cushioning befitting the Triumph legacy. As with manyof the shoes in this review, the Triumph 6 will cost a little more, but it’s worth it. The overall feel, craftsmanship, and ride wereresponsible for the Triumph 6 earning our Best Neutral Shoe award.

“The shoe felt light as I ran, probably from the comfortable fit through the arch. I liked the supportive stable feeling, andthe good measure of cushioning. There are tiny differences [but] the shoe is very close to the last few versions I have used.”

Sizes: Men 7–13,14; Women 5–12 • Weight: Men 12.7 oz. (size 11); Women 10.4 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:Strobel slip-lasted, HRC Strobel board • For: low- to medium–high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

BEST SHOENeutral

S P R I N G 2 0 0 9

BEST RENOVATIONSPRING 2009

NEUTRAL




NEUTRAL/MOTION STABILIZING

iv | Running Network 2009 Spring Shoe Review

Under Armour UA Apparition—$110

Under Armour is new to running footwear, but its development team is not. The UA Apparition, flying a bit under the radar, isactually the best shoe in its new line. The upper utilizes FootSleeve technology, which is similar to the gusseted tongue con-struction or monosock used in other running shoes. Like all such construction, whether it fits you is largely dependent on theshape and volume of your foot, so it really requires a try-on to tell if it works. The midsole is a combination of EVA and rub-bery inserts—ArmourBound, ArmourLastic, and Cartilage—which make for quite a comfortable ride. The flat sole, which keepsthe foot in contact with the ground during transition, and good flexibility permit the foot to move naturally. The carbon rubberoutersole is unremarkable, except in its durability and good traction.

“This shoe fit very well. The more that I wore the shoe, the better it fit, but it had a lengthy break-in period. The cushionfelt about right; it felt stiff at first, but broke in with running. Fairly comfortable shoe, I was pleased with its overall feeling.”

Sizes: Men 8–13,14,15; Women 6–11,12 • Weight: Men 13.9 oz. (size 11); Women 11.6 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:Strobel slip-lasted, EVA Strobel board • For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

adidas adiStar Salvation—$140

A new name for the old adiStar Control isn’t all that’s new about this shoe. The last (new about a year ago) has been dialed into maximize the fit for as many runners as possible—a little to either side of a medium arch. The strength of the Salvation isthat it fits well and has outstanding cushioning and stability. The upper switches to EVA in the tongue for better protection, adifferent open mesh, and repositioned overlays that reduce the weight. The midsole features a minor extension of the Pro-Moderator support and a full-length adiPrene Strobel board for seamless cushioning. Small reductions here and there add upto almost half an ounce shaved off the weight of the shoe. The cushy ride and reliable stability earned the adiStar Salvation ourBest Motion Stabilizing Shoe award.

“It fits very well. I feel that it gives very good arch support and toes have enough room. Very good cushion—almost likeslippers underfoot. Foot felt stable and secure with no rolling. Pleased with the overall capabilities of the shoe.”

Sizes: Men 6.5–13,14,15; Women 5–12 • Weight: Men 13.3 oz. (size 11); Women 10.8 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:Strobel slip-lasted, adiPRENE+ Strobel board (heel) • For: medium- to high-arched feet with moderate overpronation

ASICS GEL–1140—$85

The GEL-1140 has a lengthy heritage in the ASICS line. Runners looking for effective stability on a budget have always respond-ed to this model. The 1100 series has been the beneficiary of a generous trickle-down of ASICS’ experience and technology.The upper is little changed from the 1130, even using what appears to be the same mesh, with the expected minor tweaks tothe overlays. The tailoring has been adjusted for a better heel fit and more room in the toebox. The midsole is time-provenSpEVA (ASICS’ preferred foam prior to its introduction of Solyte), and this configuration gives the 1140 a stable, well-cush-ioned ride. The outersole is classic ASICS fare: AHAR (carbon rubber) heel with a blown rubber forefoot. The combination ofthe fit, stability, ride, and—most of all—price earned the GEL-1140 our Best Value award.

“From the first time I tried the shoes on they fit my foot perfectly. I felt like my foot was supported and cushioned. It's likerunning on a gel pack. It seems to help my pushoff. My foot feels well balanced and secure in the shoes while I’m running.”

Sizes: Men 6–13,14,15,16,17 (D), 7–13,14,15,16,17 (2E,4E); Women 5–12 (B,D) • Weight: Men 12.8 oz. (size 11); Women 10.5 oz. (size 8)• Shape: semi-curved • Construction: slip-lasted • For: low- to medium–high-arched feet with mild to moderate overpronation

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 9—$105

Over time, the Adrenaline series has been very consistent; the overall visual impression is one of gradual change. But it alsoretains the familiar, and that’s a strength of the Adrenaline—it fits and works for its audience. The Adrenaline GTS 9 is “one ofthe boys,” but with a few tricks up its sleeve. The upper is the same Element mesh, with slightly larger holes to better handlemoisture from the foot. The midsole, added this season, is BioMogo, which does a great job of cushioning and, when you’redone with the shoe, it doesn’t last forever in a landfill. The ride is very stable with enough cushioning to keep runners comingback. The HPR carbon heel and blown rubber forefoot are effective and familiar—a known commodity. Runners who swear bythe shoe will be pleased, and those looking for stability, fit, and cushioning, have another option to try.

“These shoes fit very well. I didn’t have any break-in period, right out of the box [they] fit. I like that. There were severalpluses in these shoes: they were comfortable, durable, and stable. A good training shoe, not too heavy, not too light.”

Sizes: Men 7–13,14,15; Women 5–12,13 • Weight: Men 12.5 oz. (size 11); Women 10.5 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:combination Strobel lasted, Texon board (heel), S257 Strobel board (forefoot) • For: medium- to high-arched feet with moderate overpronation

Etonic Jepara 3 SC—$110

The strength of the original Jepara was its combination of cushioning and effective stability. The Jepara 3 has outdistanced theearlier versions by tackling their weakness: weight. The upper is a uniform open mesh, with stretch mesh and HF-welds acrossthe metatarsal region to provide a forgiving, yet supportive fit, and a much plusher feel. The midsole features redesigned flexgrooves for better forefoot flexibility, an adjusted second density of foam for better stability, TPR inserts only in key impactareas, and a redesigned shank—all of which save weight while providing better stability and support. The effectiveness of thepolyurethane innersole and EVA Strobel board combine to enhance the ride, just as they have in other Etonic shoes. The totalweight saving is almost 1.4 ounces, testament to the role judicious use of materials plays in a quality running shoe.

“On the first few runs, I thought [it] was relatively stiff, but after a little break-in [it] fits well and is comfortable. The footfeels slightly controlled, but it does produce a comfortable footstrike. Compares well with the major brands I have tried.”

Sizes: Men 8–14; Women 6–12 • Weight: Men 13.4 oz. (size 11); Women 11.0 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction: Strobelslip-lasted, EVA Strobel board • For: medium- to high-arched feet with moderate overpronation

BEST SHOEMotion

StabilizingS P R I N G 2 0 0 9

BEST VALUESPRING 2009


v | Running Network 2009 Spring Shoe Review

Karhu Strong Fulcrum Ride—$140

Karhu’s shoes over the past few seasons were appreciated for their low profile and responsive feeling. The Strong Fulcrum Ridefeatures Karhu’s Fulcrum technology (think “mini teeter-totter”) to improve responsiveness by pivoting the foot forward aftertouchdown. Shortening the time on the heel also reduces overpronation. The upper is a well-supported airmesh, but with fewoverlays and a bunion-friendly open forefoot. The interior is plush and accommodating. The multi-part midsole features aneffective heel crash pad and a stable configuration of the Fulcrum element with a flexible forefoot. The polyurethane memoryfoam innersole adds an extra measure of comfort. The durable, full-length carbon rubber outersole provided excellent traction.

“Great, low-profile fit, one of the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve ever put on. The cushion is very comfortable, butstill bouncy. Strong lateral control, great on the ankles. Have really enjoyed these shoes on runs of 10 miles or shorter.”

Sizes: Men 8–13,14; Women 6–11 • Weight: Men 12.6 oz. (size 11); Women 10.5 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:Strobel slip-lasted • For: medium- to high-arched feet with mild to moderate overpronation

K-Swiss Run One miSOUL Tech—$125

K-Swiss demonstrates its commitment to running with its new miSOUL (Modular Interchangeable Sole Technology), a midsolestructure designed to accommodate different snap-in innersoles. The Run One comes with two options: a Cushion innersolewith resilient rubbery inserts and a Light configuration. By changing them depending on your workout, they don’t get com-pressed as quickly as the traditional innersole. (You can also purchase replacements.) The combination-lasted design adds sta-bility, along with the dual density midsole and shank supports of the miSOUL components. The upper is open airmesh withcooling perforations through the toecap and the perimeter of the heel, and rubbery thermoplastic overlays give a snug but for-giving midfoot fit. The outersole is traditional carbon rubber in the heel, blown rubber in the forefoot. The combination of thefamiliar and the innovative earned the K-Swiss Run One our Best New Shoe award.

“Quite comfortable, nestles my foot nicely, no signs of blistering or hot spots. I preferred the feel of the Light insole, itenveloped my heel much more snugly. I liked this shoe and the idea of two insoles.”

Sizes: Men 7–13,14 (D); Women 6–11,12 (D) • Weight: Men 13.2 oz./14.0 oz. (size 11, with each insole); Women 11.1 oz./11.9 oz. (size 8,with each insole) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction: Strobel combination lasted, Superfoam (forefoot) and thermoplastic (heel) Strobelboard • For: medium- to high-arched feet with mild to moderate overpronation

Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 12—$100

Gender specificity, championed by the Structure Triax+ in the Nike line, is evident in this version, which is precisely tuned for menand women. This version features the unchanged midsole chassis that worked well for the Structure Triax 11: Phylon, an articu-lated second density with TPU, and a decoupled crash pad that curbs overpronation while allowing the foot to effectively transi-tion. As a shoe that’s largely on target, the upper features only minor changes. The mesh has a better feel to it (smaller holes feelless coarse) and the overlays have been replaced with HF-welds wherever possible to reduce seams. The outersole is almost thesame, with a slightly thicker Duralon layer in the forefoot providing extra protection. Devotees will find the Structure Triax+ 12 totheir liking, and runners looking for a stable, supportive shoe with a roomy forefoot would be advised to give it consideration.

“The first few miles had a soft footfall and I wondered how many miles the cushion will hold up—it hasn’t quit yet. Theshoes performed well, and overall I think they are as solid as the other shoes I’ve tried in the category.”

Sizes: Men 6–13,14,15 (D,wide,narrow,4E); Women 5–12 (B,wide,narrow,4E widths) • Weight: Men 13.3 oz. (size 11); Women 11.4 oz. (size 8)• Shape: semi-curved • Construction: Strobel slip-lasted, EVA Strobel board • For: medium- to high-arched feet with moderate overpronation

Pearl Izumi SyncroPace III—$115

The evolution of Pearl Izumi’s SyncroFrame shoes has taken a stable technology and adapted the ride to increase the comfort,finally dialing in the combination of stability and cushion. The ride has been softened with a combination of Skydex and foam.The major change is in the outersole, which has been segmented into pods to improve transition and flexibility. The cushionedfeel up front is achieved by a new Skydex bag in the forefoot (effectively used in last season’s award-winning Streak), combinedwith a better midsole foam. The strength of the SyncroPace continues to be the stability of the SyncroFrame. A dual densityinnersole feels soft on top, but has a supportive, dense layer underfoot. The seamless upper offers a snug fit with a plush inte-rior, a fan favorite. Several testers have a newfound respect for the shoes, which is testament to sound design.

“I love the fit of these shoes! They are comfortable the moment you put them on. The cushioning is the first thing younotice. They ride a little firmer than they feel, but I didn’t develop any problems/injuries elsewhere in my leg, hips, etc. I

was impressed with it as an excellent, light shoe with a surprisingly long-term cushioning feel.”

Sizes: Men 7–13,14; Women 5–11,12 • Weight: Men 14.2 oz. (size 11); Women 11.9 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:Strobel slip-lasted, EVA Strobel board • For: medium- to high-arched feet with moderate overpronation

Under Armour UA Revenant—$120

After several years of development, Under Armour rolls out its running shoe line. The experienced development team guaran-teed that every detail of the technology and function of the shoes was attended to. The upper is open airmesh with a close-fit-ting, gusseted tongue that Under Armour calls “FootSleeve,” tying its shoes to its compression apparel. The midsole employsArmourGuide, a cradle that offers stability and support. A rubbery material called Cartilage is designed to improve the cush-ioning between the cradle and the EVA. The EVA formulations in heel and forefoot—Armourlastic and ArmourBound—con-tribute to the responsive ride. The articulated heel curbs overpronation by lateral release, stabilizing and smoothing the transi-tion. Relying only on the strength of its own technologies, Under Armour has done a very good job right out of the gate.

“Good fit, no blisters, lots of toe room. The tongue could be a bit longer; it just kind of hits into the top of my ankle. I likethe bouncy feel, not too squishy. Great stability, my foot was nice and straight, staying right on top of the shoe.”

Sizes: Men 8–13,14,15; Women 6–11,12 • Weight: Men 13.8 oz. (size 11); Women 11.2 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:Strobel slip-lasted, EVA Strobel board • For: medium- to high-arched feet with moderate overpronation

MOTION STABILIZING

BEST NEW SHOESPRING 2009


vi | Running Network 2009 Spring Shoe Review

ASICS GEL-DS Trainer 14—$110

ASICS has refined the three key areas of the GEL-DS Trainer: upper, midsole, and outersole. The upper is still open mesh withBiomorphic Fit inserts, but by adjusting the asymmetrical lacing to restore the familiar sizing and support, the upper fits bet-ter. The overlays sport new tailoring that gives a better fit through the heel and midfoot. The midsole features a shorter medialsecond density, which may be partly responsible for the slightly softer feel. ASICS reports that the midsole is a millimeter thin-ner and the outersole is 2 millimeters thicker, making the forefoot a little more responsive. That extra millimeter has been addedto the blown rubber in the forefoot, improving the ride and helping to cradle an insert of high-traction rubber called Wet-Gripthat has been added to the forefoot. Fans of the shoe will like the adjustments—it’s still stable, responsive, and light.

“I really like the snugness of these shoes; they fit around my feet very well. Great feel, lighter than average, good cush-ioning. The flexy region [Biomorphic Fit inserts] of the uppers is fabulous.”

Sizes: Men 6–13,14,15; Women 5–12 • Weight: Men 11.4 oz. (size 11); Women 9.1 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:slip-lasted • For: low- to medium–high-arched feet with mild to moderate overpronation, for faster-paced runs

Mizuno Waverider 12—$100

The Waverider alternates between being a performance shoe and a midweight training shoe. Version 12 has slimmed down toa Performance weight (under 340 grams). A quick glance at the upper reveals a more open mesh, with overlays that are a bitmore substantial and supportive. Trying them on reveals a snugger fit and a softer step-in feel, thanks to the addition of theOrtholite innersole. The midsole is noticeably thinner. The ride is more responsive, which is good for lighter runners and short-er runs, but on longer runs, testers noted that it seemed a bit less cushioned than earlier Waveriders. In a development new toMizuno, the shoes have been designed for gender differences, with the women’s version featuring more flex grooves to accom-modate less body mass to flex the shoe, while the men’s version has a broader flare in the sole for a better landing area.

“I like the lower cut on the back, many shoes are too high on the Achilles tendon. Need more support and cushioning,though they did fine for mid-length runs. Light compared to what I normally run in—hardly know I’m wearing them.”

Sizes: Men 7–13,14,15,16 (D,2E); Women 6–12 (AA,B) • Weight: Men 11.9 oz. (size 11); Women 9.4 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved •Construction: Strobel slip-lasted • For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics, for mid-mileage runs

Nike Zoom Start+—$88

The Start was conceived as a shoe for those who want to begin running. No matter what level you are, all runners need goodshoes and the Start is a good shoe. The aim was to begin with the Vomaro and create a little sibling. The upper is airmesh infront and closed mesh from the midfoot to the heel. Then Nike minimized the overlays and threw on some Flywire for “tech”appeal. The midsole is Cushlon (thinned a bit to reduce price and weight, and improve flexibility), with a Zoom bag in the heel,and gender-specific design reflected in varied flex grooves and crash pads. The outersole is the Waffle design of the Bowermanshoes, Nike’s best multi-surface traction. The ride is well cushioned and responsive, which is the hallmark of the Cushlon foam.The price tag is perhaps the best surprise—the value here is outstanding.

“I liked the way these shoes feel from the first time they went on my feet. The cushioning and flexibility in the forefootmake them very comfortable to run in. Overall, I am very impressed with this shoe. Comfortable, light, and stable.”

Sizes: Men 6–13,14,15; Women 5–12 • Weight: Men 11.8 oz. (size 11); Women 10.0 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:Strobel slip-lasted, EVA Strobel board • For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics

Puma Complete Concinnity III—$95

With its unique look, the original Concinnity charted a new design direction for Puma. The Concinnity III makes a few well-considered changes. The upper is an open airmesh with a well-finished interior. A traditional lacing system replaces the asym-metrical lacing of the I and II, giving this version a secure, but roomy fit. A deeper throat and a reshaped toe also help. Themidsole is reconfigured with a smaller second density, a slightly more flexible forefoot, and a lower profile feel. While the cush-ioning is good for a lightweight runner, some of our testers found that it was not substantial enough for longer runs or heavierrunners. The outersole features EverTrack carbon rubber throughout, with blown rubber in the lateral forefoot for durable cush-ioning. Overall, the improvements succeed in providing a solid stability alternative in the Performance category.

“I really liked the snug fit. The comfort and bounce were great for short fast runs, but would not recommend them for any-thing long.”

Sizes: Men 6–13,14,15,16; Women 5.5–11.5 • Weight: Men 11.9 oz. (size 11); Women 9.5 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved •Construction: Strobel slip-lasted, full-length EVA Strobel board • For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics to very mildoverpronation, for faster-paced runs

Zoot Ultra TT 2.0—$135

Zoot’s Ultra footwear line is geared to triathletes. The 2.0 offers better cushioning while shaving weight from a very light shoe.The upper has more open mesh, an exposed neoprene insert for a snug-but-forgiving fit, and a DryLex moisture-wicking lin-ing combined with antimicrobial silver nanotechnology. The midsole offers a more generous layer of Z-BOUND, and an extend-ed shank for better stability. Thermoplastic overlays and large holes in the tongue and heel improve the grip and help you getthe shoe on fast. The outersole has been upgraded to a tougher carbon rubber in the high-wear areas and combined with blownrubber and TPU to lighten it and improve the ride. All these features meet the needs of triathletes, while providing all runnerswith low profile, efficient performance. The upgraded materials, design, and performance earned the Ultra TT 2.0 our BestPerformance Shoe award.

“Fit like a second skin, very minimal. Great light weight. I like it when shoe companies understand that a shoe doesn’thave to be beefy to be good at what it does.”

Sizes: Men 8–12,13,14; Women 6–10,11 • Weight: Men 9.9 oz. (size 11); Women 7.7 oz. (size 8) • Shape: semi-curved • Construction:Strobel slip-lasted • For: medium- to high-arched feet with neutral biomechanics, for faster-paced runs

BEST SHOE

S P RI N G 2 0 0 9

Performance

PERFORMANCE

STABILITY

NEUTRAL

NEUTRAL

STABILITY

NEUTRAL


High school throws coachesoften tell me of their difficul-ties in deciding how to

divide practice time between the dif-ferent areas of preparation—especiallyin regard to use of the weight room.

Frequently, the coach has a largenumber of athletes and very littleweight room time. This article is writ-ten to help the coach use the weightroom as efficiently—and effectively—as possible.

If weight room time is limited,obviously every exercise that doesn’trequire use of the weight room shouldbe done somewhere else. To free upweight room time, resistance exercisesused for body balancing and injuryprevention can generally be performedat the track facility or in the gym.These can be done in the form of cir-cuits using either body weight or lightresistance, while core stabilizationexercises can be performed using somecombination of kettle bells, medicineballs, plates, bars, sand bags, or gym-nastics equipment—high bar, rings,etc. (Babbitt, 1996).

In the weight room, free weightexercises such as the Olympic lifts andthe power lifts are the best way to max-imize gains that will produce results inthe throwing circle or on the runway.Multi-joint exercises, e.g., the Olympiclifts (clean, jerk and snatch), providethe greatest range of motion along with

the longest acceleration path that canbe done in the weight room.

These movements, because theyare similar in nature to what thethrower is trying to do with an imple-ment, deliver the greatest training

benefit the young thrower can getfrom lifting.

This is especially true if weightroom time is limited to two hours aweek or less, which is often the case.The clean, snatch and jerk are thefastest exercises in the weight roomand most consider the snatch the mostpowerful weight lifting exercise onecan do. And since the primary goal ofa weight training regimen gearedtoward throwers is the development ofpower, the Olympic lifts will be thecenterpiece of the program, with otherexercises to be added if time in theweight room permits.

The Olympic LiftsThe one lift that will benefit throwersthe most is the snatch. However, it’snot a good place for the high schoolthrower to begin lifting.

Beginning lifters should start with

the power clean, and then progress tothe snatch once they are comfortablewith the movement of the clean.

The snatch (photo sequence A) isa more difficult lift in terms of tech-nique and involves an overhead catch,which can pose a higher risk in termsof injuries, especially in a crowdedweight room. The clean, on the otherhand, involves only pulling the weightfrom the floor up to the chest wherethe lifter will then catch and rack theweight to complete the lift (photosequence B).

When performing either theclean or the snatch I prefer that the

thrower start the lift fromthe floor (A1 and B1)instead of from the hangposition (A2 and B2). Inmost cases, using full tech-nique from the floor allowsthe athlete to focus on bet-ter technique as he or shepulls on the bar properly,instead of cutting technicalcorners to rack the bar at allcosts.


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Maximizing Effective Weight Training for High School Throwers

B1 B2 B3 B4

A1 A2 A3 A4 A5

The Clean

The Snatch


I have seen many throwers altertheir technique when lifting from ahang just so they could catch moreweight. This defeats the purpose of theexercise.

Athletes should also be comfort-able starting the lift off the floor, as itrequires a little more focus on coordi-nating the extension of the legs andback, which again is similar to thetype of timing required in a successfulthrow. I have also noticed a correlationwith improvement in the Olympiclifts with an improvement in the over-head shot throw, which is an exerciseused to measure explosive power andnervous system activation.

For many throwers (especiallywomen) it is usual for their clean max-imum to be as strong as their benchpress maximum. The snatch maxi-mum is usually 60–80% of the cleanmaximum, with the more accom-plished technical lifter having a snatchmaximum closer to 80% of the clean,while the less accomplished or begin-ning lifter may have a snatch maxi-mum closer to 60% of the clean max-imum.

It makes sense that the perform-ances in the snatch will not be asheavy as seen with the clean since thepath the bar has to travel in the snatchis roughly 30% longer than the barpath of the clean.

When performing a set of cleansor snatches, I prefer that the lifterscatch the weight and then drop it tothe floor between reps. Bumper platesare obviously needed to do thismethod. This system is called “cluster-

ing” (Haff et al., 2008). I favor thisapproach over holding on to the barthe whole time while doing a com-plete set of successive repetitions.Executing successive repetitions fromthe floor, without letting go of the bareach time, can increase the likelihoodof an unbalanced starting position atthe beginning of each succeeding lift,since the lifter will tend to rushthrough the set. This in turn can leadto poor technique and injuries.

A second rationale for thisapproach stems from the fact that itmakes each lift mimic an individualthrow, in that it is a single maximallyexplosive movement as opposed to aseries of continuous explosive move-ments. Approaching the Olympic liftsin this manner may allow the athlete tolift more weight, and to be able toadjust to pulling the heavy weights to ahigher peak velocity along with moredisplacement (Haff et al, 2003). Thisdevelopment should then translate intoa more explosive application of force inthe throwing movements.

Here are a few guidelines forperforming the Olympic lifts:• Make sure the starting posture is

properly set up at the beginning ofeach lift. “Clustering” will helpincrease the odds of this happening.

• Don’t rush through the set. Makesure each lift is executed optimally.

• The stance of the legs and positionof the lower back should be similarto the posture at the bottom of thesquat.

• The knees should track out over the

toes and the lower back should bestraight as in C2 and D2.

• As the weight is pulled off the floorup toward the knees the body pos-ture should hold true and it shouldseem as if the floor is lowering asthe legs straighten (Takano, 1993).

Lower Body LiftsLower body lifts such as the back andfront squat are critical lifts in thedevelopment of explosive power forthe throwing events. Bondarchuk(2007) has observed that the squat,along with the bench press, appear tohave the greatest transfer of trainingfor developing shot putters and discusthrowers of all the weight lifting exer-cises. It is recommended that the ath-lete start with the back squat (photosequence C) the most basic of thesquatting exercises before incorporat-ing more difficult exercises such as thefront squat (photo sequence D) orone-legged squat (photo sequence E).

Step-ups (photo sequence F) andlunges (photo sequence G) are otherleg exercises that have tremendousbenefit for the thrower.

Since these are single-legged exer-cises, high school athletes should beintroduced to these exercises usingonly their body weight at first so theycan master the movement beforeadding weight.

RecoveryThe rhythm and timing of the throw-ing events depends on the movementof the legs. Heavy weight lifting ses-

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Back Squat Front Squat

C1 C2 D1 D2


sions for the legs can take many days tofully recover from the workout,depending on the type of athlete one isdealing with. Consequently, coachesshould note that it is only necessary toperform a heavy leg routine once week,and they should be careful in wherethey place the leg workouts in relationto their throwing and competitionschedule so there is time for maximumrecovery. Squat sessions are typicallyscheduled as far away on the weekly cal-

endar as possible from competition andit is not uncommon for programs tosquat immediately after a competitionin an effort to complete the session asfar ahead of the next competition aspossible.

Here are some guidelines to forsquatting exercises:

• Make sure the knees track over the

toes with the body weight bearingdown on the heels.

• Weightlifting shoes or other typesof stable shoes such as basketballhigh tops can help make this possi-ble.

• Try to lift without knee wraps or alifting belt for as long as possible inan effort to foster joint stability andcore integrity.

• Perform the lift with a full range ofmotion and good depth.

• The lifting tempo should be slowand controlled going down andmore explosive coming up.

• A high bar hold across the backallows for a little more applicableposture for the throwing events.

• Only add as much weight thatallows you to execute the lift withproper technique and tempo.

Upper Body Lifts (Bench Press, Push Press)Roughly 70–80% of the power in thethrowing events is generated from thelegs and back. For this reason, if timeis limited in the weight room, thenlower body and multi-joint lifts, suchas the Olympic lifts, are preferred overupper body lifts. The bench press isthe upper body lift that allows one tolift the most weight and does have apositive correlation (albeit a small one)with developing shot putters of bothgenders. It is a pressing movement inwhich the weight is pushed away fromthe body in much the same way as isthe shot at the very end of the delivery.

The push press and the pushjerk—which can also be categorized asOlympic lifts—are multi-joint exercis-es that are particularly helpful for shot

putters. The primary benefit of theseexercises is derived from their abilityto teach coordination of the leg exten-sion with the arm strike. A combina-tion of the clean and the jerk usinglight weight moved at maximal speedcan be utilized during the peakingphase to help ready the body for thequick transition from position to posi-tion during the throw. This exercise iscalled the speed clean and jerk.

ConclusionThe division of training time can be avery difficult decision to make forhigh school coaches. If the choice ismade to include weight lifting as partof the training regimen, large numbersof athletes and limited access to weightlifting facilities force the throwingcoach to decide which weight liftingexercises will yield the largest return.Since the main goal of strength train-ing for the throwing events is to devel-op the thrower’s ability to generatepower, it is obvious that the exercisesthat generate the most power shouldbe the exercises of choice. These exer-cises are the Olympic lifts and powerlifts and they are usually the founda-tion of any successful program.

Don Babbitt is the throws coach at the Universityof Georgia,and a frequent contributor to AT&F.Athletes he has coached—including 2008Olympians Reese Hoffa, Adam Nelson, BreauxGreer and Jennifer Dahlgren—have won 23NCAA championships and 16 USATF nationalchampionships.

ReferencesBabbitt, D. (1996) Strength and power training for track& field outside the weight room, California Track &Running News, Jan/Feb. #217, pp. 48-49.

Bondarchuk, A. (2007) Transfer of training in sports.Michigan USA, Ultimate Athlete Concepts.

Haff, G. G., Whitley, A., McCoy, L. B., O’Bryant, H. S.,Kilgore, J. L., Haff, E. E., Pierce, K., and Stone, M. H.(2003) Effects of different set configurations on barbellvelocity and displacement during a clean pull, Journal ofStrength & Conditioning Research, Volume 17,Number 1, pp. 95-103

Haff, G.G., Hobbs, R.T., Haff E. E., Sands, W. A.,Pierce, K. C., and Stone, M. H. (2008) Cluster training:a novel method for introducing training program varia-tion, Strength & Conditioning Journal, Vol. 30Number 1, pp. 67-76

Takano, B. (1993) Coaching optimal technique in thesnatch and clean and jerk-part I. National Strength andConditioning Journal, Vol. 15 Number 1, pp. 33-45.

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G1 G2

E1 E2

F1 F2 F3

One Legged Squat

Lunge

Step Up


Here are three simple, but veryeffective, drills that can beapplied to any thrower in

track and field. They work for begin-ners or experienced throwers, and forjavelin throwers, as well as for shotputters, discus throwers and hammerthrowers.

Drill #1: Easy DistanceThe easy distance drill helps throwersuse the major muscle groups in theirbody. This is achieved by getting theathlete to focus on throwing a givendistance as easily and with as minimaleffort, as possible. It works by forcingthe athlete to recruit bigger musclegroups, since they are more powerfuland thus will create less of a sensationof effort to the athlete than smallergroups would if they were recruited.The drill should be performed at dis-tances between 60–80% of maximaleffort.

Note that a specific distancemust be chosen while the athlete ispracticing this drill. For example, ifthe athlete is practicing this drill at60% of maximal effort, the goal is tothrow exactly that distance with asminimal effort as possible. The athleteis not trying to work up to 65% even-

tually. The goal is strictly to focus onthe 60% of maximal effort distancewhile using the least amount of effortpossible.

This drill is very effective forimproving overall throwing techniqueand for use of the thrower’s entirebody during a given throwing motion.It also breaks the common pattern ofalways throwing for distance duringpractice, which is actually a compara-tively ineffective way to improvethrowing technique.

The basic skill progression forthis drill would be to start at approxi-mately 60% of maximal effort and

move the athlete up to 80% of maxi-mal effort over a period of one to twomonths. In addition, when you’reworking with an athlete to introducenew wrinkles in technique and to inte-grate them into his or her throwingmotion, you can get results by return-ing the athlete to lower percentages ofmaximal throwing effort.

Easy Distance Drill Summary• This drill should be done at the

beginning of the practice.• The athlete can perform 15–30

throws depending on the skill level(more advanced athletes may per-form more throws).

• This drill can also be used duringcompetition warm-up using, ofcourse, fewer throws than in practice.

Drill #2: Visualize It and Become ItVisualization can be an effective train-ing tool for all sports including trackand field. But here’s the catch: Manyvisualization articles leave out one keyaspect of this training technique.You’ve got to teach your athletes tovisualize through their own eyes. Thismeans that when Joe Thrower is prac-ticing in his mind— visualizing—hehas to be doing so seeing out frominside of his own body, just as hewould during a throw in real life.

Tell your athlete, “You have to bein your own head visualizing whatwould occur in a perfect throw—andfeeling it in your body—for visualiza-tion to be effective. You are practicingmaking the throw in your mind.Visualizing watching yourself per-forming the perfect throw from thesidelines won’t get the job done.”

Teach your throwers to focus on

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Universal Drills for Throwers


the sensations in their arms, lowerbody and mind, and get them to focuson feeling various techniques that youand they have discussed during prac-tice.

Visualization is so powerful thatan athlete can improve almost asquickly as he or she would if they wereactually physically practicing. This isan incredible tool you can teach yourathletes to use when they’re traveling,fatigued or otherwise unable to prac-tice. Visualization can also be used tosupplement your athletes’ regulartraining to help them improve morequickly than they would be able tousing only real-life practice sessions.

A final benefit of visualization isthat it allows your athlete to performthe perfect motion over and over flaw-lessly. When you visualize, you don’tmake mistakes or get distracted by thesun or other miscellaneous factors.Thus, your athlete can repeatedlypractice perfection, which, after all, isthe ultimate objective of training.

Visualize It and Become It Drill Summary• Visualization can be practiced for

from 5–20 minutes.• Visualization should be used only

once daily.• Visualization is best practiced in a

quiet and controlled atmosphere.

Drill #3: Joint Order Law Training DrillJoint Order Law is defined by the godsof physics as the appropriate order ofjoints to produce the most power.Conveniently, Joint Order Law almostalways remains the same for all thethrowing disciplines in track and field,as follows: hips, torso, shoulder, elbow,wrist, then fingers. Now that you’vegot the order, all you have to do is helpyour athlete refine and speed up theirmotion and, believe it or not, improv-ing joint order law and achieving justthat is best done by…not throwinganything at all.

Take your athlete to some greenspace and have them move throughtheir throwing motion (mainly thedelivery phase) with appropriate jointorder. Have your athlete begin with aslow-motion throwing that they speedup to about 80% of maximal efforttoward the end of about 20–30throws.

By consistently helping them re-affirm the appropriate joint order, youcan instill the proper throwing motionfoundation within your athlete’s mindand body. This works well even if theathlete you're working with alreadyhas a well-established throwingmotion. This drill should enhanceyour athlete’s throwing motion andfine tune it. This should also translateinto fewer injuries, farther throws andfaster improvements for your athlete.

Joint Order Law Training Drill Summary• Get your athlete to practice proper

joint order law in front of you inslow motion.

• The athlete should complete 20–30proper joint order law slow-motionto 80% full speed throws (withoutan implement) minimum.

• The athlete should practice thesemotions at the beginning of everypractice for 5–10 minutes or onnon-throwing days.

• The athlete should not practice thisdrill at the end of practice, duringcompetition or directly after otherparts of their training programssuch as weight lifting, sprinting orplyometric sessions.

Teach your athletes to use these threesimple-to-do, yet universal, throwingdrills, and you’ll both reap the benefits—in better technique and longerthrows.

Byron Collyer is a throws coach who specializes in javelin throwing. Formore information on the javelin or the training log, visit his site: www.throwjavelin.com.

T r a i n i n g


E x i t

On March 18, the U.S. Olympic Committee announced it was laying off 54 people – 13

percent of its total work force – in response to an anticipated reduction in its income from

sponsors.

Even before that, the “OUT” door of USOC’s executive suite was getting plenty of

traffic.

• On March 6, USOC’s chief executive officer, Jim Scherr, abruptly announced he was quitting, no reason given. He was USOC’s sixth CEO in the last 10 years.

• On January 6, Scherr announced the resignation of Steve Roush, USOC’s director ofsports performance.

• On November 3, 2008, Rick Burton USOC’s chief marketing officer, resigned, after lessthan 13 months on the job. Burton was the sixth USOC marketing head since 1999.

• On July 4, 2008 Courtney Harrison, director of human resources and events, resignedafter 15 months.

That’s only the last eight months. Actually, it’s been going on for at least the past 10 years.

We don’t rejoice that USOC is having tough times. It’s certainly not going to help our

athletes.

We don’t like seeing people get fired or laid off, or having to quit. Most of us have had

that happen at least once, and we know the despair it brings.

And in this economy it’s not going to be easy for USOC to attract new sponsors.

But…

Last fall the USOC bullied USA Track and Field into drastically revising its by-laws and

reducing the number of board members from 31 to 15, threatening to decertify USATF as

the sport’s national governing body unless it reorganized.

The idea was to improve USATF’s governance and operation of the sport – to make

USATF more like the USOC.

Yet somehow, it’s hard for us to believe that the USOC is a good role model for any

organization.

— James Dunaway

Hard times in Colorado Springs

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