Training of Elite Youth Athletes….. What Age Would You Start?

Given that some youth athletes can start their competive  running participation like  bullets out of a gun,only to later  begin to grow and change body size ,coordination and  perhaps interest change as speed abilty of others catch up, and even pass your bullet. How is a parent to know when fast is really “special”  fast and when it’s transitional fast?   Where do we find balance? Where do parents get information to help make informed choices about sports activity and more indepth training? Is it  really necessary? 

For more  on Elite  Youth Athletes see:

 What is an Elite Youth Athlete? ,  What Is The Financial Cost Of An Elite Athlete  and  Is There Such A Thing As A Youth Elite Athlete ?

Let’s see what contributing author Coach Mike Cunliffe has to say about training an elite youth athlete

How Much is Too Much and When is Enough not Enough ?

 Training Elite Athletes at what age? 

Often I’m asked at what age do you start training an elite athlete, I pause and tell the person (usually a parent)

The moment you know they are an elite athlete. I hear then often hear a familiar response “but what if their only 9″?  

I will now give you a scenario that I have given dozens if not a hundred times to parents.

If your child picked up a violin and played Mozart at age 7 and you called all the people you knew then discussed it with his or her teachers at school you then enrolled them in a special program, and then hired very competent (and expensive) tutors; you would be applauded as a responsible parent nurturing a “special and unique gift”.

If your child picked up a math book at age 9 was doing math suited for 8 graders and you placed him or her in a private school or possibly paid for special lessons and tutors after school; then began driving them in their middle school years to a university to work with math professors in order to make sure they were on track. You would be a wonderful parent taking the time and money to help your child develop their talent.

Now if your child could do either of the above in music or math and all recognized it, yet you did nothing to advance them. People would say (parents, grandparents, friends, etc) why don’t you do something for her or him. They need special attention. They are out of their league with the other kids in the school, etc. Often times family members step in to help financially (grandparents are common) at this point.

But there is one exception to the rule socially; athletics. When I say as a coach that I train our athletes on Seattle Speed with former PAC-10 T&F athletes as coaches and we have massage services and chiropractic; that we focus on core strength, and have a very detailed and specific flexibility program; we do bio-mechanic analysis, etc. I’m asked (sometimes told) isn’t that too much for such young kids? And here the hypocrisy begins.

The coaching staff. When you have coaches of this caliber working with 9, 10, 11 years olds (and older) they know what their doing, other than stating the obvious let me explain. They know and understand energy systems in relation to training effect. What is a true speed workout (distances, total distance for the workout, rest intervals between each rep, etc) what is a true speed endurance workout and what energy system does it relate to (Alactic - extended CP system); then when should you do these workouts and at what frequency in relation to various athletes in relation to their events and major meets, etc.

If your coaches on your child’s track team do not know these type of things - they are guessing and that in relation to child development in any field is not good at best and very bad in most of my observations. So we would agree that having a very knowledgeable and qualified staff would be something you would want for a gifted athlete. And I preface that with: ANY ATHLETE.

Be healthy. If the gifted violin player needs massage for his or her hands and shoulders because he or she is cramping when they play. What would happen? Massage would be immediately on the weekly agenda in order to “take care of the gift”. Now if a track athlete who is being coached properly is getting massage; that often times (not always) is construed as “over the top”. Massage is looked at as not needed or “too much” as is chiropractic. Let me elaborate on one of these - chiropractic. We use chiropractors at our practices to work on bio-mechanics in real time speed conditions in order to make adjustments to running form. I won’t make the case for chiropractic here in detail but suffice to say a majority of NBA and NFL teams staff them full time or at minimum use them regularly. I also know quit a few Olympians personally in Beijing who had chiropractors with them. If they did not work they would not be used - and I can testify to many times in my own experiences the direct positive results of their use. Massage and chiropractic are two things that are healthy for any person. So if a child’s gift was a physical/athletic gift how much more common sense should be exercised to make sure that while young and growing they stay as healthy as possible. In other words for an elite athlete to have these things is like the young mathematician having tutors to challenge the brain properly for the correct development.

Healthy food. We drill all of our athletes to eat healthy. I mean very healthy. Often times it’s the parents whose habits are bad and hold their kids back. The kids are willing to eat what is best but the parents prefer to stock the shelves with other items. If it’s the kid then they need to start eating healthy anyway. So regardless of track or whatever sport they are highly talented in they need to eat right; so don’t tie healthy eating to being a top athlete. Healthy eating is for everyone. So a healthy diet and feeding an elite athlete good food (organics - if possible) is that over the top? No.

So now I have the opportunity to ask the questions. Is it too much to have a 9 year old who is very gifted in T&F to have coaches who :

1) Know how to develop her or him and won’t hurt them by over training

 2) Won’t miss-train them and thus get in the way of progressing properly - remember a fast runner who is miss trained is still fast and now this is the key - but not at their fastest. Is it too much to have a 9 year old who is very gifted in T&F where proper alignment is directly related to speed and jumping ability; see on a regular basis a sports chiropractor and massage therapist

 Think on this before you answer. If the difference between 14^th and 8^th(making the finals) in the 100 meters for 9 yr olds is .25 and massage and chiropractic would definitely close this gap allowing for greater power output based on more acute mechanical alignment. Then getting chiropractic and massage combined and compared with training for 6-7 months and spending thousands of dollars to go to nationals - would be an increase of only 10-12% of the overall season budget - would that make sense? Well if your already spending 7 months training, your child has proven themselves to have a gift and you spend thousands of dollars on travel, gas to and from practice, time sitting in stadiums, etc etc. Then is an extra $300-$400 over 7 months over the top? No! Because you are already over the top with a 9 yr old! Note: .25 seconds was the difference this year at AAU nationals between 14^th and 8^th.

So after the above evaluation; doing what is right what you can do  at an early age for any child let alone a highly gifted child only makes common sense.

Coach Mike Cunliffe, Is the  Head Coach of the Seattle Speed Track Club  See his latest Interview Here . A USATF (former TAC) medalist - 5^thplace - in Nebraska 1982 (Inter. Boys LJ)  and dad of Hannah Cunliffe AAU Midiget Girl Double National Champion 100m and 200m.

Is There Such A Thing As A Youth Elite Athlete ?

Dr.Kwame Brown of the Blog Move Theory wrote this provocative ,insightful perspective on the “Elite Youth Athlete” in response to the post What is an Elite Youth Athlete? Dr. Brown will be contributing from time to time and I look forward to his contribution.

There is no such thing as an elite youth athlete. There is a such thing as a child that shows an ability. However, that child is still a child.

Creating normal childhood experiences should BE the norm, not something we find time for. Yes, I know that when child shows athletic talent and promise, it almost feels like we HAVE to accelerate them as far as they are physically capable of going. The same thing happens with academically talented kids, although on less of a scale.

What are the long term costs of a child associating their self concept with how fast they run?

The fact is, it would have been perfectly ok 30 years ago for a child to be the fastest in their neighborhood, then their school, and then move on to national competition at a later age. But now, as early as a child shows promise, we start packing them off to every competition available and specializing them in one sport at the age of 8. Kids are having to sign contracts for some sports, and may see their opportunities to even play a sport competitively dwindle unless they commit year round. Kids are not little professionals, no matter how impressive that concept may seem.

Most pediatricians, child development specialists, and youth fitness specialists recommend against this early specialization. The long term effects are both psychological and physical.

Sports training issues for the pediatric athlete .
Pediatric Clinics of North America , Volume 49 , Issue 4 , Pages 793 - 802

Expectations of pediatric sport participation among pediatricians, patients, and parents .
Pediatric Clinics of North America , Volume 49 , Issue 3 , Pages 497 - 504

Parents, make sure this is not what you are doing. What does it mean to develop something to the fullest? Does that mean take advantage of every opportunity to practice, and developo it as soon as possible? The research overwhelmingly shows “no”. The best approach is to let your child’s ability to develop along with the rest of their life, not to make them into some sort of prodigy.

Kids should play sports for fun. If they are good at sports, they will continue to be good at sports. How good? Time will tell, not you.

This movement toward developing young athletes as quickly as possible and making their whole lives revolve around this one thing: This almost always at its deepest core has money (for someone, not necessarily the child or the parent) or prestige (feeding the ego) as the root. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Dr. Kwame M. Brown
Consultant, Physical Education
www.movetheory.comExecutive

Director, Advisory Board Chair
Int’l Youth Conditioning Association
www.myyouthfitness.com
www.iyca.org

What Is The Financial Cost Of An Elite Athlete

With the economic changes we are facing as Americans, we have unique financial challenges as we look forward to another eventful, busy track season.

Many questions swirl around my brain, like:

How much more will it cost to travel via airplane or car ? (gas prices over $1.50  more than when my family started this track journey)

How does the average family ; Williams, Jones and Smith afford  extended  National and International travel for competition?

When if at all would your strategy for athletic care change for him?   Is it if he wins a race with a large personal best? Win a few more races? Win with local good times?  Winning within the Assocation,Regional,of make it to a National meet? When?? Dr.Eric Smalls defines the definition of a Elite Athlete, In his book Kids and Sports  which is useful ,but a parent still has to define for himself and his youth athlete what this all means. The  elite sport engine phenomenon is fueled by private coaches, private clubs, and the in some(many) cases extreme sacrifice of well meaning parents.

During the Olympics much of the gold medal talk surrounded the Chinese and not only taking home more than any other country but the process of talent selection and development. I find it amazing that comentators and spectators a like make a big deal over the U.S. NOT bring home more gold but also not willing to do what many other countries do which is seek out and train athletes beginning at a very young age. I am not here to debate the merits of such a system(it obvious works given results but at what  human cost?) but to highlight that we all want to have the  highest achievment possible  for our youth athletes.How do we help our youth athletes achieve full potential?

The journey of all youth athletes is stacked with twists and turns  that include injury illness burn out,low performance,less than fair playing and competing among some.It is our job to regularly ask question that will help keep our youth athlete our child safe,healthy,and enhusisastic about the sport that captures so much time and attention of the entire family life experience.

I realize this article has more questions than answers ,that is for you do as you think long and hard The Cost Of An Elite Athlete 

Until Next Time

What is an Elite Youth Athlete?

 What is an Elite Youth Athlete?

The best definition I could find was the following :

According to Dr.Eric Smalls a sports pediatrician and author of “Kids and Sports”  states that “a child athlete between the ages of 7-17 that demonstrates above average performance and reaches a regional,national or international meet.These youths athletes train year round, and because of this training they need a sports physician,coach,Sports Psychologist, a personal trainer,and a physical therapist. He goes on to say that an “elite athlete has special issues to consider,such as injury prevention,rest recovery” to name a few.

That’s a lot to take in…..A whole lot.  For the track athlete that is an elite athlete and under high school age, I personally believe it is very important to  NOT specialize but incorporate many types of activites and other sports during the off season. Generally this is called “Cross Training” When I was a child this was simply called having fun, doing lots of stuff. Cross training never replaces the training of the sport but an enhancer that helps with coordination,muscle building,strength and agility.

I view it as a foundation for better performance. Cross training allows the athlete to take some much needed time away from the sport and focus (although it may not as intense in many instances) on other activites and sports play.

Pros Of Being a Elite Athlete

I am of the opinion that the athlete that rises to this level has a gift. A gift from God, and that should be nurtured in such a away  that develops it to the fullest. Whatever the parent feels that should be . A yearly assessment of the youth athletes desire and overall interest is an important piece of the nurturing process of the athlete.

There are many aspects that are postive  in the life of the elite youth athlete.These include but not limited to positive self esteem ,experiencing time mangagment real time,attaining a good body image and healthy lifestyle habits.

The Cons

I chose to look at these as Challenges and not cons. Learning how to handle expectations of  the many people around you that recognize your gift. Balancing extended family time, and loss of time with loved ones due to many weekends in the season competing, unexpected recognition in locations not related to where competion takes place. Potential injuries,and physical fatique when stamina is needed most.

The Parent Of An Elite Athlete

There are probably hundreds of important life tips  parent of  elite athletes can share. Here are 10 to get the dialog started.

 1) Teach humilty and gratefullness for ever experience win or not ( you can practice this too!)

2) Keep the lines of communication open about all things including track experiences 

3) Always be honest in a positive way  with assesment of their performances ,this way they won’t assume you always say postitve even when you may not have positive things to say about hte performance  .

4) Create normal childhood experiences when at all possible (which should be a lot)

5) Have some family time that doesn’t have to do with track & field

6) Listen closely to your childs physical complaints learn to decifer real from imagined or over blown

7) Schedule a break in training at proper times during the season (Lauren always runs faster after a short break in the action)

Learn about the sport so you can feel more apart of the on going process and understand the basics of competition 

9)Make sure your athlete Is having fun

10) Have some fun too…the journey is long with lots of twists and turns 

Until Next Time

Your Kids Highlight Reel…….. 8 Tips That Make It Special

Your Kid’s Highlight Reel

By Victoria’s Dad

 The summer is over, another track season is history and your child is in school, trying to finish first place in academics. All those eight-hour days spent at summer meets and driving hours to and from home are just a faint memory, and you have some extra time on your hands.

     Your schedule may not be filled up, but your camcorder is!

     Remember all of those videos you took, hand shaking, while your son or daughter approached the finish line? Is the footage still in your camcorder or on tapes, anxious to escape? Maybe you watched a little bit, or showed it to your relatives and close friends, but otherwise totally forgotten about it.

     Well, now’s the time to put together a DVD from that footage to capture all the great memories of the summer.

     I’m hardly an expert at editing and putting together a DVD; actually, I just began to sift through three years - yes, three years! - of old footage of my daughter, who began running when she just turned eight. But I’m now putting the finishing touches on her early experiences in track and field, and I must tell you, it’s almost as fun as watching her run live.

     There were so many races, so many warm memories, so many great family experiences that cannot be duplicated, only because she’s older and wiser both on and off the track. My biggest kick was watching her first few races, just to see how far she’s come. For example, when she and I were so new at this, we arrived at her first track meet just as the sprinters were lining up for the 100 meter dash. I had no idea or clue about clerking, or arriving an hour prior to your event, and so on. We sprinted from the parking lot, which was about 200 yards away, to the starting line, so actually, she ran 300 meters that day!

     Anyway, she had long sweat pants, basketball shoes and no bib. The starter, bless his heart, waved her in anyway (he couldn’t say no to an eight year old, even if he had every right to, and besides, it was only a developmental meet). Victoria was already stressed from being late and running from the car, but managed to do her best and actually won her first organized race.

     That was just one of the many stories that were stashed away inside eight or nine cassette tapes, and sorting them out was quite an undertaking, but an enjoyable one. I saw her advance from a standing start to kneeling, from her arms flying wildly to better form, from those “pre-race jitters” to a calmer, more composed runner. The transition and growth she showed made me feel proud for her that her hard work had paid off.

     So the best way to pass the time between track seasons is by making a DVD to be shared during the chill of fall and winter. It can also keep your child motivated and hungry for the next track season. I’ll pass along a few tips, although take them for what it’s worth; again, no expert here.

****************************

     *Most of the footage you recorded, sorry to say, is 85 percent junk. By that, I mean if you’re like me, so many scenes were repeated and others were poorly shot. My advice is stick to the good parts, take snippets here and there and put them together. A good home track DVD should be around 15-20 minutes long. You don’t want to bore your friends and relatives with a two-hour tape of your kid, which, while it may be adorable, can get pretty repetitious.

     *Don’t just keep the first place finishes. Include the other finishes because they serve as learning experiences.

     *Any tears running down cheeks or signs of heartbreak is very human emotion; don’t leave those on the cutting room floor. 

     *Include footage away from the track, such as footage of your child and his/her track teammates goofing off, or footage of mom and dad, etc. The shots of dad with a full head of hair will come in handy 20 years from now.

     *Don’t forget to add a soundtrack during your child’s races! My suggestion is to stick with jazzy tunes or instrumental tunes taken from your itunes collection, or some hip-hop (watch those lyrics!). Anything that captures the mood of the race or the day.

     *Make extra copies for family and also one that can be stored in a safe place, along with the family photo albums.

     *For kids who ran in the AAU Junior Olympics in 2007 at Knoxville, there is still footage of those races, prelims and finals, posted on the AAU athletics website. Grab that footage with your camcorder, before it disappears, and use it for your DVD.

   * Obviously, you’ll need a camcorder (for next season invest in a hi-definition if you can), a computer and video software with DVD burning. Pinnacle is a good software but it’s best to ask at your local Best Buy about choices to fit your budget and level of expertise. It’s pretty daunting when you get started, because the downloading and editing can be confusing at first.

     But take it from me: the finish line is very satisfying.

The Confict Within (part 2)

This article is part 2 of a two part series by Coach Ron Jackson.

Read part 1 Here

The Conflict Within … The Good Coach (part 2)

By Ron Jackson

  Ron Jackson is a thirty two year veteran of youth track and field. He has served in various capacities from Club Coach, local USATF Association President and Vice-Chair Operations of the National Youth Athletics Committee of USATF. He is a 9 year veteran Referee of the TAC / USATF National Junior Olympics before retiring in 1991. He currently serves as the Director of the United Age Group Track Coaches Association UAGTCA a long time, non-profit sports organization located in Philadelphia PA advocating for youth development in the sport of track and field.)

Those of us who suffer with separation anxiety really have to be prepared for a hurricane of emotions as our athletes develop in the sport. We must recognize that our role as friend, mentor and trusted advisor will survive any challenge if we are honest with our athlete and with our self. As they move from age group track to high school and possible collegiate programs they will need us more than ever.

They will probably not use us in the same capacity but almost inevitably to the same degree. They will be faced with the very real possibility that they will be exposed to a completely different set of circumstances. They may not be fully prepared for what they are experiencing and they will turn to the one they trust the most. For the first time they may be faced with a different and more compelling mission. They may be asked to place their individual success on a parallel path with team success. They may be asked to sacrifice their individual success for the benefit of the team. That, in and of itself, may not seem significant but if your athlete has always been programmed to believe that hard work in their chosen specialty is their quickest path to success then It may suddenly become an enigma.

 If they are suddenly asked to forget all of that they have been taught about self development and do what needs to be done so that the team is successful, how do they cope?  If it means that they are not immediately doing what is best for them but what may best for the group where do they turn? It may not be so obvious to them that the mission has changed quickly and they must take the next step in personal growth. Your athlete will now be judged with the collective and all of your previous suggestions of individual achievements to the contrary  will be viewed in a different light.

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer but there are ways to prepare for those eventualities. We can remind our athletes that they are not what they do but rather what they prepare to do. They are what they train to be. If I am the best 400 meter runner on my team as well as the best 1500 meter runner and I am asked to run either distance for the team but I am allowed to continue to train for my best event then I will remain a 1500 meter runner who can run the 400 meters. After all I will be what I train to be.

The mission at the high school and collegiate level is significantly different than the mission of the club coach. That is a given and must be respected by all concerned. The conflicts are natural but can be managed. If managed well, everybody benefits, most certainly the athlete. If managed poorly then nobody wins especially the athlete. I believe what is most often forgotten in this equation are the thoughts of the athlete. They will naturally gravitate towards the people they trust, the ones who have demonstrated that they truly have their best long range interests at heart. The anxiety that arises from the thought of losing control of a person that has been created molded and nurtured by them is very frightening to many coaches and one that some choose not to accept. The reality is, however, that control was never theirs to lose. Control belongs to the athlete and is facilitated by the coach. A good coach teaches his or her charge how to take control of their own development, how to make good choices and use all of the resources that are available to them to achieve their goals. The good coach will always be one of those resources.

I conclude by reminding those that have had to answer these difficult questions that they are not alone. Every coach, every person faces these questions at some time in their personal development and how we answer will ultimately determine our measure of success for ourselves and our athletes.

 Coach Ron Jackson

The Conflict Within (part 1)

This article is part 1 of a two part series by Coach Ron Jackson.

The Conflict Within … The Good Coach

By Ron Jackson

 Ron Jackson is a thirty two year veteran of youth track and field. He has served in various capacities from Club Coach, local USATF Association President and Vice-Chair Operations of the National Youth Athletics Committee of USATF. He is a 9 year veteran Referee of the TAC / USATF National Junior Olympics before retiring in 1991. He currently serves as the Director of the United Age Group Track Coaches Association UAGTCA a long time, non-profit sports organization located in Philadelphia PA advocating for youth development in the sport of track and field.)

I have been asked often over my years of association with youth track & field what is my greatest sense of accomplishment and conversely what is my greatest disappointment. I can say unequivocally that my greatest sense of accomplishment has been my work with our local Track Coaches Association. Greater than the joy that I shared at the accomplishments of the athletes I coached and even greater than the satisfaction of seeing so many fine boys and girls turn into outstanding adults. Working with our local coaching association gave me the sense that so many other young athletes would share in the bounties that this sport has to offer for many years to come. We have provided a legacy and structure that should endure for years to come. Of that I am most proud.

Disappointments have been many and it would be hard to pinpoint a single one. If pressed, however, it would probably be that as adults we continue to make the same mistakes year after year, much to the detriment of our children’s development in the sport. We usually mean well but more often than not we get distracted by a false sense of urgency that makes NOW more important than WHEN. I often say that they call it development for a reason. It is not called developED that would signify a completed task not a work in progress. I truly believe that a coach at any level should expect the best out of their charges and be prepared to accept nothing less. That means that we should not be disappointed when an athlete does not win but only when they do not perform or prepare as expected. I have said many times that Excellence should be an expectation not a Goal. We should expect that our athletes will prepare and perform excellently and not be surprised or satisfied when they do. I submit that winning and losing is circumstantial and can be manipulated by a crafty coach or meet administrator. The pursuit of excellence, however, cannot be engineered. It comes from within and is the single most important trait that is derived from development.

That brings me to the most important point of this discussion. The development of any athlete starts at a very early age. It is influenced by many factors, the most significant of which are the coaches and training that they are exposed to. Like any great building or structure it must start with a great design. I’m sorry that I can’t tell you where to order the design. I will only prompt you to thank our Creator for your good fortune if you are amongst the selected. Many great designs, however, do not come to fruition as great buildings. There are many factors that can affect the outcome. Poor workmanship, inferior materials, weather, etc. but the single most significant factor is poor oversight at each stage of construction. While a bad engineer can doom the most well designed project a good one, in their chosen field of expertise, can save one from certain failure. I have never seen or heard of any major project that has been engineered by only a single individual.

 Most have had the collaborative efforts of many who are experts in their field. If the mission is truly to produce a great structure then the recognition of the needed input of many experts is an accepted part of the project. So it is with athletes. True, I believe that they are born with the gifts necessary to achieve success in the sport but those gifts must be identified, nurtured, cultivated and finally harvested in order to produce a successful product. I believe that every coach along the way plays a role and is instrumental in the successful development of the young athlete. Someone must introduce them to the sport, plant that seed of competition and water the budding flower. Someone must cultivate the young athlete in an environment of faith, trust and yes even love.

The athlete must truly believe that what they are being asked to do is truly within their grasp because Coach said so. Someone must not only prepare the young athlete for success but for failure and disappointment as well. They must also be prepared to share those failures and disappointments with their charge. That is the mission of that very first individual who calls himself or herself coach. They must teach, cajole, listen and yes discipline their charge. They must prepare them for all eventualities. They can revel in any successes, bemoan any disappointments but most importantly they must prepare their athletes to move on to their next stage of development, As I stated earlier no great building has a single engineer and no successful athlete will have a single coach.

To be continued

2008 Championship Pictures

Brittany Ellis 3 Time 2008 Sub-Midget AAU National Champion

For over 2 years ,I had heard about Brittny Ellis  and her great talent on the track.For the first time, I had the pleassure of watching Brittany Ellis run and run she did  at the 2008 AAU National Olympic Games.  The Sub-Midget from Ilinois took home 3 National Championship Titles 100m , 200m and the 400m new Nation Record of 57.21 Brittany has a lot to be proud of and now to top off a spectacular 2008 season she has been nominated   for the Sports Illustrated SportsKid  of the Year for her accomplishements on the track, in school, and in the community. 

 Brittany is a top ten finalist from a field of about 6,000! The top ten finalists photos and bios are on SI KIDS’ website www.sikids.com where you can cast your vote. The winner of SI Sportskid of the Year will be selected based on the number of votes cast online.  The winner will be featured on the cover of the December, 2008 issue. Winning the Sports Illustrated SportsKid of the Year would be a great honor, not only for Brittny, but Track & Field itself. We so often see other sports in the limelight but rarely see the same honors bestowed on track athletes.

Here is  a quick review of Brittny’s track resume thus far. Brittny became interested in track at age 5 or 6 through park district “fun run” events. More recently at ages 10 and11 she was the triple Champion of the sprints (100, 200, 400) at the 2007 & 2008 AAU National Junior Olympics, setting a National Record in the 400 with a time of 57.21, bettering the previous mark of 58.86 set in 2005 by Robin Reynolds. In addtion, swept the sprints at the 2008 AAU Club Championships, setting two National records (100 meters: 12.89, 400 meters: 58.16).   Swept the sprints at the 2008 AAU Indoor National Junior Olympics, setting  National records in all three events (55 meters: 7.87, 200 meters: 28.07, 400 meters: 103.46)  Swept the sprints at the 2007 USATF Outdoor Youth Championships and voted Top Performer. 

She holds seven world (international) records  

100m:   (10) 12.77

200m (8) 27.84  (9) 26.63 (10) 25.61 

Thank to the Ellis family for sharing this story .

You can cast your vote  at WWW.SIKIDS.COM and you are able to vote as many times as you wish.

Voting runs through noon, September 22nd.  It would be wonderful if the track community could rally

 behind Brittny and bring some attention to the sport with a cover story.

 Until Next Time

The 800/1500 Is This The Race For Your Youth Athlete

Here is another great article written by  guest contributor Alisa Harvey  especially for TrackMom.com. We as parents often gravitate to the race we like or have  participated in for ourselves for our kids. Alisa is going to share with us  food for thought as we help our youth athlete decide which race is his race .

The 800/1500 Is This The Race For Your Youth Athlete

 Alisa Harvey

For most youngsters racing two and four laps around a 400m track is a challenge.  Young legs can quickly run short distances multiple times as long as they are given adequate rest between runs, but asking a 8 to 12-year-old to race continuously for 800m or 1500m usually takes some amount of preparation.   Children between the ages of 8 - 12 should learn the value of pacing.  Pacing can be explained or practiced depending on the situation.  Many youngsters go into youth middle distance races without training; which is acceptable.  An untrained youth middle distance runner should be instructed to ease their way into their first longer races by backing off the pace and running comfortably.  Only when the untrained runner reaches the final straight-away should they accelerate into the finish.  If a young middle distance runner is training regularly with a coach, they should practice their own predicted race-pace as dictated by their coach.  Workouts should be run at predicted race-pace in order to acquaint the runner with their own pace.  At race time the young runner should automatically know just how fast to run each lap.

   A teen runner should follow the advice given for younger runners with regard to pacing, but they should not be afraid to challenge themselves.  The teen-age years are a good time to start structured endurance training.  If a teen 800m/1500m runner has expressed interest in the events then proper coaching should be given. 

Endurance or base training should be built slowly as to avoid injury.  The adolescent body has a good deal of growing to do so take it slow.  Start by attempting a short run.  If necessary, the youth should walk/jog the distance run.  Don’t increase the distance until you can run continuously for the determined distance.  Only once the teen runner has conquered the distance should they begin to increase the pace of their distance runs.  Regular endurance training combined with speed training will have a direct benefit to a teen’s 800m and 1500m racing.   Parents should pay close attention to providing proper footwear for youth middle distance runners.  Improper footwear can quickly lead to injuries in young growing bodies.  Avoid department store brand running shoes even for younger children.  Many of the technical running shoe brands sell children’s running shoes.  Teenagers should be professional fit in adult technical running shoes.  

 For other articles written by Alisa Harvey click here

 aharveyva@earthlink.net

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