Why track is better than soccer?

I'm enjoying the World Cup as much as anyone, well, not as much as anyone, but we'll say I'm enjoying it at an average rate.  However, at least in track we don't deal with this.

There was an unusual match between Barbados and Grenada.

Grenada went into the match with a superior goal difference, meaning that Barbados needed to win by two goals to progress to the finals. The trouble was caused by two things. First, unlike most group stages in football competitions, the organizers had deemed that all games must have a winner. All games drawn over 90 minutes would go to sudden death extra time. Secondly and most importantly, there was an unusual rule which stated that in the event of a game going to sudden death extra time the goal would count double, meaning that the winner would be awarded a two goal victory.

Barbados was leading 2-0 until the 83rd minute, when Grenada scored, making it 2-1. Approaching the dying moments, the Barbadians realized they had no chance of scoring past Grenada's mass defense, so they deliberately scored an own goal to tie the game at 2-2. This would send the game into extra time and give them another half hour to break down the defense. The Grenadians realized what was happening and attempted to score an own goal as well, which would put Barbados back in front by one goal and would eliminate Barbados from the competition.

However, the Barbados players started defending their opposition's goal to prevent them from doing this, and during the game's last five minutes, the fans were treated to the incredible sight of Grenada trying to score in either goal. Barbados also defended both ends of the pitch, and held off Grenada for the final five minutes, sending the game into extra time. In extra time, Barbados notched the game-winner, and, according to the rules, was awarded a 4-2 victory, which put them through to the next round.

Here's a video summary:



Cool story, but still is evidence of track's superiority to soccer. Thanks to this guy and this guy for the story.

Nack

GPP = General Physical Preparedness

 Decathletes: geniuses of GPP

Off season athletes (of any sport) should do training that is non-specific to the sport they play. The training should be more generalized, other wise stated, the workouts you do should prepare you for any athletic event set before you. So your training should be such that you could run a 5k if someone asked in a decent time, or you could run a 100m in a decent time. You could do a horizontal athletic movement (front to back), or do a lateral athletic movement (side to side) just as well. Basically you are looking to do well at any number of events, and you will not run record times, throw record throws, or jump record height/distances.


Great sites that help with GPP are below. I'm sure there are many many more, and if anyone has any please put them in the comments.
www.crossfit.com
www.crossfitfootball.com
www.gymjones.com
www.crossfitendurance.com/
http://coachrut.blogspot.com/
http://www.cathletics.com

Most of these are Crossfit based. I am a big fan of Crossfit for GPP (not so much for specific training), although there are many other ways to achieve GPP. I would speak to a qualified trainer for more GPP training, or simply do a Google search for "General Physical Preparedness" and see what you come up with. Also, many of the sites above serve specific purposes, so I would recommend a mish mash of them--do one workout from one, the next day choose another (the first three choices on the list already do a nice job of mixing activities, so you could stick to the workouts posted on those sites).

Nack

Remember her?

This is Lolo Jones of the United States during the Beijing Olympics.

Just after this shot was taken during the 100m hurdle finals, Lolo hit the 9th hurdle and quickly went from first to worst (feeling in the world).

You know what she is about to say: FLIBBITTY--FLOO

Well, today at the National Championships Lolo Jones showed what perseverance will do--she is now the national champion in the 100m hurdles.  Hopefully she plans to compete all the way through 2012 to get another chance at gold in London.

I thought this was a very cool story, because I clearly remember watching that 100m race in Beijing and being absolutely blown away by her losing that race. What a confidence killer! It takes a lot of toughness to even compete after something as embarrassing as that. Profound embarrassment is something that athletes don't often come back from. Good, errrrr, great for Lolo Jones. Her smile after winning today's race, below, says it all.

Nack

Track on TV

The big sports story these days seems to be the FIFA World Cup. I have been tuning in, I know. I am more of a football (American) guy, but there is a lot to like about soccer. It is, after all, the world's game.

With all that excitement, don't forget that there is plenty of track on this weekend. DVR the track and watch the World Cup live--track meets are much better when on DVR. Here is a schedule for the national championships (all times Eastern, so subtract 2 hours):

6/26/10	1:00 PM	ESPN	USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
6/26/10	3:00 PM	NBC	USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
6/27/10	1:00 PM	ESPN	USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
6/27/10	3:00 PM	NBC	USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships

Something I'd like you to think about: in your opinion are there more people at the Colorado State Track Meet than there are at our country's national championship? I've never been there so I probably don't have the perspective of just how many people are there, but it doesn't seem like many.  How could the USATF market the sport better?


This guy frequenty posts about this topic.http://track-superfan.blogspot.com/  Pretty interesting.

Coach Nack

Redesigns

Big changes in one area of life call for and normally necessitate changes in other areas of life. Please stay tuned as I make some changes to the layout of the site.

I initially wanted to make a Wordpress blog, and not a blogspot blog, but I opted for the second just for ease. I want to see if I can create a visually attractive blog akin to that of those found on Wordpress.

Nack

Post from Tucson

Me and "Champ", my friends 190lb Bandog prepping to bite my face

Down here in sunny (very sunny) Tucson, Arizona. Came down here to see my good friend Charlie in Phoenix, and see Jasmine's dad (also a Charlie) graduate from his residency program. A very cool experience for myself, but even more so for him. In his forties he decided to make a career change from aviation mechanics to being a doctor. He is one of two graduate from U of A with an emphasis in Emergency Pediatrics. There are only three of these programs in the US so he is part of a select few very important professionals. Goes to show that making a change from something that has been common to you is doable, and rewarding. Inspirational to me I know.

Well at the end of my last post I mentioned that I was going to be talking to the AD at Castle View about becoming the new head Girl's track coach. Well, I sat down with Mr. Cordes, and everything went as I hoped so starting as of last Tuesday Coach Nack will be the head girls coach at CVHS. Mercifully, Coach Hawk has already offered to help when I get in a spot I am not accustomed to. Bless him! I also get the benefit of joining a coach that I was good friends with in college. Hopefully we will get to act in more mature ways than we did then, but I look forward to working with Coach Lancett. (pictures omitted)

Nack

It's summer time, and here is another reason for you to be outside

Being out in the sun (without sunscreen!) is vitally important to your health, because the sun gives the body ample amounts of Vitamin D. I am no where near an expert on this topic, but the more I cruise the internet the more I start to hear of Vit D being the next super vitamin. People who get enough Vit D (through the sun...try not to cheat with supplements) are less prone to cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, tooth decay, arthritis , and, important for athletes, obesity. A leading expert in the field is quoted as saying

"The sun is as vital to your health and well-being as food, shelter, water and oxygen."

--Dr. Michael Holick, The Vitamin D Solution

You might be saying "but Coach Nack, I've been told that sun exposure increases the threat of skin cancer. Is that true? If so, are you telling me to go in the sun without sun block?" My answer: yes to the first, and then read this blog post by Dr. Michael Eades to the second. I will not be able to explain it well enough, but basically, yes, the sun does cause skin cancer when exposure is too great, but not getting enough exposure to the sun can be more damaging to the skin and other vital organs of the body.

Dr. Michael Eades generally spends his time in the study of consumption of macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbs) and is highly respected by many (including me) for the work that he has done on un-demonizing fat, and advocating we be smarter about carbohydrate consumption. Check his stuff out here. The post linked to in the previous paragraph is a bit lengthy, but skip around to important parts, or read the whole thing. It is pretty good. The best part I felt was the summary of the lives of a young girl living at the equator compared to a young girl living in the US or Europe. Basically, the girl living further north will have a more comfortable life with more material possessions than her equatorial counterpart, but the equatorial girl will be much less susceptible to a host of diseases so common in our world.

Now this is a track blog, so how does this relate to track. Well, I believe the healthier we are the better athletes we will be. So finally: get out and enjoy the sun. It just might make you a better athlete in the end.

This has turned out much longer than I wanted it to be. Hopefully I will get back to some more frequent posts. I was afraid that my recent change would alienate the few readers I have, so I would love to hear from you in the comments, even if you just say "hi", so I know that you are still around. I hope to continue this blog with just a few site modifications, and those will come shortly. I have an interview for the head girls track position at CVHS today, and any changes will be made from there.

Thanks for reading,

Nack

The Sadness

For the record this picture has nothing to with the title, quite the opposite actually

Some viewers of the blog may already know this, but at this point I am thinking that most do not.

The Sad Announcement: I will not be returning to Chaparral High School to teach or coach next year.

The Happy Reason: I will be the librarian at Castle View High School and very sadly say goodbye to the place that I have considered my second home for 5 years.

The Sad Explanation: I am making this move out of no ill-feelings; it is strictly a professional decision--one that unfortunately is fairly common in the realm of education.

I am saying my professional (teaching) goodbyes through other means, but I want to restate how much I will miss the people I have worked with at Chaparral. This move to the CVHS library gives me the ability to do a job that I have been interested in for many years. I think it all began when I saw this skit as a little one.



For the record, I will allow cookies in my library.

Some goodbyes ...(though not as personal as I wish they could be. This is the easiest, and rarely do I think that the easiest way is the best way, but in this case...)

To all the past and present athletes I have personally worked with over multiple years: Though I saw varying levels amongst the entire population of athletes, I on the whole want to thank everyone for their dedication, effort, and emotion. Track and field is a sport that you can breeze through and not build strong connections with, but it is also one where deeps roots of passion and genuine caring can be planted. I feel that Chaparral is a place where many athletes choose to take the second route, and it has made all the difference for me as a coach being able to expand my skills, as well as to make me truly love coaching. The efforts of the athletes kept me going at times when my personal motivation was lacking, pushing me past what I previously thought I was willing to offer. These instances always paid off with rewarding results.

The coaches I have worked with are a large part of what makes our athletes so successful, and this team so much fun to be a part of...

Hawk: I think when I talked to you years ago about becoming a coach you were more than hesitant, so I thank you for the initial opportunity...I hope I fulfilled my end of the bargain :). You're guidance, and ALL of the behind the scenes work you do is what makes all the success of this track team possible. The thanks that you get could never be enough, but, in futility, thank you.

Sepp: You are really a coach that trains the whole athlete, and your athlete's performances show it. I did not always agree with your means, methods, or semantics, but you are the best coach I've ever worked with. I walk away knowing a lot more about track and training which I learned from you, and am admittedly a little upset that I won't get such a consistent flow of Seppala-isms in the future.

Ingersoll, Maroney, Neale and Bowman: Great, great coaches all of you. Thank you for everything on and off the track. I have great ad-libs about all of you individually, with many very flattering things to say, but I'm trying to keep the sappiness to a minimum. I have enjoyed getting to know you all on the varying levels that I do, and will miss these relationships (and building them more) as I move on

To all of the coaches: I would love to work with any and all of you again.

To all the Wolverine track athletes: Chaparral has a track program that I will miss (more than anyone could imagine), and I hope that I can be involved with it's equivalent sometime in the future, wherever that may be. The athletes, coaches, and parents involved with this program are at such a level that I cannot imagine meeting many of those same expectations in any other environment.

The Future
I am hoping to be a track coach at CVHS next year, and if so, my new and former homes will be competing against one another, as the school is moving up to the 5A classification. At meets that we share, I imagine seeing the typically strong girls team with Alexis Grimm, Katrina Bacovcin, Carly Hartman, and Karlie Larsen leading the charge. I also imagine the boys absolutely dominating in many respects if everything goes according to plan. There is great talent amongst this short list of names: Brenden Austin, Nate Purdue, Keegan Vargo, Gavin McHenry, JD Henry, Ty Whipple, Justin Bills, and many more. I worry about competing in the same league as a team with that talent plus many of the other athletes roaming the halls of CHS.

I look forward to meeting up with you all again in various capacities. I will have a different logo on my clothes next year, but that does not mean that I won't be a fan of Wolverine athletes any longer. I look forward to any chances we get together, and to watch the the team compete (even if it be against CVHS).

Feel free to leave a comment below, or contact me by any other means. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for all the great memories,

Sincerely,


Coach Nack

PS Previously, I talked to some athletes about summer training. At this point I am only considering working with graduated athletes. Please understand that I would love to work with any of you, but it is a bit more complicated now. I am beyond flattered by the fact that some athletes enjoyed the programs I offered in the past, and would like to do more. For athletes that are graduated, I will be in touch with you to discuss this possibility. For athletes still at Chaparral, I do have some suggestions for training plans; please call if you are interested in hearing them.

Why Track & Field is Better Than Baseball.

So with the birth of the youngest Neale last week, I have had a really bad song, by a really crappy band in my head. That song would be With Arms Wide Open by "Creed". In case you have never been exposed to this bottomless pit of suck, then watch it here. Just be warned, it's terrible.

Now this unfortunate convergence of babies, and crappy songs lodging in my head did also come at a very fortuitous time. Last week I discovered this gem:



This song makes With Arms Wide Open look like fine art. Check out the sound effect entered around the 15sec mark. That's rock-and-roll at it's finest. Also, you need not go much beyond the fist lines of the video to get just where it is going (though if you want to feel that awkward embarrassment you get for others when they do something really bad then watch the whole thing). The first lines "Let's play ball, it's game day. We want strike outs, base hits, double plays." Listen to the flare that only a musician like Scott Stapp can throw down on his pronunciation of "double plays". Those are some tasty licks indeed!

Now why is T&F better than baseball? Because T&F had no part in the production of this film, the writing of the song, or hiring Scott Stapp to do a promo song. Baseball did! I like baseball, but this honestly makes me like it a little less, and makes me like T&F even more. Thank you USATF and all other T&F organizations around the world!

Remember, "keep hoping and dreaming and you will soar"

Nack
(Extra note: Stapp's song was a promo for the Florida Marlin's baseball team. I heard last week that when the song debuted for all the team, fans, and media to see the Marlins immediately went out and had a perfect game thrown against them. I guess Scott Stapp's music just doesn't inspire like it used to.)

And a new Wolverine sprinter was brought into our world this day, and He said "it is good...it is really good."

Congratulations are due to the Neale Clan. Coach Neale and his way-too-awesome-for-him wife, Stacey, had their first child today: Taylor Jean Neale.

Hopefully she'll be ready for some 300-Pursuits by the time the season rolls around!

Athletes and other interested folk: Today (Tuesday June 1, 2o10) would probably not be the best time to contact (Mom and Dad, and not to mention Taylor need their rest), but a few days from now send Neale a text or give him a call to congratulate him.

Jared and Stacey: It has been a pleasure for Jasmine and I to be a part of this whole process, so thank you for letting us be a part of your lives, and many great wishes in the future. And for the record, I'm good for my one night of babysitting duty as part of my shower gift package. Anytime! (preferably when there is no crying though)