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"Off The Record"
A Blog by Jill
M. Geer
The rebirth of an icon
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Random observations from Thursday's opening day of competition at Hayward Field.
Hands down, the biggest story buzzing in the press box prior to Tyson Gay's heat of the 100m was the death of Michael Jackson. No link to track and field here, not even from a seasoned spin-mistress. But news is news. I bought Thriller on vinyl when I was in eighth grade, playing it on my Sears stereo (complete with 8-track player). I had the dance moves from "Beat It" down. I had Off the Wall on cassette, and the cassette would squeak as it played, which made for an interesting rendition of "She's Out of My Life". But after Thriller, things got weird, and I actually preferred Weird Al Yankovic's "Fat" to Jackson's "Bad", probably because Weird Al was less weird than Michael. But in his heyday, I thought the guy was amazing. RIP, MJ.
On to track and field stuff. Guess who is alive? And running fast? Tyson Gay. In his heat of the men's 100m first round, it was clear Tyson was eager to get out of the blocks, as a false start was called on the field. Once the gun went off the second time around, Tyson was a bit sluggish in the first 40 meters, which is to be expected. The guy has barely done speed work, instead concentrating on long intervals and strength work. It's hard to spring from the blocks, after all, when you've been running 400s. But he rallied in a big way, crossing the line in a windy 9.75. Not bad for a race where you were slow out of the blocks and sluggish in the first half!
The time had to be a big confidence booster for Gay, who continues on his journey back from a hamstring injury last year and a knee injury earlier this year. The question that looms in the mind of every sprint fan is, "can he actually challenge Bolt?" Well, in his post-race press conference, the always humble and never hyperbolic Gay earnestly said he's got the world record in him. If he says it, you better believe it.
Without a doubt, Gay-Bolt will be the most anticipated of the World Championships in Berlin; the double world champion vs. the double Olympic champion and world record holder. After Beijing, all the world thought Bolt was in a universe by himself, and that no human could come within at least a tenth of a second or several tenths of the gregarious Jamaican giant. It appears that if any man can do it, Tyson is the likely candidate. But bottom line, it is so great to see one of the true nice guys of track come back from a devastating season in which his universe the sprinting universe was turned on its axis. Does Tyson have the pull to turn it back? Stay tuned!
(This just in Tyson was asked about Michael Jackson at his post-race press conference. So there IS a connection between MJ and track and field after all!)
Speaking of nice guys (and gals) of track and field, I cannot say enough good things about Stephanie Brown Trafton. When I served as secretary for the Project 30 Task Force, I arranged for the group to interview Stephanie. The idea was for them to speak to a field-event athlete who had encountered success. None of us had any idea about what she would tell us, but it turned out to be very compelling. After speaking to her to an hour, I think it is safe to say that every single member of that task force viewed her as the model for how a professional track and field athlete should conduct herself. Even the quintessential pro track athlete, Carl Lewis, was a bit in awe and a little starstruck. The grin on his face and twinkle in his eye said it all.
What's the deal with Stephanie, you ask? She has written plans for her career, both long- and short-term. A business plan, no less. She methodically goes about arranging her finances and off-track services: coaching, massage therapy, physical therapy, weight training. She has made a point to solicit local sponsorships, the result being that she was a true local hero when she returned from Beijing with a gold medal in the women's discus, the first for Team USA since 1932. She joined her local Toastmasters Club to improve her public speaking. She makes things happen for herself, rather than waiting for others to do things for her, and she wisely chose a husband who is even taller than she is. (SUPER guy, by the way.) After her conversation with Project 30, it was crystal clear why she won the Olympic gold medal: because she had a plan. But she's also got moves. At the IAAF Gala last fall, the 6-4 Stephanie reportedly cut a mean rug with USATF CEO Doug Logan at the end of the evening. All I know is, if you can dance with a Cuban, you've got great footwork.
Stephanie will compete in about 90 minutes, so this blog comes with a big knock on wood. Let's hope for more good things from good people when the discus competition starts up.
To follow all the athletes at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, visit www.usatf.org or www.visachampionshipseries.com
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Jill
M. Geer is Chief Public Affairs Officer of USATF. She recently completed her
first marathon at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, where she qualified for
Boston. Follow her professional exploits as the USATF spokesperson and her
adventures as a mid-pack marathoner -- Off The Record.
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