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"Off The Record"
A Blog by Jill
M. Geer
The next generation
Friday, June 26, 2009
One of the most common questions I get from the press is, Who is the going to be the next big star? It's always a crapshoot. In more than nine years at USATF, I have seen plenty of surprises. In 2006, few people would have said Tyson Gay would be a double world champion in less than 12 months. Nobody saw Lauryn Williams' silver medal coming in 2004. And remember when Tianna Madison won the 2005 World Outdoor title in the long jump? Crazy.
That said, there are a couple of young athletes I really like, regardless of whether they become The Next Big thing.
One is somebody I met only recently: high school decathlon phenom Curtis Beach. Over the last few weeks I have emailed and spoken with Curtis, and I just happened to run into him Wednesday night at Hayward Field, during practice hours. He will hate this description, but it simply must be said: what a sweet, cute, enthusiastic, bright-eyed, nice guy. And the same goes for his parents, who were accompanying him (except that his mom isn't a guy). I sat with them and chatted for probably 15 minutes. Curtis couldn't wait to get out and compete.
He did a fine job of the latter, winning the junior decathlon on Friday with a score of 7,599 points to break the U.S. junior record using junior throwing implements, which are slightly lighter than regular implements. In the final event of the decathlon, the 1,500m, Curtis ran a scorching time of 4:07.85 to break his own decathlon world junior best. That means no decathlete under 19 has ever run faster for the 1500. Ever. Anywhere in the world. Planet Earth.
Here's some context:
When he set the "elite" decathlon world record of 9,026, Roman Sebrle ran 4:21.98. When he won the 1976 Olympic gold medal, Bruce Jenner ran 4:12 and change. In fact, if you visit the IAAF's list of all-time best decathlon scores on the world stage, NONE of the 81 (EIGHTY-ONE!) decathletes on that list have run a faster time as part of their all-time overall high point scores. Even American Kip Janvrin, known as a solid 1,500m-running decathlete, has a best of 4:09.07. Deso Szabo of Hungary ran 4:11.07 in 1990, and that's about as close as it gets. Granted those fully-formed decathletes would positively crush young Mr. Beach in the shot put, but that 4:07 is awfully incredible.
"He never gets tired," remarked one press box denizen who has seen Beach compete several times. I'm sure we won't get tired of seeing him compete in coming years. He heads to Duke in the fall for his first season as a collegian, and I hope we see more of him at national championships to come.
Now for a brief moment of self-promotion: I CALLED IT! Pat Graham of the Associated Press had asked me yesterday who I thought would win the men's 100m. I told him Michael Rodgers, with Darvis Patton a possible spoiler. So when Friday's final came down to a horse race between those two guys, with Rodgers winning in 9.91 and Patton in 9.92, I thought that prediction must be some kind of career highlight for me.
Those two also happened to be . . . drumroll . . . NICE GUYS (noticing a theme in my athlete-related blogs? Get used to it.) Darvis, known as "Doc", has one of the winningest and most genuine personalities in all of track. Doc will be 32 in December, and is a new father to a baby girl, but he's still got moves. As for Rodgers, he is one of those young athletes I like. He entered this meet as the fastest American of the year, with wins at the Reebok Grand Prix and the Nike Prefontaine Classic, but he was still looking for a certain level of big-time credibility.
When Mike won the 2008 USA indoor 60m title, everybody asked, "who is this guy?" In part to educate ourselves about him, USATF hosted a teleconference with Mike prior to the 2008 World Indoor Championships, where we learned about his journey from NAIA champion to national champion. At one point, he was selling shoes out of the back of his car to make ends meet. He was about ready to quit track and was standing in line at a concession stand at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships when he happened upon his now-coach. He went on to win the 2008 USA indoor title but raced himself to exhaustion trying to draw the attention of shoe companies. He landed a contract, but was too pooped to party, or make the final, at the 2008 Olympic Trials. One year later and a selective racing schedule later, he is a national champion outdoors.
This guy is the real deal. He's hungry, he takes nothing for granted, and he's got nothing to lose. He's grateful to be where he is, but he wants more. Somewhat lightly muscled by sprinter standards, but he's got a huge heart. He's been getting advice from Tyson Gay about how best to run rounds. Like Doc Patton, he's got a warmth about him that just makes you like him and wish good things for him. My guess is that he'll have plenty to smile about during his career.
Seen and heard around tracktown . . . When you're in Eugene for a big-time meet, you see track glitterati everywhere you turn. John Crumpacker of the San Francisco Chronicle, a mountain man-type guy who at the 2008 Olympic Trials rigged up a pulley system to hoist his heavy computer back from ground level to the top of the Hayward Field grandstand, reports that at a recent visit to Tracktown Pizza, he ran into South Carolina head coach Curtis Frye and 2008 Olympic delegation flag-bearer Lopez Lomong. (More on Lopez in a coming blog . . . and guess what? . . . he's a NICE GUY!) Head to local brewpubs and you'll often find athletes who are done competing, mingling with locals and making friends.
On my 7-mile saunter on Pre's Trails at 6:30 a.m. today, I encountered an interesting array of people and animals. First things first: If you are a runner, and if you go to Eugene, you MUST run on these trails. At one point in my run, I made a point of simply paying attention to my surroundings . . . hearing the calls of more types of birds that I can possibly count as I ran through grasslands, traversed a stream, sidled along a canal, passed by Autzen stadium and crossed paths with a variety of folks. I came across an unusually high number of men of a certain age, and of a certain girth, which made me wonder of the UO football staff was doing a workout. I traded hellos with Tennessee head coach J.J. Clark, whom I often encounter while running at our events, and University of Arkansas women's coach, Lance Harter, who coaches against Clark in the Southeastern Conference.
J.J. and his family -- wife Jearl Miles-Clark, sister Hazel and sister Joetta -- are omnipresent at track events in this country. I remember several years ago, I was running through a snowstorm in Central Park prior to the Millrose Games and saw J.J., a former miler who is now one of the country's great coaches. I also remember sharing a cab ride with Joetta more than a year after she retired, and she looked exactly the same as when she had competed. The kicker? She had not run a STEP since retiring. I love Joetta, but that experience was like hearing comments from supermodels about how they don't work out and eat whatever they want. DARN YOU AND YOUR GENETIC GIFTS!! Last month I didn't run for a week and went up three dress sizes. Then again, I wasn't a world-class athlete for 20 years. Or ever. Now excuse me while I finish my bag of Doritos . . .
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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