The Handoff Volume 1 Issue 4

The Handoff Texas Track & Field Coaches Association

May 2011

Volume 1, Issue 1V

Te x a s R e l ay s W r a p - U p Consolidated’s girls picked up high school team honors by sweeping the relays.

In this issue:

The Most Outstanding Female was Kaitlin Flattman of Benton, Louisiana who soundly dominated the 1600 and 3200, while top male honors were earned by A&M’s Gerald Phiri, who broke a 35-year mark in the 100 dash.

Other outstanding performances include: Craig Lutz’ (Marcus) fourth straight 3200 title, Reese Watson (Spring) and Andreas Duplantis’ (Lafayette) vault battle to 17-02 …

Morgan LeLeux setting the Texas Relays HS vault mark at 13-5 … Mykkele Thompson’s 2nd 25+-foot long jump of the season … Shelbi Vaughn (Mansfield Legacy Junior) throwing the disc 159-01 … 4 boys over 60 in the shot put … Brea Garrett toss the shot 48-04 on her last effort to reach US #2.

Jeremy Wariner takes the baton on the final leg of the 4x4 at the 84th Texas Relays—©TTFCA

Congratulations to the Texas Relays Most Outstanding Performers: Texas A&M earned college team honors, while Rosenberg Lamar

The conditions may have been hot and windy, but the performances turned in by athletes from high school to professional / Olympian were once again truly outstanding.

Javelin Clinic

2

Letter from the Prez / Pole Vault Tip of the Month

3

Vault United

5

TX Relays Pictures

6

UIL Regional Information on Page 4 Coaches, this information is vital—make sure you read and follow.

There is also a

Distric t & Area Meet Results In just a couple of weeks, district and area meets will be a memory; regionals and SPC / TAPPS state meets will upon us, and soon to follow will be the UIL state meet.

On the TTFCA Meet Results page are the majority of District Meet results, and some amazing performances have been turned

in. Among them: Allex Austin (San Marcos) high jumped 7-2 (US #1) … Kaitlin Petrillose (Round Rock McNeil) vaulted to a US #1 13-8 … Jace Amaro (SA Mac Arthur) tosses the shot 62-10 and breaks a 23-year old district record … Ashley Burris (Mansfield Timberview) blazes a

41.81 300 hurdles … Galena Park North Shore’s boys sprint to a 41.10 4x1 … Timberview’s Aldrich Bailey lowers his 400 time to a fantastic 47.34 … Cali Roper of Willis takes over the 3200 lead with a time of 10:47.50 …

Regionals should prove just as amazing.

Scratch—Sub Form in pdf format atop the home page of the TTFCA website.

Javelin Clinic Cates Athletics Presents the

8th Annual Javelin Clinic Saturday, May 21st 8:00 A.M.

Cates Athletics 1814 S. Bonnie Brae

Denton, TX

Itinerary: 8:00-Introductions, preview 8:30-Warm-up 9:15-Dry Drills 10:30-Implement Drills 11:45-Lunch (provided) 1:15-Dynamic and specific warm-up 1:45-Javelin throws Afternoon demonstrations as time allows: -Hurdle mobility -General strength, abdominal circuits -Olympic weightlifting exercises -Medicine ball exercises -Multiple throws

$50.00(t-shirt included) same day registration Contact: Pete Abbey-940-390-6286 or runcatdaddy@yahoo.com (Please include Cates Athletics or Javelin Clinic in subject line)

From the President: The past few weeks have no doubt been filled with endless hours of work and preparation as we finished the last of the invitational and district track meets. It may be premature to reflect on another great season with regional and state meets still in our sights but there is no better time to pause and say thank you to some very deserving people.

Having attended district meets six of the last nine days, I could not help but notice the multitude of volunteers, certified officials, coaches and parents who worked so hard and did so much to ensure a fair and safe opportunity for every competitor.

Many thanks to each and every one of you!

Another continuing trend I’ve noticed is the high degree of sportsmanship displayed by athletes. The young men and women I have been around, without exception, have been courteous and respectful to officials and to each other as well. I believe this is a tremendous testament to the coaches and we thank all of you for that.

Finally, thank you to all who share a love for our sport and who have helped make this season so enjoyable and rewarding.

Keep up the good work and best of luck in regional and state meets!

Mike Sheaner

______________________________________________________________________________________________ Pole Vault Tip of the Month—by ESSX INFO needed to select the proper pole, did you know there are three?

Of course you need the big THREE variables 1. Weight of the vaulter 2. Hand grip of the vaulter 3. How high are you jumping over your handgrip!

Oh I bet you did not know there were three?

Yes the third variable tells you what length pole to jump on!

If you are jumping below your handgrip make sure you are on a pole no longer than 1' (12") over your ability!

Here is the reason why a 12'4"-140 is the same stiffness of a 13'-127 and if you are jumping on a pole 12" over your ability you will be on a weak upward lifting pole! And especially if you are holding down on that pole beyond the hand grip area shown on my pole chart as being the 12" area 3" down from the top of the pole. Doing so will make the pole much stiffer and hard to roll over!

Many of you are fooled into believing you are on a longer pole than you really are. I hear it all the time, the brand I will not mention, has a ring 6" down and you are not allowed to hold above the ring. So if you pole is 14'1" you are really on a 13'7" pole!!!!!

And if you are on this pole such as a 14'1-let’s say at 145 lbs it is equal to a 13'7"-154-156 in other brands that allow you to hold 1" to 3" down.

So what are the benefits of using a 13'7"-156 as oppose to a 14'1"-145 that you hold 6" down on? [b]Long Answer-[/b]The shorter length is a more powerful pole will be the same at the plant but return and store more energy at the plant thus providing more lift of your 140 to 145 lbs vaulter! Striving to be in the anti-gravity stage during pull and turn is essential to pushing 12" to 24" above your hand hold. [b]The Short Answer [/b] - to why is you can jump higher!

Other variables that can be used to determine pole selection are; 1. Stride-6 stride or 7 stride or 8-10 stride approaches each add 4.4 lbs to the need of a pole from the previous stride.

2. Bottom hand positioning- bottom hand pressure causes the need for a stiffer pole but also hinders the swing so this is a very delicate phase. Will be a 4.4 lbs addition or reduction in pole selection.

3. Take-off- The angle of list at the take off flat/ slightly upward/or upward are factors! A 4.4 lbs selection decision also!

4. Swing- gymnastic ability will allow you to place more power in the swing to bend poles rather than trying to bend them at the take off! (2.2-4.4 lbs)

Here are a few reminders for track coaches who have qualifiers advancing to the Regional Track and Field Meet on May 2nd and 3rd. * There can be no loss of school time other than an athletic period scheduled the last period of the day to travel to a regional qualifiers meet on a Thursday. A school can't compete in an event until the close of its instructional day. * For information regarding a particular regional site, process for entries, including relay names and entry deadlines, please use the following link: http://www.uiltexas.org/track-field/regional-sites * In the event of ties, the NHFS tie-breaker rules will be applied across all four regions to determine the 9th qualifier to the State Track and Field Meet. If ties still exist after applying these rules, qualifiers will be determined by lot. * All relay names, including alternates must be submitted to regional directors before leaving your regional meet.

After the regional meet, ONLY CHANGES need to be submitted to UIL using the attached UIL form. Schools will no longer submit relay names online to the UIL.

____________________________________________________________________________________ The calendar says it’s mid-April, but the Track & Field Coaches Clinic of Texas—including the 3rd TTFCA Hall of Fame class—is already in the planning stages. By June 1, we hope to announce our full slate of speakers and Hall of Fame candidates. Mark your calendars for January 6-7, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza-Addison (near the Galleria) … it will be an amazing 2 days!

For more Texas Relays pictures, go to the TTFCA homepage at www.ttfca.com and click on the link for our Flickr account—soon there will be over 200 photos.