In Good Company in 2010

If someone ask you which events the USA dominates in track and field what would be your response?  Most say sprints, hurdles and maybe relays.  I’m not sure why the depth of our field events goes unnoticed.  So I would like to take this opportunity to brag about our USA throwers, men and women, with a fun statistic which ranks the best countries for throwing published by all-athletics.  I am very proud to be part of this group of Elite Throwers!  USA Men #1 and USA Women #2!!!!

USA and Germany defended their first positions in the men’s and women’s Countries Throwing Rankings respectively.

Like last year, Germany is in second in the men’s ranking and Poland kept its third rank. Belarus improved from sixth to fourth and they are in number one position in men’s Hammer Throw.

USA is the unrivalled leader in Shot Put with a huge margin. The ranking of the men’s Discus Throw could not be any closer; one point between the first (Germany) and second (USA) and Estonia in third is just one point behind Germany.

Finland proved again that Javelin Throw is traditionally a Finnish event.

Germany represents a different class in women’s throwing. They are number one in three of the four events.

Cuba kept its leading position in Discus Throw, but they dropped from second to fifth in overall since last year. USA took the second position and China moved up to third.

All-Athletics.com Countries Rankings Throwing Events (combined) - Top 8:(Shot+Discus+Hammer+Javelin)

Men:
1.	Unites States	14406
2.	Germany	14337
3.	Poland	13926
4.	Belarus	13455
5.	Russia	13447
6.	Finland	13438
7.	Ukraine	13389
8.	Czech Republic	13268
Women:
1.	Germany	14272
2.	United States	13962
3.	China	13645
4.	Russia	13530
5.	Cuba	13367
6.	Poland	12514
7.	Great Britain	12303
8.	France	12170

 All-Athletics.com Countries Rankings by events - Top 3:(The full event rankings are available on All-Athletics.com with an All-Access Pass)

Shot Put:		Discus Throw:		Hammer Throw:		Javelin Throw:
Men:		Men:		Men:		Men:
1. United States	4045	1. Germany	3684	1. Belarus	3563	1. Finland	3720
2. Germany	3659	2. United States	3683	2. Germany	3523	2. Czech Rep.	3575
3. Belarus	3609	3. Estonia	3682	3. Poland	3438	3. Germany	3471
Women:		Women:		Women:		Women:
1. Belarus	3890	1. United States	3585	1. Germany	3539	1. Germany	3765
2. China	3571	2. China	3529	2. Russia	3450	2. Czech Rep.	3405
3. Germany	3569	3. Cuba	3512	3. United States	3449	3. South Africa	3389

or visit this link on all-athletics.com 

Theo playing at a friends birthday party

Dancing with mommy

Theo likes to dance to Jordan Sparks.

A Great Week of Training

Training felt great this past week. My timing in the discus is starting to come back. So much of the throw is rhythm and timing. You can work the technique, but you have to find the right tempo as well.

My jumps and sprints are improving and I am feeling explosive again. I had a great jumping workout in the sand and over hurdles this week. As I work my explosion back into the throw, the discus is really going to fly.

My numbers are improving in the weight-room as well. Now the weight-room is not my favorite place and it’s exciting for me to push the limits in there again. My total tonnage was probably the heaviest I have ever done adding up all the lifts. I was able to bench 230 for 4 reps.

I have the Mt Sac Relays this weekend in Walnut California. Most of the top athletes will be there. It is an exciting meet and I am truly looking forward to the competition. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Tiger Classic

Auburn University has one of the nicest track and field facilities in the country.  I had the privilege of competing there this weekend.  The weather didn’t want to cooperate, with off and on rain showers.  But that didn’t stop the meet or the fans from from having a good time. 

The meet was extra special for me because I had some family in attendance.  My brother and sister in law were able to make it, they had a long drive from Texas.  My mom and son were there cheering as well.

I finished in 1st place, I didn’t throw as far as I wanted but we didn’t have the best conditions.  Because of the rain slowing things down, we started really late and had to deal with rain and darkness. 

Theo Walking

Here is Theo at 9 months playing with his walker.

Life in Auburn, AL

My son and my mom are here with me in AL while I am training for the Olympics and it has been awesome having them here. I am able to watch Theo grow and my mom helps take care of him while I am training. Theo is crawling all over the place and trying to walk. He has a toy walker that he flies all over the house pushing. It won’t be long before he starts walking. He has more teeth coming in each month.

New Zealand 2008

Olympic Facts

Olympic Facts

USA 5-Rings

USA 5-Rings is the symbol that represents the United States Olympic Team. America’s top athletes wear the logo proudly as they represent the USA at the Olympic Games. The logo is made up of the letters “USA,” the common abbreviation for the United States of America, and the Olympic Rings logo. The United States of America has been competing in the Olympic Games since 1896, the beginning of the modern Olympic Games.

Olympic Rings
The Olympic Rings were created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1913 and first displayed on the Olympic Flag in 1920. The Olympic symbol of five interlocked rings represents the five original continents:Africa, America (North & South), Asia, Australia, Europe and the meeting of the athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games.

The five colors of the rings blue, black and red (top) and yellow and green (bottom) were chosen since one of these colors can be found in the flag of each competing nation. Creed
“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”-The words of the Olympic creed are attributed to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games.

Motto
The Olympic motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius” is Latin for “Faster, Higher, Braver,” but is universally accepted to mean “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.”

Oath
The Olympic oath is a symbolic gesture of sportsmanship that traces its origins to the 1920 Olympic Games. One athlete from the host country takes the oath at Opening Ceremonies on behalf of all the athletes.Oath: “In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.”

Victory Ceremony
The greatest honor for an Olympic athlete is to particpate in a Victory Cermony. At the conclusion of each competition, the top three athletes are placed on a podium (see below) as medals are presented to the first, second and third-place finishers. The winner stands in the middle at the highest elevation; the runner-up stands slightly below to the victor’s right; and the third-place finisher stands at the lowest elevation to the left of the victor.In addition, each athlete’s flag is placed in the same fashion on beams and upon being raised the winner’s anthem is played.

Medals
The medals - gold, silver, and bronze - represent the highest levels of athletic achievement at the Games. The design of the medal varies with each Olympic Games and they are the responsibility of the host city’s organizing committee. Olympic medals must be at least 60 millimeters in diameter and at least three millimeters thick. Gold and silver medals must be made of 92.5 percent pure silver; the gold medal must be gilded with at least six grams of gold.

Torch & Flame
One of the most enduring symbols of the Olympic Games is the Olympic flame. The flame made its first appearance at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and since then the lighting of the flame has become a major focal point of every Opening Ceremonies. The concept of lighting a flame for the duration of the Games comes from the ancient Greeks, who used a flame lit by the sun’s rays at Olympia - the site of the original Olympic Games. Olympic Hymn
The Olympic Hymn is played when the Olympic Flag is raised. The music was composed by Spirou Samara. The words were added by Costic of Greece in 1896.Ancient Immortal Spirit, chaste Father
Of all that is Beauty, Grandeur and Truth
Descending appear with Thy presence
Illuminate Thine Earth and the Heavens.Shine upon noble endeavors wrought
at the Games on Track and in the Field.
Crown with thy eternal evergreen branch
The bodies, making them stronger and worthy.Dale, Mount and Ocean, with Thy Light,
Is a white a purple temple, brighten!
To thine Temple, to Thy Worship, come all.
Oh! Ancient Eternal Spirit!

Mascots
Olympic Games mascots are selected by the local organizing committee of the host city. The first official Olympic mascot dates back to the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich with Waldi the dachshund, a popular Bavarian dog.In the United States, previous mascots have included Roni the raccoon at the 1980 Lake Placid Games, Sam the eagle at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, and Izzy the animated character at the 1996 Atlanta Games. The 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games mascots were Powder, the snowshoe hare; Copper, the coyote; and Coal, the American black bear.In 1994, the Lillehammer Organizing Committee was the first organization to base their mascots on historical human figures naming Hakon and Kristine after royal children from the 13th century. Nagano featured four Îsnowlets’ based on the motif of an owl. Most recently, Sydney’s mascots were: Millie, the spiny anteater; Syd, the duck-billed platypus; and Olly, the kookaburra bird.

Olympiad
The term “Olympiad” refers to the four year interval between the Olympic Games, which was first used by the ancient Greeks in reckoning dates. The Olympiads are numbered consecutively from the first Olympic Games (or The I Olympiad), held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Even the Games cancelled by the wars of 1916, 1940 and 1944 are counted. Most recently held were The Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney, Australia. The XXVIII Olympiad will mark a return to Athens, Greece in 2004. However, the term Olympiad is not used in conjunction with the Olympic Winter Games, which are numbered only when they are actually held.
Quadrennium
The U.S. Olympic Committee refers to the Olympiad, same four-year cycle, as the “quadrennium.” On January 1, 2004, the USOC will enter the 2004-2008 quadrennium.

Javelin Throw Introduction

Javelin Throw Introduction

Hercules is reputed to have been one of the earliest javelin throwers. The event was introduced in the Games of 708 BC in two forms: throwing at a target and distance throwing using a sling. The original javelin was made of olive wood, measuring between 2.30m and 2.40m with a weight of 400 grams.
The Scandinavians adopted the event around 1780 and the javelin underwent an astounding growth, becoming a symbol of national independence for the Finns. In those days the javelin measured 2.60m, weighed 800 grams (as it does today), and was of birch wood.

The ancient style of throwing whilst on the run replaced freestyle techniques as did the measuring of single hand efforts as opposed to ‘both hands’ aggregates.

In 1952 the throw line became an arc, as opposed to a straight line, and throws began to be measured from point of impact to the inside edge of the throwing arc.

In 1953 Franklin “Bud” Held (USA) invented a hollow javelin, which increased the surface area of the javelin by 27%, greatly increasing its flight capability and causing the javelin to land horizontally, revolutionising the event. In 1954 Held developed a metal variant, which went further still.

In 1966 the Spaniard Felix Erausquin threw over 100 metres using a rotational technique, which was banned by the IAAF as too dangerous. The 100m barrier was broken again in 1984 by Uwe Hohn. The IAAF then established new rules for the construction of the javelin to ensure shorter flight times and point first landings (safer and easier to measure). In 1991 the rules were changed to disqualify a new type of javelin with a ‘rough’ or corrugated tail design.

The first women’s marks were recorded in Finland as early as 1909. Originally, a javelin weighing 800g was used but this was later standardised at 600g. The first IAAF world record dates back to 1932, the year in which the event made its Olympic debut. A new specification women’s javelin, in which the centre of gravity was moved forward by 30cm to obtain a flight similar to the men’s implement and to avoid flat landings, was introduced in April 1999, previous records being scrapped.

Women Landmarks

Landmarks
First official world record: 46.74 Nan Gindele USA 1932
First over 50m: 50.32 Klavdiya Mayuchaya URS 1947
First over 60m: 61.38 Elvira Ozolina URS 1964
First over 70m: 70.08 Tatyana Biryulina URS 1980
First over 75m: 75.26 Petra Felke GDR 1985
First over 80m: 80.00 Petra Felke 1988

Most competitions over 75m: Petra Felke 13

With new specification javelin:
Inaugural world record: 67.09 Mirela Manjani-Tzelili GRE 1999

Click here for current World record

Click here for ALL-TIME lists

Superlatives
 
Most Olympic titles: 2 Ruth Fuchs GDR 1972/1976
Most World titles: 2 Trine Hattestad 1993/1997, Mirela Manjani-Tzelili 1999/2003; Osleidys Menendez 2001/2005
Youngest Olympic/World champion: Mihaela Penes ROM 1964 (17) Oldest: Herma Bauma AUT 1948 (33) 
 
Three all time greats  
Ruth Fuchs (GDR): The only two-time Olympic champion, she took the event to a new level with six world records, culminating in a somewhat frustrating 69.96m in 1980.
Petra Felke (GDR): Her world record distance of exactly 80m in 1988, prior to winning the Olympic title, was never approached and will never now be surpassed as records with the old javelin were scrapped in 1999.
Trine Hattestad (NOR): The bouncy Norwegian, the only woman to have collected two world javelin titles, reached 72.12m with the old model in 1993 and set had a (world record) best of 69.48m with the new spear.

Men Landmarks

Landmarks
First official world record: 62.32 Eric Lemming SWE 1912
First over 70m: 71.01 Erik Lundqvist SWE 1928
First over 80m: 80.41 Bud Held USA 1953
First over 90m: 91.72 Terje Pedersen NOR 1964
First over 100m: 104.80 Uwe Hohn GDR 1984

With current specification javelin:
First over 90m: 91.46 Steve Backley GBR 1992

Click here for current World record

Click here for ALL-TIME lists

Most durable world record: 78.70 Yrjö Nikkanen FIN 1938 (14 years)
Most competitions over 90m (current specification): Ján Zelezny 34 (as at 16 Oct 2002)
 
 
Superlatives
Most Olympic titles: 3 Eric Lemming 1906/1908/1912
3 Ján Zelezny 1992/1996/2000
Most World titles: 3 Ján Zelezny 1993/1995/2001
Youngest Olympic/World champion: Erik Lundqvist 1928 (20) Oldest: Ján Zelezny CZE 2000 (34) 
 
Three all time greats
Matti Järvinen (FIN): Son of the 1906 Olympic Greek-style discus champion, he raised the world record from 71.01 to 77.23m during the thirties and struck Olympic gold in1932.
Janis Lusis (URS): The Latvian won four European titles between 1962 and 1971, gained a complete set of Olympic medals (gold in 1968) and set two world records.
Ján Zelezny (CZE): The current world record holder, also a multiple Olympic and world title winner, was so dominant in 1995 that he was responsible for 21 of the 22 throws that year over 89m.

Is it for me?

The javelin was originally a weapon for hunting and for war. It is lighter than the other classic throwing implements, but demands special technical skills. The javelin thrower must develop smooth acceleration with a fast run-up. The throwing arm must be fast and supple with a super-flexible elbow, while millimetric precision is necessary to release the javelin at the optimal angle. All this must be achieved without ignoring the considerable power required from the back, legs and arms during the whole movement. The javelin throwing action can be compared to that of a whip: the thrower’s body becomes the handle, the javelin the lash.

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