Track & Field and Cross-Country Bulletin for Jul 01, 2017

by Steve Underwood

 

Akeem Lindo and East Orange HS (NJ) outlean Thomas Burns and Miami Northwestern HS (FL) in an unforgettable NBNO 4x400 finish, 3:11.69 to 3:11.71, to cap off the 2017 meet Sunday. Photo by Walter Pinion.



Memorable moments at the 2017 NBNO!


When you have thunderstorms forecast for each day of a New Balance Nationals Outdoor championship – and you don’t end up with a single rain delay – you know that’s a really good sign. And indeed, the 27th edition of NBNO was wonderful from start to finish – that is, from the 3,000-meter race walk freshman class record by Taylor Ewert Friday morning to start the meet, to the thrilling 4x400-meter relay finales as Bullis MD and East Orange NJ completed their indoor/outdoor “doubles.”

Despite some tightening of standards and entry limits, we welcomed more than 5,100 athletes to Aggie Stadium in Greensboro, N.C. June 16-18 – Father’s Day weekend – from 45 states, DC, Canada, Mexico and Germany.

Thanks to our wonderful partners and sponsors (scroll down), there were so many great things to see, do and try, along with the action on the track and in the field. This was our 8th year with New Balance as our meet partner and we’re so grateful to them and Eastbay (see below), our presenting sponsor, for providing pillars of support to our efforts.

A huge part of what made this NBNO better than ever was the introduction of our new RaceDay App. The event details, instant results, live streaming and event videos – among other features – created a whole new way to follow the meet for athletes, families, coaches, friends, fans, etc. There were more than 3,222 downloads of the app off Google Play and The App Store, more than 21,000 sessions and more than 300,000 screen views! Look for the RaceDay App at more NSAF events and other meets in the future!

In reviewing and remembering this outstanding edition of the championships, you may want to check out our NBNO All-American shoutout and our Meet Stats page, which analyzes the statistics and history of the meet in almost every possible fashion. You may also want to check out these Meet LINKS: COMPLETE RESULTS  |  Event-by-Event Results  |  NBNationals.com: Main Page - Video Page - Photo Page  |  NSAF Facebook Page  |  NSAF Twitter Feed.

We saw 3 national records, 4 national class records and 30 meet records (13 Championship, 15 Emerging Elite, 2 Freshman). Here are some of the biggest highlights:

National relay record trio: Medleys and Shuttles

New Balance Athletes of the Meet

Senior throwers Jordan Geist (Knoch HS, PA) and Alyssa Wilson (Donovan Catholic HS, NJ) added to their tremendous legacies with four combined victories and two runner-up finishes. Geist smashed the shot put meet record with 76-0, #3 all-time; stunned with a 30-plus-foot PR and US#1 238-9 to win the hammer; and was 2nd in the discus. SP indoor/outdoor national-record-holder Wilson erased a 20-year-old discus meet record at 179-7, defended her shot title and was 2nd in the hammer. Full Story

   

4 Stellar Class Records

More outstanding performances


Photos by Walter Pinion, Ross Dettman (for NBNationals.com) and Vic Sailer, Photorun.net
 



NBNO Honorees: Alton Tyre and Eric Merriweather

Alton Tyre, head T&F coach at Southeast Guilford HS in N.C. and Eric Merriweather, head coach of Sprint Athletics and founder of the AAAG, Inc., were given special awards during the Opening Ceremonies at NBNO. First, Alton Tyre was named the Mike Byrnes Coach of the Year and presented his plaque by Kevin Tumey and Steven Hayden. Then Eric Merriweather was presented with the John Chaplin Honorary Referee award by Jim Spier. Check out the full stories online: Coach of the Year Alton Tyre  |  Honorary Referee Eric Merriweather.

   
Photos by Walter Pinion.


Another Year, Another Great New Balance Nationals Outdoor!

Track season may be over, but for the toughest athletes, there is no
offseason. Greatness waits for no one, so get after it.


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Gratitude for more of our many partners and sponsors!

We were glad to have a number of returning partners and sponsors with us this year in Greensboro:

             

RelayBatons.com is our Official Baton Supplier and their special batons were presented to Championship relay winners during the award ceremonies. They also offered a booth for teams to create their own personalized relay batons. ROLL Recovery again sponsored their Recovery Zone at NBNO, where athletes were able to stretch and roll out before, after, or between races and field events -- as well as signing up for giveaways and purchasing products at special discounted event pricing. Our competition bibs were provided by Athlete Race Numbers, the Official Bib Printer of the NSAF -- and creator of our fabulous new record banners at NBNI. Meet Directors, be sure to check out Athlete Race Numbers for your own meets and use the handy NSAF16 code to receive a discount.

We were also grateful to have ElliptiGo back with us at NBNO, the world’s first elliptical bicycle which delivers a fun, comfortable and effective cardiovascular workout experience that inspires people and improves their lives -- while eliminating impact on joints. They have helped Great Oaks High School and Coach Doug Soles build a national distance dynasty out of Temecula, California.  Learn more at their website and Facebook Page.
 

We are pleased to continue to partner with Primo Water, our Official Water Sponsor, and welcomed Gatorade back with us. Temperatures were hot and participants enjoyed Gatorade all weekend, as well as filling up their water bottles at the Primo Hydration Stations around the track and facility.

          

Chill Skinz, was new with us this year and offered instant cooling towels and headwear -- which were a big hit! Lots of folks checked out their booth and tried their products at the track!

We also welcomed our new partners from the Sanford Sports Science Institute (SSSI), now our exclusive national sports medicine research partner. Sanford Health – an integrated health system headquartered in the Dakotas – will conduct research in conjunction with the NSAF to help with the development of future Olympic and World Championship hopefuls, starting with a special combined Project Javelin Gold and Project Triple Jump clinic August 10-13 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls. The clinic will be open to any interested athletes and coaches.

 


Take Your Coaching to the Next Level with The ALTIS Foundation Course

The education staff at ALTIS has just released the ALTIS Foundation Course, an online course designed to give coaches of all sports the foundation of knowledge required to coach effectively and with confidence.

The ALTIS Foundation Course spans three semesters of online learning and covers an array of important topics, from Biomechanical Concepts and Applied Physiology to Athlete Management and Speed Development Basics. Each semester contains four self-paced modules, featuring helpful videos, learning checks, and suggestions on real-world application.

The ALTIS Foundation Course was written by some of the greatest coaches in the world – PJ Vazel, Derek Evely, and legendary coach and educator, Dan Pfaff. The first semester is available now online at education.altis.world.

Special offer: Enter promotional code “NSAF” at check-out to receive a 5% discount off the full course.

About ALTIS

The ALTIS training facility in North Phoenix is host to some of the world's greatest Track & Field athletes, including Olympic 200m silver medalist Andre De Grasse, Olympic 110m hurdles gold medalist Aries Merritt, and many others from over 30 countries around the globe.

In addition to coaching athletes on-site year-round, ALTIS provides online training and education for coaches of all sports through The Foundation Course, and their subscription service, ALTIS 360. ALTIS also offers week-long coaching apprenticeship programs at their facility in Phoenix.
 



Check out the new film 1 Mile to You

We were thankful at New Balance Nationals Outdoor to have a chance to partner with the new feature film, 1 Mile to You, based on the acclaimed high school running novel Life at These Speeds by Jeremy Jackson.

Critics call 1 Mile to You a "psychologically credible young adult movie interested in its characters" and "as sport movies go, 1 Mile to You is a cut above the rest". The film stars Billy Crudup, Graham Rogers, Liana Liberato, Stefanie Scott, and Tim Roth. Watch the trailer here!

If you like the movie on Facebook, follow on Twitter or follow on Instagram, you will automatically be entered for a chance to win a promotional discount code for the download of the film!

Get motivated for next season by ordering the movie here on iTunes! Or enjoy a race night with your friends by ordering the movie on Amazon!

 

 

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