And We Helped!
The question has been asked if participation in meets such as the NSSF/NIKE INDOOR /OUTDOOR as well as the NIKE TEAM NATIONALS in cross-country have any influence upon an athlete's future career? I recall a highly placed USATF official arguing with Jim Spier and myself that in his eyes such participation was basically worthless. In our opinion, he was wrong then and he's wrong now.
Several years ago I posed the question to sprinter Dennis Mitchell. His answer went something like this, 'Competing in the Pathmark meet (one of the precursors to the NIKE INDOOR NATIONALS) changed my life. I was ready to accept a football scholarship and when I won the championship I decided to concentrate on track instead.' Mitchell went on the garner Olympic gold on the 1992 4x100mR along with a bronze in the 100m event. In 1991 and 1993 he earned a bronze medal in the same event as well as a gold in the 4x100mR. Now admittedly an endorsement from one athlete means little or nothing.
But another Olympian, the great Amy Acuff also felt competing in the meet we created in 1984 had a positive affect upon her career. "It (the indoor championships) was my first exposure to big time competition. The experience helped me immeasurably as I went up the competition ladder." And what a ladder it was�IS! THREE Olympic teams and a good shot in 2008! In 1988 she achieved a career best of 5'4 and the climb was on. She won four National Scholastic championships and was the HS AOY in 1993. She went on to UCLA where she took five NCAA titles.
I could write similar stories about literally dozens of young men and women who got their "big meet" start at what are now the NIKE INDOOR/OUTDOOR NATIONALS. Kids, and I use the word advisedly since that's what they were when I first encountered them. Kids like our first shot put winner in 1984, Randy Barnes, WVA, who went on to win but Olympic gold; Maicel Malone, IN, Hollis Conway, LA, Carlette Guidry, TX, Curt Clausen and Suzy Favor, WI (same high school, Stevens Point), Nick Hysong, AZ, Monique Hennagan, NC, Jason Pyrah, MO, the Barber twins, Melissa and Mikele, NJ and the sensational Bayano Kamani, TX, the son of NSSF counsel, Joy Kamani. (Ed. Note: Each of the above hails from a different state; well, almost.) Truthfully, I could have named at least 40-50 more of this nation's Elite athletes space will not permit it. Rather I think it best to concentrate on our team currently competing at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan.
Begin with 100m winner TYSON GAY. His awesome success was rather unforeseen, at least at the 2001 NON event where he took fifth place in both the 100m (10.52) and the 200m (21.54.) I haven't asked but I'll be willing to bet his performances in Raleigh inspired him to do far better in the future. The other two US 100m entrants in Osaka also competed at the NIKE meets, J-MEE SAMUELS winning the sprints and MARK JELKS barely qualifying for the 100m finals in the 2002 event. He also took two 5th place finishes, 10.64 and 21.51. Thus, all three US representatives are NIKE alumni.
The 400m looks much the same. The favorite is JEREMY WARINER backed up by two other NIKE alumni, ANGELO TAYLOR AND LASHAWN MERRITT.
Surprisingly, in the 800m, no NIKE alumni are present. The 2002 runner-up, JONATHAN JOHNSON, being nipped at the tape and missing the squad by .10.
One of the greatest rivalries in NIKE history was that of South Lakes HS, VA and Florida's Atlantic HS. In 2001 the Floridians bested South Lakes, 10:03.70 � 10:05.72. The South Lakes anchor was a kid names ALAN WEBB. Webb is a great competitor and the following year his 3:59.8 anchor leg gained revenge. (Ed. Note: When Webb was a hs soph he lost a two mile race at the Virginia Tech Invitational. I saw him, put my arm around his shoulders and sais, "Hang in there, you're going to be great someday." Little did I know how great!) LEONEL MANZANO is another NON winner and if BERNARD LAGAT had gone to high school in the US he would have probably been one as well.
In the 5000m MATT TEGENKAMP is a NIKE as well.
GALEN RUPP and DATHAN RITZHEIN represent the NIKE meets in the 10000.
Four of the six US athletes in the hurdles are former NON competitors with TERRENCE TRAMMELLwinning in '97 and KERRON CLEMENT in 2002. BERSHAWN JACKSON, reigning world champion, finished fourth behind Clement, 13.81 � 13.92. In 2003 Clement took the 400IH, 50.96. (Ed. Note: Most state meets are over 300m. The only two major high school competitions over 400m are the Penn Relays and the NON competitions. That's a shame.)
NIKE is represented in the high jump by 2002 champion JESSE WILLIAMS, 7-01.75.
The great WALTER DAVIS wasn't too great at the 1997 outdoor competition finishing 3rd at 49-01.5 but in Osaka he's could win again. Another NIKE winner, AARIK WILSON took the '98 meet, winning in 48-08.75.
ADAM NELSON took our '93 (!) meet with a throw of 63-02.25 and went on to a truly awesome career capped by winning the World Championships in Helsinki throwing 71'03.5. His accomplishments are far too numerous to mention. REESE HOFFA improved quite a bit since his 5th place finish in 1997, 60-08.5. He's also the current World Indoor champ the US could be looking at a 1-2 finish in Osaka.
In 2002 MICHAEL ROBERTSON flew in from Brussels where he was attending high school to compete at the NON discus. He finished 2nd, 208-10.
The two relay pools are loaded with NIKE alumni and there is a possibility of an
ALL-NIKE squad in the 4x100mR (Gay, Jelks, Samuels and Scott) and a stronger possibility over the 4x400mR (Wariner, Taylor, Merritt and DAROLD WILLIAMSON.) Williamson was the 400m winner in 2001, 46.88.
So the two meets created by the NSSF team have had a profound influence on our sport over the years. The indoor meet is going into its 24th year while the outdoor event will celebrate it's 17th birthday this coming June. It must be said that while we created the meets and kept them going, the sponsorship responsibility taken on by NIKE has made the events far greater than we could have ever done. The NSSF, the sport of track and field and the nation owes a debt of gratitude to the folks in Beaverton.
The Women's portion of this story will be completed later this week.
(Mike Byrnes may be contacted at fmbyrnes@aol.com)
