man oh man
this was an amazing weekend!!
This past week of practice wasnt to bad heading into this past weekend. I did one of my favorite workouts cant really share Chris's secrets but i like it alot it helps my 400 alot!! So Im heading into the weekend excited about my first 400 of the 2009 outdoor season. As usual we have our friday game nite!! But before we had it Mandy and I had to go to the doc becasue she needed an MRI. (Everything is fine!! thank God!) So we have the game nite around 830 and were playing Mario Kart and a few of the other guys played wii tennis as a couple others waited to play HALO!! So they finish playing tennis and its time for HALO. Of course I dominate haha the guys need to step their game up lol. But we play until 12 then the guys leave.
The next day I wake up pumped and ready to go! I take a shower and eat breakfast. Then I head to the track. I walk to the track to clear my head, focus, and take in the weather. The first race for me was 4x1 and oh my was it fun! Our first leg Anthony Chandler gets off to a good start and he is running well. NExt, I get the baton. I take off and Im rolling. I hand off the baton to Chase Vancura and the lead gets bigger. Chase hands it to Dayo Igeleke and he blows it out the water!!!! We win by alot and run 41.09 and thats faster than the conference winning team along with anytime we ran last year. So things are looking real good. Next was the 400. Oh yeah im ready to go. Im in the blocks and the gun goes off. I get out hard and make up the stagger on everyone except CJ Carroll (a fellow teammate who I later catch) and Im on the back stretch relaxing i go into the final turn and I turn it on! Im feeling good and rolling but Im thinking that its not fast enough and that Ill run a 46.3 or 4. I cross the line and wait for the time.
45.83!!!!! I was YYYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! Its something that I was talking about but never really thought would happen until it did. I am utterly shocked, surprised, and happy. lol My next race was the 4x4. I wanted to have the A team run together and put in a good time. But my coach thought otherwise. He made me run third leg of the unofficial A team and put the next 2 fastest 400 runners on the B team as the 1 and 2 legs. (Stacking it against me! lol). But he put two 800 runners as the 3rd and 4th leg of the b team and one as the anchor for the A team. So im running against an 800 with honestly an 100 meter lead. I hit the back stretch and Kyle Neyer (800 runner) was finishing the back stretch and heading into the curve. I was shoot I wont catch this guy...
Then I thought to myself if I'm going to catch him I have to pick it up and go. So I get to the 250 meter mark and turn it on! Im closing in on him around the curve and every step I was closing in on him. THen I past him with like 25-30 meters left in the race!!! I split 45.1 and put the team in the lead. I hand it off to Jon McClelland (800 runner) and he is able to hold off Alex Ramsey running a 49.8 to seal the victory!!! Man it was crazy!!!! Once Chris gives me the videos I'll post them on youtube and you can check them out there!
Overall the meet was another great on for the team. One of our captains Troy Lammers was able to compete after missing a whole year with a hamstring injury and he ran well! A 53.1 and very close to the regional mark! We had Troy Cooper qualify for regionals in the shot with a 55 foot heave! Freshman Terrence Sommerville qualified for regionals in the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.14, Shane Shockey in the pole vault with 16'6'' jump and Brandon Fitch in the high jump. Other notable marks came form our talented distance group. With freshman Michael Rutherford running a 1:49:44 800, adn 8 fellow 800 runners running under 2:00 minutes. Eric Finan, Kyle Dragan, and Brian Berling running the 1500, 800 double. Each running 3:54-1:55, 3:57-1:57. and 3:59-2:00 respectively.
Once again we had a great meet as a team but we have to continue to build upon our success to achieve what we set out to do at the end of last year.
"ONE TEAM ONE GOAL"
"London 2012 God be my Guide"
To Succeed, You need to find something to hold on to, something to inspire you
-Tony Dorsett
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Well since the last blog only a few things have happened we had our first meet! My fiance got into Grad school along with a fellowship for the UC Foundation! (GREAT SUCCESS!!!)But before that im gonna talk about the week heading into it. In the previous blog I spoke about a small hamstring problem I had. Well, the monday before the first meet I come into practice and Chris tells me, "Twan your gonna run the 800 this weekend". I was like WHAT??!?! He said, "yeah, its either run the 800 or dont run at all". I was like let me think about it. So we continue with pratice and after practice I go up to Chris and say ok I'll run the 800. He said good and be ready to go. The following day we had a decent practice wasnt too hard just real tiring. But the following day I did an 800 workout and it was ok but I felt pretty bad and ran well so that gave me a lil confidence heading into the meet. After that workout, the next day was pretty simple just an extended warm-up and ice-bath.
Then came friday night. GAME NIGHT!!! The guy sprinters come over to my place and play wii and eat real good meal. We play wii until about 930 or so. Yeah, my relay Mario Kart Team completed the sweep! Sam Benjamin, Kyle Thomas, and myself. We played a little bit of Sonic vs Mario Olympics I won the trampoline thanks to some practice at my coaches house! I set the olympic record in the hammer to! lol
Saturday is here and its time to go! I wake-up take a shower and eat a good breakfast. My family came to the meet from Colmbus which was good! Its always good to see family! So im watching as my teammates are competing and the meet is going really well for us.
Funny story. Since im running the 800 i decided to warm up with them. So were about to start teh warm-up and Alex Ramsey says if u get a little tired its ok if you stop. I say huh? HE goes yeah were about to do a mile or two...
I say whoa. I'll stay here and warm-up on the track. haha thats too long for me to do before a race haha.
So were ready and the gun is about to go off. I share a lane with Alex which is good because I was gonna run at his pace and follow behind his experience. So the gun goes off and I get behind Alex and I notice freshman Michale Rutherford is way out front with a kid from Xavier. I was like shoot they are rolling. So Im running behind Alex on pace and relaxed. We finish the first 400 and I'm like ok this feels good. Then, it hit me. My breathing increased and I felt like I was gonna stop and quit running. Then the competitive streak got going. Im at the 200 meter mark and I start to pick it up. I pass the kid from Xavier and Im in 3rd still behind Alex. We get to the last 100 and I pass Alex and Im going I look up and the freshman Michael Rutherford (fellow columbus native!) is rollin out in front and there is no catching him! We finish and I get second at 1:52:04, Michael Ruther runs 1:50:49 (a new freshman record previously held by Alex Ramsey), and Alex Ramsey runs 1:52:27 we complete the sweep and its a great day! I just want to give praise to those guys. The 800 is a tough race and they are able to put up with the training for it and they run it every weekend. Kudos to you all!
Well, I didnt feel well after the race...I threw up and sat in the training room outside for a good 20 mins until Mike the trainer made me walk around sipping on water and powerade. After I leave the training room I go visit my family give out hugs and say hi give out some kisses to my mom, grandma, lil sis, and my 2 cousins. My older brother was there as well.
I then head down to the center of the field so that the team could clap it up! Favorite part of the meet! It brings alot of excitement to team before 4x4!
Now this is a race that was one to remember! I didnt run but they moved around the teams so that they would be even and it was beyond even! With mixtures of 800 and 400 guys this was gonna be interesting. So the 1st three legs are done and its down to the anchor legs. Chase Vancura is the anchor for the A team and Jason Berling is the anchor for the B team. Jason has a 30 meter lead and is looking good. Chase gets the baton and takes off! He's closing the gap on the back stretch but Jason still has a pretty big lead. They get to the home stretch and Chase is rolling! each step he gets closer and closer to Jason. They are now neck and neck battling with Chase still trying to catch him...
They finish...
Jason throws out his arms at the end blocking Chase from stealing the win at the end. They finish within 5 hundreths of a second apart! Crazy! Chase splits a 47.5 which is a sign of great things to come!
This meet displayed the hard work this team has been putting in throughout the indoor season and conditioning. He had numerous winners and Big east qualifiers in events that we had not in the past which shows that we are certainly heading in the right direction in our goal for a conference championship!
So far this week during spring break Im just finishing up my last week on co-op! Which means no more getting up at 530 am! but now I have homework...
LOL
Im getting ready to run my 1st 400 outdoor of the 2009 season along with 4x1 so itll be fun to see what happens.
"ONE TEAM ONE GOAL"
"What are you willing to sacrifice for the greater success of team..."
"London 2012 God be my guide"
Then came friday night. GAME NIGHT!!! The guy sprinters come over to my place and play wii and eat real good meal. We play wii until about 930 or so. Yeah, my relay Mario Kart Team completed the sweep! Sam Benjamin, Kyle Thomas, and myself. We played a little bit of Sonic vs Mario Olympics I won the trampoline thanks to some practice at my coaches house! I set the olympic record in the hammer to! lol
Saturday is here and its time to go! I wake-up take a shower and eat a good breakfast. My family came to the meet from Colmbus which was good! Its always good to see family! So im watching as my teammates are competing and the meet is going really well for us.
Funny story. Since im running the 800 i decided to warm up with them. So were about to start teh warm-up and Alex Ramsey says if u get a little tired its ok if you stop. I say huh? HE goes yeah were about to do a mile or two...
I say whoa. I'll stay here and warm-up on the track. haha thats too long for me to do before a race haha.
So were ready and the gun is about to go off. I share a lane with Alex which is good because I was gonna run at his pace and follow behind his experience. So the gun goes off and I get behind Alex and I notice freshman Michale Rutherford is way out front with a kid from Xavier. I was like shoot they are rolling. So Im running behind Alex on pace and relaxed. We finish the first 400 and I'm like ok this feels good. Then, it hit me. My breathing increased and I felt like I was gonna stop and quit running. Then the competitive streak got going. Im at the 200 meter mark and I start to pick it up. I pass the kid from Xavier and Im in 3rd still behind Alex. We get to the last 100 and I pass Alex and Im going I look up and the freshman Michael Rutherford (fellow columbus native!) is rollin out in front and there is no catching him! We finish and I get second at 1:52:04, Michael Ruther runs 1:50:49 (a new freshman record previously held by Alex Ramsey), and Alex Ramsey runs 1:52:27 we complete the sweep and its a great day! I just want to give praise to those guys. The 800 is a tough race and they are able to put up with the training for it and they run it every weekend. Kudos to you all!
Well, I didnt feel well after the race...I threw up and sat in the training room outside for a good 20 mins until Mike the trainer made me walk around sipping on water and powerade. After I leave the training room I go visit my family give out hugs and say hi give out some kisses to my mom, grandma, lil sis, and my 2 cousins. My older brother was there as well.
I then head down to the center of the field so that the team could clap it up! Favorite part of the meet! It brings alot of excitement to team before 4x4!
Now this is a race that was one to remember! I didnt run but they moved around the teams so that they would be even and it was beyond even! With mixtures of 800 and 400 guys this was gonna be interesting. So the 1st three legs are done and its down to the anchor legs. Chase Vancura is the anchor for the A team and Jason Berling is the anchor for the B team. Jason has a 30 meter lead and is looking good. Chase gets the baton and takes off! He's closing the gap on the back stretch but Jason still has a pretty big lead. They get to the home stretch and Chase is rolling! each step he gets closer and closer to Jason. They are now neck and neck battling with Chase still trying to catch him...
They finish...
Jason throws out his arms at the end blocking Chase from stealing the win at the end. They finish within 5 hundreths of a second apart! Crazy! Chase splits a 47.5 which is a sign of great things to come!
This meet displayed the hard work this team has been putting in throughout the indoor season and conditioning. He had numerous winners and Big east qualifiers in events that we had not in the past which shows that we are certainly heading in the right direction in our goal for a conference championship!
So far this week during spring break Im just finishing up my last week on co-op! Which means no more getting up at 530 am! but now I have homework...
LOL
Im getting ready to run my 1st 400 outdoor of the 2009 season along with 4x1 so itll be fun to see what happens.
"ONE TEAM ONE GOAL"
"What are you willing to sacrifice for the greater success of team..."
"London 2012 God be my guide"
During that year one of the coaches Brandon Hon kept telling me this is another chapter of your story, what are you going to write? That kept me motivated to keep working harder and harder to run well. So after regionals he said, “do you want the story to end like this?” That statement alone had me focused and ready to go for the following year.
After finishing fourth at the big east conference our men’s team felt like we could have a shot at actually winning next year seeing that we lost 3 points from the team that finished fourth. So, I came up with an idea to get team wristbands so that everyone would remember the task at hand even when there just sitting in the classroom that is win conference as a team. I emailed the team told them my idea and asked for suggestions for the slogan. Troy Lammers came up with the slogan of “One Team One Goal”.
So the summer is here and I was focused more than ever! I stayed in Cincinnati to train and take classes. I went to morning lifting at 7 three days a week with teammate Chase Vancura, Alex Ramsey, Allen “Big Al” Moore. Chase and I would train twice a week running workouts and campus loops trying to get better. We busted out tales that summer training preparing for the following season. The entire team hd that same desire! Guys would come into the coaches office and talk about winning conference they were working out over the summer instead of not doing nothing so the dedication was there and we had to carry that the entire summer, the fall, and coming up the spring.
So fall is and its time for conditioning. Well, condition is going well and the team is focused and everyone is working hard. But, I get injured. I started having pain in my foot but I ignored it because it didn’t seem that bad but the pain got worse until I was forced to sit out workouts. I went to the doc got a MRI and I had a stress reaction in my foot and couldn’t run. Man, I was down. All that work over the summer and now I’m injured. But it wasn’t a major problem I spent 1 month doing pool workouts (Mike the greatest trainer in the world pushed me through all the workouts) and it turned out to help a lot! The day I was able to start running we were doing flying 30’s so I decided to jump in. I ended up with the fastest flying 30 and shocked myself. So now I’m back on track. Training is well going well and indoor is approaching. Time to get pumped! Actual meets are about to start! Again, the team is looking nice, was training hard, and was focused. On a side note I got a 3.7 this past fall quarter which was my second deans list award ever J (hey babe thanks for the motivation!)
Just a tid bit about my fiancée. She has been on dean’s list every quarter of her 3 years here at Cincy. She’s graduating a year early with a 3.9 something gpa in communication and she got into grad school with a full ride here at cincy!!! I saw one of her dean’s list certificates and I said I want 1 of those and so far I have 2! Without God and her support, I would not have been able to make it to this point in my life!
Now its time for indoor. We start the indoor season off with the intrasquad meet which is a lot of fun. We split the team into two teams and compete against each other. Of course the RED dquad won! (my team) but I didn’t participate in the 4x4 because my foot started to bother me again. I am named a team captain along with Alex “Man child” Ramsey, Troy Lammers and Chad Hanson. A bunch of great guys I might add.
We don’t have an official indoor mens team so a lot of the time we have to compete unattached. But we can particiapate as a team in three meets indoor. To start the season off my coach Chris Wineberg told me the qualifying standard for USATF indoor nationals is 47.4. I said ok I’ll get it. I decided to go to the first Indiana meet to run. Im there you know and I notice I’m in the second heat and Chris tells me win the meet from the second heat. I watch the first heat the winning time was a 48.43. I do my usual routine then its time. I get into the blocks say a prayer and the gun goes off. I get hard and smooth catching the guy in lane 5. Im first to the break still relaxed and fast. I stay at the pace through the back stretch and down the home stretch. I won my heat my 2 seconds and I run a 48.04 a pr! (my previous pr was 48.54) I didn’t pick up the pace at all on the back stretch like I normally would so that time let me know that I can definitely go faster.
The next weekend I take off before we really start to get into our indoor season. That rest paid off! The following weekend we were back at IU and this time the team was there and it was a different atmosphere. I decide to run the 200, 400, and 4x4. This was my first 200 indoor and I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, it’s the invite and I didn’t want to lose. So, I get into the blocks and the gun goes off. I get out hard catching the guy next to me and cruising to the back stretch. I keep my speed, I’m relaxed, and I’m running fast. I get midway thru the back stretch and I pick it up again. Im in first and rolling! I cross the line at 21.75 and winning my heat by a half a second and the meet by a less than half a second. Then it was the 400 invite. I ready to go and focused. I get into the blocks and again I the guns goes off and I immediately catch the guy on my outside. I’m rolling thru the back stretch and its almost time for the break. I pick it up a little to be the 1st there. I make it there in first and I’m running relaxed and smooth. I get to the back stretch and I pick it up! I start gaining speed and pull away from everybody. I ended running 47.64. Now going to Boston is a reality. The 4x4 was nice as well. Our first three legs run well but were still back a few meters. Indiana is in the lead and I get the baton a few meters back. I get out and im trailing the guy thru the first lap chilling and staying relaxed. Then, I kicked it into high gear on the back stretch of the second lap and I pull away from him big time! We win the race with a 3:17 and IU went 3:19. Overall, this meet was a success for the team a lot of great marks and pr’s. That lets everybody know that we are headed in the right direction.
Next was the Rod McCravy meet. 300 meter track. I knew this was my only chance to get that USATF 400 mark. I am entered in the 60, 400, and 4x4. My first time running a 60 and I don’t have a great start I just didn’t want to get beat REALLY bad! So the race goes off and I get out not really fast but acceptable. Im net thing you know I hit hands with the guy next to me and Im running with one arm moving because my hand hurts lol. But I still manage to finish in 6.87. Then it was the 400. I am in the second heat and the winning time was 46.58. I was like shoot! Cat was rolling! I then realize that I have to roll! I get into the blocks and the gun goes off. I get out HARD! Going into the first curve I have the lead already. I get to the back stretch and Im relaxed like none other rolling. Then it was time to pick it up and bring it home. I get the knees up, arms pumping, and I start pulling away. I hit the home stretch and I continue to roll. I cross the line…..
46.57 pops up unofficially. The final time was 46.59 one hundredth of a second from first. I am a lil disappointed but I soon cheer up realizing I just booked my ticket to Boston and set another school record! Man all I can do is thank God! I call Mandy (my fiancée) and say were going to Boston! I then get off the phone walk to the trash can and throw up! I know im soft lol. But now its time for 4x4! Im feeling like crap and I don’t feel up to the challenge of running. But then Western Kentucky is rolling! There leading the pack by a good 50 meters or so and the lead is just getting bigger. So I get the baton in 4th and I take off. I pass two guys going into the back stretch then I just kick it in and put the pedal to the floor! I start closing the gap but the lead was too big for me to make up. WKU ends up running like 3:12 or something and we go 3:15 I think. But after the race Chris walks up to me and said you didn’t do enough. I was like what did I split? I’m thinking 48 or 49. He said no! 45.6 I was like WORD! I didn’t believe him at first I was just like no way he said yeah you hit the back stretch and never slowed down. These races can be seen on youtube just search: ucdrakefam. The meet was again a good overall meet for the team more pr’s which is always good! Got to shout out Terrence Sommerville the freshman that’s following in the footsteps of silver medalist David Payne running a 7.91 his indoor season I see you freshman!
The following of practice wasn’t to hard. I co-op with Perfetti Van Melle (they make airheads, mentos, and chupa chupas) and I get up at 530 in the morning mon-fri to get to work and be able to leave to get to practice at 330. Well that Thursday I wasn’t feeling the greatest my legs were sore and tight and I was a lil late for practice. I didn’t warm- up well and we were doing flying 30’s and I wanted to jump in! I told Chris I wasn’t feeling well he said you don’t have to practice save your legs and watch. But being a hardworking guy I decide to run. NOT GOOD AT ALL! I run the 1st one in 3 flat. Not bad but we had a few 2.94, 2.97, 29.5 and I was like shoot I gotta get that low! So I go again and Im rolling but 5 meters before I get to the sensor I feel my hammy tighten up. So I shut it down hit the mat and fell to the floor still running a 3 flat tho! Haha but the trainer’s come over and I can barely walk straight. I tried to jog around the track but that wasn’t happening. So I go to the training room and get some treatment. I’m feeling terrible I qualify for nationals then I mess up my hammy what luck do I have. I hold off on buying a ticket for the trip. I take the next few days off not doing anything but rehabbing and doing pool workouts again. Heading into the weekend I’m feeling a little better but nowhere near 100% its all-ohio weekend and I cant run. I decide to have a Wii game nite at my place for the men sprinters. Kyle, Chase and CJ Carroll show up I make the pre-meet meal for champions lol. On a side note Chase is terrible at Wii!!!! A solid 400, 4x1, 4x4 guy but on the Wii?!?!?! OH NO!! But we have and they leave around 9 or so.
I decide to get on the bus at 630 and travel with the team on valentines day weekend instead of sleeping in. Gotta show support!! ONE TEAM ONE GOAL!! While at he I my hammy is feeling better bout 75% so I’m icing throughout the day and I get stem. There was a point during the day when I couldn’t feel my foot and I almost tripped over it. I already walk funny for those who haven’t seen me. But Im pigeon footed and my feet go in when I walk they look like this: / \ just to give you a lil idea of what they look like.
Overall all-ohio was a good meet some surprises and good marks so yeah it was fun to cheer on teammates yelling all over place with a gimp leg!
So I decide to scratch nationals so that I don’t risk injurying myself more for outdoor. It seems like that was a good decision hearing about the snowstorm that swept thru cancelling 300 Delta flights.
Well, that has you all caught up until this point training is going well, I’m bout to start classes again and outdoor is about to begin!!! YES I AM PUMPED!!!! I have never been so focused on anything this much. There are times when all I can think of is getting into the blocks, the gun going off and me sprinting, putting every muscle and ounce of energy in winning and putting up points for the team.
The desire to win and to allow my teammates to feel the feeling I felt when I won conference as a part of the 4x1 relay and an individual is what drives me. The feeling of being the best is what I want this team to feel. To the men who read this that are apart of this team I have one thing to say, “ONE TEAM ONE GOAL”
LETS GET IT!!!!
Twan
After finishing fourth at the big east conference our men’s team felt like we could have a shot at actually winning next year seeing that we lost 3 points from the team that finished fourth. So, I came up with an idea to get team wristbands so that everyone would remember the task at hand even when there just sitting in the classroom that is win conference as a team. I emailed the team told them my idea and asked for suggestions for the slogan. Troy Lammers came up with the slogan of “One Team One Goal”.
So the summer is here and I was focused more than ever! I stayed in Cincinnati to train and take classes. I went to morning lifting at 7 three days a week with teammate Chase Vancura, Alex Ramsey, Allen “Big Al” Moore. Chase and I would train twice a week running workouts and campus loops trying to get better. We busted out tales that summer training preparing for the following season. The entire team hd that same desire! Guys would come into the coaches office and talk about winning conference they were working out over the summer instead of not doing nothing so the dedication was there and we had to carry that the entire summer, the fall, and coming up the spring.
So fall is and its time for conditioning. Well, condition is going well and the team is focused and everyone is working hard. But, I get injured. I started having pain in my foot but I ignored it because it didn’t seem that bad but the pain got worse until I was forced to sit out workouts. I went to the doc got a MRI and I had a stress reaction in my foot and couldn’t run. Man, I was down. All that work over the summer and now I’m injured. But it wasn’t a major problem I spent 1 month doing pool workouts (Mike the greatest trainer in the world pushed me through all the workouts) and it turned out to help a lot! The day I was able to start running we were doing flying 30’s so I decided to jump in. I ended up with the fastest flying 30 and shocked myself. So now I’m back on track. Training is well going well and indoor is approaching. Time to get pumped! Actual meets are about to start! Again, the team is looking nice, was training hard, and was focused. On a side note I got a 3.7 this past fall quarter which was my second deans list award ever J (hey babe thanks for the motivation!)
Just a tid bit about my fiancée. She has been on dean’s list every quarter of her 3 years here at Cincy. She’s graduating a year early with a 3.9 something gpa in communication and she got into grad school with a full ride here at cincy!!! I saw one of her dean’s list certificates and I said I want 1 of those and so far I have 2! Without God and her support, I would not have been able to make it to this point in my life!
Now its time for indoor. We start the indoor season off with the intrasquad meet which is a lot of fun. We split the team into two teams and compete against each other. Of course the RED dquad won! (my team) but I didn’t participate in the 4x4 because my foot started to bother me again. I am named a team captain along with Alex “Man child” Ramsey, Troy Lammers and Chad Hanson. A bunch of great guys I might add.
We don’t have an official indoor mens team so a lot of the time we have to compete unattached. But we can particiapate as a team in three meets indoor. To start the season off my coach Chris Wineberg told me the qualifying standard for USATF indoor nationals is 47.4. I said ok I’ll get it. I decided to go to the first Indiana meet to run. Im there you know and I notice I’m in the second heat and Chris tells me win the meet from the second heat. I watch the first heat the winning time was a 48.43. I do my usual routine then its time. I get into the blocks say a prayer and the gun goes off. I get hard and smooth catching the guy in lane 5. Im first to the break still relaxed and fast. I stay at the pace through the back stretch and down the home stretch. I won my heat my 2 seconds and I run a 48.04 a pr! (my previous pr was 48.54) I didn’t pick up the pace at all on the back stretch like I normally would so that time let me know that I can definitely go faster.
The next weekend I take off before we really start to get into our indoor season. That rest paid off! The following weekend we were back at IU and this time the team was there and it was a different atmosphere. I decide to run the 200, 400, and 4x4. This was my first 200 indoor and I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, it’s the invite and I didn’t want to lose. So, I get into the blocks and the gun goes off. I get out hard catching the guy next to me and cruising to the back stretch. I keep my speed, I’m relaxed, and I’m running fast. I get midway thru the back stretch and I pick it up again. Im in first and rolling! I cross the line at 21.75 and winning my heat by a half a second and the meet by a less than half a second. Then it was the 400 invite. I ready to go and focused. I get into the blocks and again I the guns goes off and I immediately catch the guy on my outside. I’m rolling thru the back stretch and its almost time for the break. I pick it up a little to be the 1st there. I make it there in first and I’m running relaxed and smooth. I get to the back stretch and I pick it up! I start gaining speed and pull away from everybody. I ended running 47.64. Now going to Boston is a reality. The 4x4 was nice as well. Our first three legs run well but were still back a few meters. Indiana is in the lead and I get the baton a few meters back. I get out and im trailing the guy thru the first lap chilling and staying relaxed. Then, I kicked it into high gear on the back stretch of the second lap and I pull away from him big time! We win the race with a 3:17 and IU went 3:19. Overall, this meet was a success for the team a lot of great marks and pr’s. That lets everybody know that we are headed in the right direction.
Next was the Rod McCravy meet. 300 meter track. I knew this was my only chance to get that USATF 400 mark. I am entered in the 60, 400, and 4x4. My first time running a 60 and I don’t have a great start I just didn’t want to get beat REALLY bad! So the race goes off and I get out not really fast but acceptable. Im net thing you know I hit hands with the guy next to me and Im running with one arm moving because my hand hurts lol. But I still manage to finish in 6.87. Then it was the 400. I am in the second heat and the winning time was 46.58. I was like shoot! Cat was rolling! I then realize that I have to roll! I get into the blocks and the gun goes off. I get out HARD! Going into the first curve I have the lead already. I get to the back stretch and Im relaxed like none other rolling. Then it was time to pick it up and bring it home. I get the knees up, arms pumping, and I start pulling away. I hit the home stretch and I continue to roll. I cross the line…..
46.57 pops up unofficially. The final time was 46.59 one hundredth of a second from first. I am a lil disappointed but I soon cheer up realizing I just booked my ticket to Boston and set another school record! Man all I can do is thank God! I call Mandy (my fiancée) and say were going to Boston! I then get off the phone walk to the trash can and throw up! I know im soft lol. But now its time for 4x4! Im feeling like crap and I don’t feel up to the challenge of running. But then Western Kentucky is rolling! There leading the pack by a good 50 meters or so and the lead is just getting bigger. So I get the baton in 4th and I take off. I pass two guys going into the back stretch then I just kick it in and put the pedal to the floor! I start closing the gap but the lead was too big for me to make up. WKU ends up running like 3:12 or something and we go 3:15 I think. But after the race Chris walks up to me and said you didn’t do enough. I was like what did I split? I’m thinking 48 or 49. He said no! 45.6 I was like WORD! I didn’t believe him at first I was just like no way he said yeah you hit the back stretch and never slowed down. These races can be seen on youtube just search: ucdrakefam. The meet was again a good overall meet for the team more pr’s which is always good! Got to shout out Terrence Sommerville the freshman that’s following in the footsteps of silver medalist David Payne running a 7.91 his indoor season I see you freshman!
The following of practice wasn’t to hard. I co-op with Perfetti Van Melle (they make airheads, mentos, and chupa chupas) and I get up at 530 in the morning mon-fri to get to work and be able to leave to get to practice at 330. Well that Thursday I wasn’t feeling the greatest my legs were sore and tight and I was a lil late for practice. I didn’t warm- up well and we were doing flying 30’s and I wanted to jump in! I told Chris I wasn’t feeling well he said you don’t have to practice save your legs and watch. But being a hardworking guy I decide to run. NOT GOOD AT ALL! I run the 1st one in 3 flat. Not bad but we had a few 2.94, 2.97, 29.5 and I was like shoot I gotta get that low! So I go again and Im rolling but 5 meters before I get to the sensor I feel my hammy tighten up. So I shut it down hit the mat and fell to the floor still running a 3 flat tho! Haha but the trainer’s come over and I can barely walk straight. I tried to jog around the track but that wasn’t happening. So I go to the training room and get some treatment. I’m feeling terrible I qualify for nationals then I mess up my hammy what luck do I have. I hold off on buying a ticket for the trip. I take the next few days off not doing anything but rehabbing and doing pool workouts again. Heading into the weekend I’m feeling a little better but nowhere near 100% its all-ohio weekend and I cant run. I decide to have a Wii game nite at my place for the men sprinters. Kyle, Chase and CJ Carroll show up I make the pre-meet meal for champions lol. On a side note Chase is terrible at Wii!!!! A solid 400, 4x1, 4x4 guy but on the Wii?!?!?! OH NO!! But we have and they leave around 9 or so.
I decide to get on the bus at 630 and travel with the team on valentines day weekend instead of sleeping in. Gotta show support!! ONE TEAM ONE GOAL!! While at he I my hammy is feeling better bout 75% so I’m icing throughout the day and I get stem. There was a point during the day when I couldn’t feel my foot and I almost tripped over it. I already walk funny for those who haven’t seen me. But Im pigeon footed and my feet go in when I walk they look like this: / \ just to give you a lil idea of what they look like.
Overall all-ohio was a good meet some surprises and good marks so yeah it was fun to cheer on teammates yelling all over place with a gimp leg!
So I decide to scratch nationals so that I don’t risk injurying myself more for outdoor. It seems like that was a good decision hearing about the snowstorm that swept thru cancelling 300 Delta flights.
Well, that has you all caught up until this point training is going well, I’m bout to start classes again and outdoor is about to begin!!! YES I AM PUMPED!!!! I have never been so focused on anything this much. There are times when all I can think of is getting into the blocks, the gun going off and me sprinting, putting every muscle and ounce of energy in winning and putting up points for the team.
The desire to win and to allow my teammates to feel the feeling I felt when I won conference as a part of the 4x1 relay and an individual is what drives me. The feeling of being the best is what I want this team to feel. To the men who read this that are apart of this team I have one thing to say, “ONE TEAM ONE GOAL”
LETS GET IT!!!!
Twan
Well this first blog will introduce me to you all. It will tell you all about my track career starting in high school until now. My name is Antione Drakeford I am a redshirt sophomore at the University of Cincinnati. I run the 400, 200, 4x1, and 4x4.
In high school I was a two-sport athlete not the typical football track person but the track/basketball person. My first year I played for Columbus south located in Columbus Ohio. I went out for the track team after basketball because the coach was the same coach. So I walk into practice thinking that I was just going to run and that will be it. Nevertheless, no the coach took us to the weight room. I was like ummm weights. I think not! Therefore, I walked out and never returned! I know stubborn and not dedicated. The following year we moved (my family moved a lot during high school). The following year I did not run track at all, I just focused on basketball and school. The next year I transferred to Columbus Africentric. The school had just started a varsity basketball team and they needed players so I decided to go. I made the team and we ended up making it to regional is that year. I decided to try track my junior year. I ran in one meet that year because I stepped on a pile of glass. I know crazy! However, I could have run that year but I really did not want to (again not really a dedicated person). So it is my senior year and I am playing basketball we win out city title, and state that year it was crazy! But OSHAA took away the title because they said we had an ineligible player (there was a paperwork mishap I think it was bull lol). So, its track season and I decide to run (great decision). The coach ran track for Penn St (Damon Reed) the 100 and the 200. So, I am winning all the races in the city, running 50 points and maybe a 49 here and there. I am getting a little recognition locally but nothing to serious; of course, those are far from blazing times ha-ha. I end up winning the city title in the 400 on my 18th birthday weekend so that was nice. I am getting ready for districts and everything and I tell my coach I want to set the state record in the 400 for division 3which was 47 something. I set the regional record with a 48 high and win regionals and I am the favorite going into state. All is well right! NO I make it to state finals and I CHOKE!!! I was the favorite and I got 4th. BIG disappointment. As for college, I received no offers, no calls, no letters, nothing. So I told my coach to call the colleges I got into, tell them my marks, and see if I can get a scholarship or something. So, he called OSU, Xavier, and Cincy. OSU acted as if they did not care. Xavier never called back, and Cincy said ok we can check him out and we can go from there. So they send a coach to regional’s to see me run and she said good job and we talked for a lil bit. I saw an OSU coach at that meet and he just walked by and said good job. Well, after state I thought I would not get any offers or anything but Cincy offered a partial scholarship and I gladly accepted. My high school pr’s are 48.67 400-meter dash and 22.3 200-meter dash.
Heading into college, I had good 400 runners ahead of me. Bob kandell, Lonnie Erving, Cedric Powell, and Jerod Batt. These people were not national caliber athletes but they were extremely talented and worked hard. So it is the first meet of the season and everyone is counting out the freshman but I win the meet in 47.78 and shock the world! Ha-ha but it was unexpected. That year, that was my fastest time and I was the 1st leg of the second place 4x4 team in the Big East Conference and the second fastest 4x4 team in school history. We went 3:10.
The following year I was expecting big things, but partying and not taking school serious started to ruin everything. I was majoring in Information Technology coming in and I was failing miserably! I got a 2.4, then a 1.9 then a 1.8. I was then ineligible going into the next year. But it got worse. I was now on academic probation and about to lose all my aid. One good thing did happen though! I met Amanda Palmer (now my fiancée!) However, things got worse and worse. I was one quarter from being completely out of school, off the team and back in Columbus working at Wal-mart or something. My coach Chris Wineberg (yes the husband of Mary Wineberg Olympic Gold Medalist) said to me, “I DON’T THINK YOU’LL MAKE IT I’VE SEEN TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS SITUATION AND THEY DO NOT MAKE”. I told him I would be back watch! So I change my major to Mechanical Engineering Technology and with the help of my fiancée, I get refocused back on school and started to improve my grade drastically. I was at the point were I had lost financial aid, my scholarship, on academic probation and soon to be back home in Columbus. The first quarter of that school year I got a 3.3, the following quarter I got a 3.5. So my grades are good now and I have to get my aid back. It took me all of winter break to get back into College and my aid. Once I had all of that I was ready to be back on the team. But little did I know my coach had to fight tooth and nail to get me back on the team again I had lost my scholarship and my spot on the team. So everything is all good Im back on the team and ready to run. I had realized that I was taken everything for granted and not really realizing the situation God put me in. So the season starts and I am ready to go. The first meet back I run a 47.37 and I had never looked smoother ever in college (my coaches said). I win the meet in the 400 and its time for the 4x4. Im nervous because I was never an anchor and we were behind by 30 meters (OSU was leading). So I grab the baton and I take off. My coach told me I took off and never slowed down. They said that they thought I was going to die but I didn’t! So, Im running and next thing you know I hawk down the guy from OSU and the meet went nuts (I split a 46.4)! I have never felt anything like that at all! The feeling of winning a race for your team when you’re your down by 30 meters is unexplainable. So that year I pull the same thing a few more times that year. So its time for Sea Ray Relays! Im in like the 4th heat coming off running a 46 something and I wanted to move p. So I talk to the guy and he said I can put you in the 1st heat. I was like WORD! But I was nervous because it was a pretty big meet and I was just some guy from little known Cincinnati. But to my surprise I won the heat with a 46.5 and a crazy head wind. I thought I had the meet won until Miles Smith (I took his spot in the 1st heat because he checked in late) went 45.8 in the final heat killing my teammate Chase “Agent 3” Vancura lol I hope you see that Chase. So I get second at sea ray relays and I was pretty excited about that. But then it was time for 4x4! Well you know how this is gonna go. Were behind again and I cant remember the team but they were beating us and I get the baton. I take off again and Im closing in on the guy but were battling on the home stretch with me trying to catch the whole time. Then finally I pass him right at the end and again all my teammates go nuts! Ima fast forward to All-Ohio. At this meet, it was my second time running a 200 in college ever! My previous mark was 21.65. I was in the second heat and we were down by 8 points. I told my teammate Dayo Igeleke you win this heat and Ill do what I can. So he wins the heat in close fashion and Im pumped. The crowd is going crazy and my teammates are cheering and everything. So I’m getting in the blocks and I tell myself get out and win this heat. I get out and Im feeling good. I realize I don’t here anybody behind me so I pick it up more because I think someone is so lcose I don’t here them haha. I cross the finish and no was close! I ran a 21.13 winning the meet overall. I go nuts! I start flexing and yelling give high fives to teammates. It was CRAZY!!!! I won the 400 as well in 46.5. The 4x4 was a sad one. My teammate Troy Lammers popped it off but pulled his hamstring 110 meters into the race. It was sad to see one of our leaders go down like that definitely a guy who is a strong contributor to our team. Next, it was Penn Relays. 4x1 was fun we ran our fastest time of the season but we lost to Texas A&M, Tennessee, and some other really good 4x1 teams. 4x4 was pretty crazy as well. Were in the mix with our third leg running a 47.9 split (Chase “Agent 3” Vancura). So he’s running to me I grab the baton and some guy falls in front of me! I jump over him and as Im over him he gets up and knocks me to the ground. I hit the track and roll like 7 meters down the track. I get up and I take off sprinting. I pass three guys and Im closing in on the big group of teams but I was so far behind that I couldn’t catch them. I split a 48 something with a barrel roll. The next meet was conference.
There the team saw Ironman and that increased the intensity level big time! Prelims were fine I ran a 46.5 and it was the smoothest I had ever ran! The races can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/UCdrakefam. I make the finals in the 200 but I barely won my heat lol. So the final day is here and 4x1 is the first race. That set the tone for the meet! We won in close fashion with shakey handoffs thru the first three legs. You can notice that in the video. The next race was the 400. I get in the blocks and the gun goes off. I got out but not as hard as I did in prelims. I start to turn it on the home stretch and I catch Elvis Lewis (defend conference champ) and Greg Gomes two great competitors. As were going down the home stretch I start to tie up because I want to win my first conference title and its close and I don’t want to lose. I hold off Elvis Lewis and win my first individual conference title! Man it was unbelievable. Next was the 200. I had very little gas left and finished 7th we finished 5th overall in the 4x4. As a team we finished 4th and we are looking to improve that this year “ONE TEAM ONE GOAL” (I’ll explain late). Then came the announcing of team winners and athletes of the meet. Before the prelims I started to wonder if I could actually win male track athlete of the meet. My coaches nominated me and it was left for the other coaches to vote. They announced team champions for the men’s and women’s teams. Next, it was time. Im on the phone with my mom and I hear it the Male Track Athlete of Meet….ANTIONE DRAKEFORD! I started yelling and I told my mom I just won the award she started screaming and I hung up the phone. I walked down and I was truly shocked. I almost started crying. Again, I was almost out of college, I was off the team, and I couldn’t pay for school and here I am winning conference titles and then male track athlete of the meet. I CAN ONLY THANK GOD FOR PUTTING IN THIS SITUATION AND TAKING THRU WHAT I WENT THRU. I thank my amazing fiancée for staying with me when it seemed like nothing was ever gonna get good. Then it was regional’s. So, I’m in the blocks and ready to go. I get out and I feel good but I relax too much on the back stretch but I pick it up the next hundred and I finish strong. Coming in secong behind Miles Smith. I went 46.05 a p.r. Nice right! Ready for finals with the second fastest time. BUT, I got dq’ed. They said I stepped on the line going into the home stretch. It was an hour before any of us found out, I heard from a friend back in Cincy that online it said I got dq’ed. We protest it but it couldn’t be overturned. My shot at going to nationals was over. It was sad. I mean it felt like all that I worked for was gone.
Ill stop here. I will finish the story in a week or so. Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to do so. God bless!
Twan
In high school I was a two-sport athlete not the typical football track person but the track/basketball person. My first year I played for Columbus south located in Columbus Ohio. I went out for the track team after basketball because the coach was the same coach. So I walk into practice thinking that I was just going to run and that will be it. Nevertheless, no the coach took us to the weight room. I was like ummm weights. I think not! Therefore, I walked out and never returned! I know stubborn and not dedicated. The following year we moved (my family moved a lot during high school). The following year I did not run track at all, I just focused on basketball and school. The next year I transferred to Columbus Africentric. The school had just started a varsity basketball team and they needed players so I decided to go. I made the team and we ended up making it to regional is that year. I decided to try track my junior year. I ran in one meet that year because I stepped on a pile of glass. I know crazy! However, I could have run that year but I really did not want to (again not really a dedicated person). So it is my senior year and I am playing basketball we win out city title, and state that year it was crazy! But OSHAA took away the title because they said we had an ineligible player (there was a paperwork mishap I think it was bull lol). So, its track season and I decide to run (great decision). The coach ran track for Penn St (Damon Reed) the 100 and the 200. So, I am winning all the races in the city, running 50 points and maybe a 49 here and there. I am getting a little recognition locally but nothing to serious; of course, those are far from blazing times ha-ha. I end up winning the city title in the 400 on my 18th birthday weekend so that was nice. I am getting ready for districts and everything and I tell my coach I want to set the state record in the 400 for division 3which was 47 something. I set the regional record with a 48 high and win regionals and I am the favorite going into state. All is well right! NO I make it to state finals and I CHOKE!!! I was the favorite and I got 4th. BIG disappointment. As for college, I received no offers, no calls, no letters, nothing. So I told my coach to call the colleges I got into, tell them my marks, and see if I can get a scholarship or something. So, he called OSU, Xavier, and Cincy. OSU acted as if they did not care. Xavier never called back, and Cincy said ok we can check him out and we can go from there. So they send a coach to regional’s to see me run and she said good job and we talked for a lil bit. I saw an OSU coach at that meet and he just walked by and said good job. Well, after state I thought I would not get any offers or anything but Cincy offered a partial scholarship and I gladly accepted. My high school pr’s are 48.67 400-meter dash and 22.3 200-meter dash.
Heading into college, I had good 400 runners ahead of me. Bob kandell, Lonnie Erving, Cedric Powell, and Jerod Batt. These people were not national caliber athletes but they were extremely talented and worked hard. So it is the first meet of the season and everyone is counting out the freshman but I win the meet in 47.78 and shock the world! Ha-ha but it was unexpected. That year, that was my fastest time and I was the 1st leg of the second place 4x4 team in the Big East Conference and the second fastest 4x4 team in school history. We went 3:10.
The following year I was expecting big things, but partying and not taking school serious started to ruin everything. I was majoring in Information Technology coming in and I was failing miserably! I got a 2.4, then a 1.9 then a 1.8. I was then ineligible going into the next year. But it got worse. I was now on academic probation and about to lose all my aid. One good thing did happen though! I met Amanda Palmer (now my fiancée!) However, things got worse and worse. I was one quarter from being completely out of school, off the team and back in Columbus working at Wal-mart or something. My coach Chris Wineberg (yes the husband of Mary Wineberg Olympic Gold Medalist) said to me, “I DON’T THINK YOU’LL MAKE IT I’VE SEEN TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS SITUATION AND THEY DO NOT MAKE”. I told him I would be back watch! So I change my major to Mechanical Engineering Technology and with the help of my fiancée, I get refocused back on school and started to improve my grade drastically. I was at the point were I had lost financial aid, my scholarship, on academic probation and soon to be back home in Columbus. The first quarter of that school year I got a 3.3, the following quarter I got a 3.5. So my grades are good now and I have to get my aid back. It took me all of winter break to get back into College and my aid. Once I had all of that I was ready to be back on the team. But little did I know my coach had to fight tooth and nail to get me back on the team again I had lost my scholarship and my spot on the team. So everything is all good Im back on the team and ready to run. I had realized that I was taken everything for granted and not really realizing the situation God put me in. So the season starts and I am ready to go. The first meet back I run a 47.37 and I had never looked smoother ever in college (my coaches said). I win the meet in the 400 and its time for the 4x4. Im nervous because I was never an anchor and we were behind by 30 meters (OSU was leading). So I grab the baton and I take off. My coach told me I took off and never slowed down. They said that they thought I was going to die but I didn’t! So, Im running and next thing you know I hawk down the guy from OSU and the meet went nuts (I split a 46.4)! I have never felt anything like that at all! The feeling of winning a race for your team when you’re your down by 30 meters is unexplainable. So that year I pull the same thing a few more times that year. So its time for Sea Ray Relays! Im in like the 4th heat coming off running a 46 something and I wanted to move p. So I talk to the guy and he said I can put you in the 1st heat. I was like WORD! But I was nervous because it was a pretty big meet and I was just some guy from little known Cincinnati. But to my surprise I won the heat with a 46.5 and a crazy head wind. I thought I had the meet won until Miles Smith (I took his spot in the 1st heat because he checked in late) went 45.8 in the final heat killing my teammate Chase “Agent 3” Vancura lol I hope you see that Chase. So I get second at sea ray relays and I was pretty excited about that. But then it was time for 4x4! Well you know how this is gonna go. Were behind again and I cant remember the team but they were beating us and I get the baton. I take off again and Im closing in on the guy but were battling on the home stretch with me trying to catch the whole time. Then finally I pass him right at the end and again all my teammates go nuts! Ima fast forward to All-Ohio. At this meet, it was my second time running a 200 in college ever! My previous mark was 21.65. I was in the second heat and we were down by 8 points. I told my teammate Dayo Igeleke you win this heat and Ill do what I can. So he wins the heat in close fashion and Im pumped. The crowd is going crazy and my teammates are cheering and everything. So I’m getting in the blocks and I tell myself get out and win this heat. I get out and Im feeling good. I realize I don’t here anybody behind me so I pick it up more because I think someone is so lcose I don’t here them haha. I cross the finish and no was close! I ran a 21.13 winning the meet overall. I go nuts! I start flexing and yelling give high fives to teammates. It was CRAZY!!!! I won the 400 as well in 46.5. The 4x4 was a sad one. My teammate Troy Lammers popped it off but pulled his hamstring 110 meters into the race. It was sad to see one of our leaders go down like that definitely a guy who is a strong contributor to our team. Next, it was Penn Relays. 4x1 was fun we ran our fastest time of the season but we lost to Texas A&M, Tennessee, and some other really good 4x1 teams. 4x4 was pretty crazy as well. Were in the mix with our third leg running a 47.9 split (Chase “Agent 3” Vancura). So he’s running to me I grab the baton and some guy falls in front of me! I jump over him and as Im over him he gets up and knocks me to the ground. I hit the track and roll like 7 meters down the track. I get up and I take off sprinting. I pass three guys and Im closing in on the big group of teams but I was so far behind that I couldn’t catch them. I split a 48 something with a barrel roll. The next meet was conference.
There the team saw Ironman and that increased the intensity level big time! Prelims were fine I ran a 46.5 and it was the smoothest I had ever ran! The races can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/user/UCdrakefam. I make the finals in the 200 but I barely won my heat lol. So the final day is here and 4x1 is the first race. That set the tone for the meet! We won in close fashion with shakey handoffs thru the first three legs. You can notice that in the video. The next race was the 400. I get in the blocks and the gun goes off. I got out but not as hard as I did in prelims. I start to turn it on the home stretch and I catch Elvis Lewis (defend conference champ) and Greg Gomes two great competitors. As were going down the home stretch I start to tie up because I want to win my first conference title and its close and I don’t want to lose. I hold off Elvis Lewis and win my first individual conference title! Man it was unbelievable. Next was the 200. I had very little gas left and finished 7th we finished 5th overall in the 4x4. As a team we finished 4th and we are looking to improve that this year “ONE TEAM ONE GOAL” (I’ll explain late). Then came the announcing of team winners and athletes of the meet. Before the prelims I started to wonder if I could actually win male track athlete of the meet. My coaches nominated me and it was left for the other coaches to vote. They announced team champions for the men’s and women’s teams. Next, it was time. Im on the phone with my mom and I hear it the Male Track Athlete of Meet….ANTIONE DRAKEFORD! I started yelling and I told my mom I just won the award she started screaming and I hung up the phone. I walked down and I was truly shocked. I almost started crying. Again, I was almost out of college, I was off the team, and I couldn’t pay for school and here I am winning conference titles and then male track athlete of the meet. I CAN ONLY THANK GOD FOR PUTTING IN THIS SITUATION AND TAKING THRU WHAT I WENT THRU. I thank my amazing fiancée for staying with me when it seemed like nothing was ever gonna get good. Then it was regional’s. So, I’m in the blocks and ready to go. I get out and I feel good but I relax too much on the back stretch but I pick it up the next hundred and I finish strong. Coming in secong behind Miles Smith. I went 46.05 a p.r. Nice right! Ready for finals with the second fastest time. BUT, I got dq’ed. They said I stepped on the line going into the home stretch. It was an hour before any of us found out, I heard from a friend back in Cincy that online it said I got dq’ed. We protest it but it couldn’t be overturned. My shot at going to nationals was over. It was sad. I mean it felt like all that I worked for was gone.
Ill stop here. I will finish the story in a week or so. Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to do so. God bless!
Twan
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