Jared Jackson honored at 73rd Annual McCormick Unsung Heros Banquet

Today, May 6th 2013 SFA Track & Field Co-Captain Jared Jackson will be honored today. He is one of the select few student athletes in the Baltimore area to receive this honor. Jared's standout achievements on and off the football field gained him this high honor. One of the blessed nominees will receive a 4 year $36,000 scholarship from McCormick. Let's keep Jared in our prayers.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/high-school/varsity-letters/bal-mccormick-to-honor-prep-unsung-heroes-monday-20130430,0,7072933.story

Why is this day different from all the other days?

At passover there are 4 questions, but let's answer the first one, why was this day different from all the other days?
On this day, our team showed up to the track, not just in body but in true spirit of competition. They shed the chained fear and robed the courage. They enjoyed the taste of a chase for a nationals bid, and savored it like from Manna from Heaven. The football coaches and I could not have been prouder! As a coach, I don't often get everything I want. Today, I think I got it all. Our kids did it all, they ran it all, and they won it all... well, almost all, there was a 3rd place or 5th place here and there, but I'll take it! :) They won our first track trophies for the school trophy case!
The Baltimore City Invitational was today, and the team was very excited to put some work in. It was an impressive day, they went all the way in. Teamwork, Courage and Strategy were demonstrated over and over again. The team I knew they always were, showed up today. I was admittedly concerned going into this meet, but they showed heart. Our national qualifier Panthers Gold 4x200m team (Diggs, Williams, Bell, Jackson) is starting to peak again, they pulled off 1:32.70 with a good wind blowing in the faces of the 1st and 3rd runners, and a surprise meet schedule change. Panthers Black (Lowery, Dingle, Turley, Christian) and Panthers Gold 4x100m put it all in and came out victorious. Both teams earned a spot on the podium. Panthers Gold (Diggs, Felder, Williams, Bell) took the overall race in a impressive 44.29. The new long jumper (Dingle) PRd today and won the event jumping over 19 ft. He will be dangerous when he gets to practice LJ, right now it's just unchained ability. Our new 400m runner (Felder) destroyed his heat, and cruised down the straightaway to an easy victory; as if saying "Coach, really!?". I will do my part and challenge him now. He earned it. The 4x200m and the 4x100m were only separated by heats of the 800m run, that is a tough recovery schedule. They all earned it today, and I am happy to take them to Penn Relays next week.

Football and Track...a match made in heaven

© 2013 TrackFocus – All rights reserved.
I was reading an article that hit home for me from Bleeding Green Nation, A Philadelphia Eagles Community:
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2013/4/13/4220666/chip-kelly-jimmy-johnson-and-turning-your-opponents-into-cowards?ref=yahoo

If you don't feel like clicking the link, here is an excerpt from it so you know where I'm coming from. Kyle Long and Jimmy Johnson talk about the importance of cardio and running in football. This is not trash talk, it's real talk.

Former Oregon LT Kyle Long talking to a CSN analyst while at a combine:

"You just need to be able to run past the point of exhaustion," said Long, who played for Chip Kelly at Oregon. "You need to be in good cardio shape. A big emphasis on that offense's tempo. That became very evident the first day I showed up at fall camp, I thought I was going to die."

Here is Jimmy Johnson's speech while addressing the U of Miami:

You know, I think there's a misconception about football. People think that football is for tough guys. You know (makes "tough guy" face), tough guys. Bullshit. Football rewards the guys that are in great condition. That's when you have fun, when you're kicking somebody's ass and they're sucking for wind.

There was a great coach one time who said, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." What if I walked up to you and said, "You're a coward. You're a coward." You wouldn't like it, would you? But that's the reality of it. When you're tired, you make mistakes, you don't do what's right, and your will to win all of a sudden starts to waver just a little bit. You get tired and all of a sudden you don't have that same fight.

Fatigue makes cowards of us all. All of us, me included. I guarantee you, when I was on that damn TV show (Survivor) and I hadn't had any sleep, and I hadn't had any food, bugs are biting on my ass, I wasn't a big, tough guy. I'm saying, ‘What the hell am I doing here?'

Fatigue makes cowards of us all. If you're in great shape, if you can run like a deer, at the end of the ballgame, you're going to be smiling and having fun. And let me tell you something, guys. This is going to be the greatest time of your life. I used to sit in this same ass room, I'd look at the schedule, and I'd say ‘I can't wait until Oklahoma comes in here. I can't wait until Florida comes in here. I wanna kick their ass!' And that's what you should feel. This is why you came to Miami. That's why you wanted to be a Hurricane.

But you can only do it if you're in great shape. And if you're not sucking for wind at the end of the game. And when you look across the way and that guy is hanging down, he is a coward. He's a coward because he's tired. Don't be tired.

This year has been a bit of a challenge in the marriage of Panthers Football and Track. The schedules, the workouts, the extra weightlifting...different sports require different methods. My fastest 400m runner is also a prized lineman. Well those are two different weight classes now aren't they? Fast...what is fast you say? Fast is a 49 sec 400m runner that is really in his second year of track and field (no indoor season). Yes, this is a gentleman with a training age of 2 full outdoors seasons, and no fall T&F training, and no indoor...like I said, FAST. Using the Clyde Hart method, he is a 47 sec 400m runner, he already runs 22.50 FAT without training for the race, with a training age of 2 seasons. He has courage on the track, and the cardio on the turf. He is a weapon of mass destruction. This kid is focused and ready for all opportunities that are presented to him on the turf and the track. Sigh...he is a senior, "woulda shoulda coulda..."

Now, for the rest of my footballers, it's a root canal some days and then only minor surgery others to get them to understand. Being able to run 100m fast enough (meh...11.01a, 11.14a) finals on time only, is not good enough for track or football. In fact, it is shameful to only be able to run 11.01a ONE TIME and then and then turn around and suck for air like they were caught in a fire.
Like I said, the marriage has been rocky this year. We have tried as good "in laws" (head FB coach, and myself) to teach our kids to live in harmony with both sports, but they keep fighting us. Track picks fights in this marriage, requiring repeat 200m sprints, trials and finals in the 100m, multiple relays, and COURAGE.

Let's talk about courage. Track is a sport that isn't tested with a game. We don't play games. We compete. That takes courage. To stand at the line head to head with no team behind you and run.
To do it 3 times in the same day with no fear. To show your raw talent, there are no time outs, no playbooks, no sub outs, no rest, no halftime. It's on from start to finish.

Now lets take it to the turf. Courage and confidence can trace back to Cardio. If you can wear your opponent out, if you don't need a time out, if you can run the yardage, take the tackle and keep on going that is intimidating to your opponent. It wears at their courage. It tugs their fear, they begin to believe their opponent is unstoppable and they fall apart. So, "don't be tired" as Jimmy Johnson would say.