Contact: Tom Surber
Media Information Manager
USA Track & Field
(317) 261-0500 x317
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.usatf.org
USATF News & Notes
Volume 3, Number 41 April 24, 2002
USATF Introduces Summer Reading Program
USA Track & Field, in association with kidsrunning.com, has created the Read
for Speed program, which will be held in conjunction with this summer’s
Junior Olympics Track & Field competitions.
The USATF Junior Olympics program reaches more than 100,000 young athletes
throughout the country each summer, with close to 7,000 competing at the
National Championships. Information on the Read For Speed program will be
distributed at all of USATF’s Association and Regional Championships, and
also will appear on usatf.org and kidsrunning.com.
“USATF’s Mission Statement speaks to the ‘pursuit of excellence’ and this
program meshes nicely with that goal,” said USATF President Bill Roe. “The
‘pursuit of excellence’ cannot be accomplished without education – and it
all begins with reading and increased literacy skills for America’s youth.”
Athletes in each of the Junior Olympics five age divisions will be
encouraged to read from a selection of age-graded books in a variety of
categories or genres. They can then submit short essays about the books to
qualify for inclusion in a raffle at the end of the summer for USATF
merchandise and other prizes.
The entry deadline for the “Read for Speed” program is September 1, 2002.
USATF will also randomly select book reports for publication on usatf.org
and kidsrunning.com. All youngsters submitting published stories will
receive a specially-designed bookmark from USATF and kidsrunning.com.
Complete entry information and suggested reading lists are available online
at usatf.org/coaches/ReadForSpeed/. For additional information, please
contact Mark Springer, USATF Director of Grass Roots Programs, at
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
USATF awards 2002 Fall Cross Country Championships
USATF on Wednesday announced that the Reebok Aggies Running Club and Sierra
College in Rocklin, California, will host the 2002 Fall Cross Country
Championships. Roughly 1,000 competitors are expected to compete December 14
on the Sierra College Cross Country course, 20 miles northeast of
Sacramento.
In addition to the open men’s and women’s division, the event will also
serve as the Masters (over 40) National Championships.
The event, contested over a two-mile lap course, will also serve for the
first time ever as the National Championships for deaf athletes.
For more information contact Brian McGuire at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The
Championships Web site is www.resultszone.com/natls.
Kevin Toth – Back and better than ever
After experiencing two consecutive sub-par seasons, shot putter Kevin Toth
has bounced back in a big way this spring.
Earlier this month Toth unleashed a massive 21.42 meters/70 feet, 3.25
inches throw at the Ice Breaker Open in Kent, Ohio, and a week later he
threw 21.52m/70-7.25 at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tennessee, his best
effort since 1999.
A fixture in Track & Field News’ top-ten world rankings since 1992, Toth
failed to earn that distinction last year. According to Track Profile
Report, after placing fifth at the 2000 Olympic Trials, Toth decided to
retire from competition and accepted a job at a salt mine in Cleveland.
After three and a half months, he began to reacquire the urge to compete
again.
“I was still training in the weight room, but hadn’t done any throwing,” he
said. “One day I told my wife that I was going to take the day off to throw,
and if I could throw over 60 feet, I was going to go back to throwing.” Toth
threw 18.90m/62-0.25 that day and put his retirement plans on the back
burner.
The reason for Toth’s decline was discovered in February 2001 when he
underwent back surgery for the second time to repair a disc that was
operated on 14 years earlier. Scar tissue and nerve damage had been building
there through the years and the damage dramatically affected his leg
strength, which severely hampered his performance.
Following the surgery that removed a “horrendous” amount of scar tissue,
Toth feels like a new man. The 34-year-old is squatting more than 600 pounds
in training these days. “I’ve never done that before,” he said. “All my leg
strength has come back and I’m stronger than ever. It’s taken a year to get
it all back, and it has taken a year to be smart with it.”
The new and improved Toth, who believes he’ll easily surpass his personal
best of 21.78m/71-5.5 in 2002, will compete against this year’s seasonal
world leader and 2000 Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson this weekend at
the Drake Relays.
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