I am currently in my final two years of competing in track and field. I have been competing in Track & Field since 1991 and have been a member of the Canadian National Track & Field Team on and off since 2001. I am also a middle school Physical Education & Health teacher at Baeshor-Linwood Middle School in Kansas. Concurrently, I am a husband and a father to be.
What you need to throw at a World Championship or a twilight meet any day of the week.
1. Javelin Boots {CHECK}
2. Credentials to get into track {CHECK}
3. UNIFORM
Socks {CHECK}
Underwear {CHECK}
Hats - can't throw without one{CHECK}
Short Tights {CHECK}
Long Tight {CHECK}
Jersey with name on front, number on back {CHECK}
T-Shirt for warm-up {CHECK}
Long T-shirt for Warm up {CHECK}
Jacket and Pants {CHECK}
New Balance Shoes - PLUG (any one at New balance out there???? {CHECK}
Orthotics - For my messed up feet (did ya see em in the pick {CHECK}
4. Water bottle {CHECK}
5. Bag of Neoprene Braces to hold body together {CHECK}
6. Towel {OOOPS, throw that in...CHECK}
7. 1kg throwing ball {CHECK}
8. Foam Roller {CHECK}
9. IPOD with earbuds {CHECK}
10. GOOCH Ball {CHECK} those that have used it will understand
11. Sun-G's, you never know how bright the lights are {CHECK}
12.TOUGH AND BAD Band (BLMS!!!!) {CHECK}
13. Bag of Chalk -ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!! {CHECK}
14. Spider Tack - hand stick'em to the javelin in rain {CHECK}
15. WEDDING BAND {CHECK}
Last but not least,
16. HEAD tied on right {CHECK}
The last two nights, I have Skyped my first hour health classes at Basehor-Linwood Middle School in Kansas. Tonight, I came to a realization! I am really lucky to be where I am in life. I have a fantastic wife, whom i love, miss very much and is substitute teaching for me. I have a baby on the way (October 23). I have a great job. I work for a set of great bosses (Thank you, Mike, Mike and David!). I work with a group of great teachers and people. AND I am a "professional" track and field athlete (I only put professional in "" marks, because professionals live on the money they make from their profession). And last, but not least, our kids in our school are great kids and students!!! I have a great life!
It makes you realize, that all the stress, work and dedication to doing everything that I do, all together, is really worth it (remind me to read this again, if I am ever saying that I am stressed or want to quit before I finish something).
I've been asked for a link to watch the World Champs, so here are a couple. I cannot guarantee that you will see me throwing, but they should show a couple of throws. Thank you Basehor-Linwood, Lawrence (the town I live in) and Windsor (the town where I grew up). You have put me in a great place!
The first two, you may have to pay for, but the feed will be great.
In Canada
In the U.S.A
This one will be free, but may not be good quality.
Anywhere in the World
This is a live feed from Europe. Tomorrow, there will only be the 20km race walk. But, it will be back to the full world championships on Thursday. Tomorrow is a down day on the track.
Two nights ago, Jim Steacy (Hammer Throw), Heather Steacy (Hammer, Jim sister), Larry (Coach), Alex (Head Coach) and myself had the opportunity to walk onto the field in the Daegu Stadium. We walked into the stadium and wondered around, until we found our way to the field. While we were on the field, we realized, that the stadium security was doing a sweep of the entire stadium. There was about 20 officers each standing in their own row and walking the lower bowl of the stadium.
I calculated in my head that we had about 2 minutes before we got kicked off the field. I was right. A gentleman walked up to our head coach and struggled to find the nice way to say you have to leave. The way he said it was, "You...No...You Have to Go!" I think he was really trying to be nice, but didn't have the correct words in his English vocabulary to say it differently. He was nice enough to let us get a few pics.
Daegu Javelin Runway
The gentleman behind me booted us off the field
We walked thru the media area, here is where S.I. will be shooting from (end of the 100m).
Update of the Shoudler (Day 4)
Last night, was the opening night of the World Championships. The environment was electric! In the two years I had to take off, I had forgotten what it was like to be sitting in the stands with 65,000 people cheering on track and field athletes. After arriving, my adrenaline was running. It took me about an hour to relax and enjoy my roommate (Jim Steacy) competing in the Men's Hammer Throw. Unfortunately, Jim did not throw u to his expectations. However, I am really proud of him. He also was forced into taking two seasons off. He also had two surgeries, but instead of his heart (like me), he had one surgery on each foot. One, to repair a broken bone in his left foot and the second to repair torn tendons in his right ankle. Jim finished 19th with 73.32m (240ft).
The last week, Team Canada has been preparing for the World Track & Field Championships in Changwon City, Korea. I have been keeping busy. Currently, I am training once a day, so that leaves a lot of down time to fill. Lately, I have been filling this time with teaching. You will ask, how do you teach in Korea? Right now, I am just keeping up on my classes in Basehor-Linwood. I sat down the other day to finish locker assignments for boys P.E. This is a job and a half. While doing this, I ask myself a lot of questions. Who shouldn't be beside each other? Who will be good at sharing lockers? How will I space out my classes, so everyone has room? The locker room set up is really an art. This took me about 4 hours of work to arrange this.
Other things I do in my spare time...
Hang out with Jim Steacy (Right) at the track watching the 4x100m team run time trials.
Stand in tubs of ice (always good fun).
Tame wild Korean snow tigers.
The morning of the 24th, we left Changwon City (Team Canada has been there training for last week). We travelled by high speed train.
I was told 200km/h. The trip in total was 1hr. The country side was beautiful. It is what you would expect of Korea. Rivers, mountains, rice paddies, heron and cranes.
Upon arrival, the adventure began. We unloaded all our bags off the train and proceeded to the upper floor of the train station.
I'm just glad I'm not a pole vaulter
Earlier in the day, our throws coach was talking about his experiences in Budapest, Hungry as a javelin thrower. One story he had told me before, but he decided to share again. It involved a javelin case (pictured above), an escalator, a ceiling and a javelin thrower. So....today, I decided to demonstrate the story to everyone when we arrived at the station.
As I get on the escalator, I always check to see if I am going to have issues with my javelins at the top. From the bottom, it looked like there would be no issue. So I continued my conversation that I was having. NOTE, all of this I am about to tell you happen in about 2 seconds.As I get to the top of the escalator, I soon realize that the end of my javelin case (made out of 4" PVC) is lodging itself into the ceiling above. In my head there are many things that come to mind... kick the bottom out, QUICK... Pull on the top, QUICK... Yell HELP!!! ... Start to cry now, because something bad is about to happen. All I could do was wait. Wait, to see if 4" PVC is the same as 3/4" PVC pipe. Does it bend or does it splinter into sharp pieces. I only know about the splintering, because I attempted to find out if it was possible to bend 3/4" PVC without heating it, this summer. Well, 3/4" snaps and sends pieces of PVC flying in all directions. Who ever made my safety glasses, thank you.
This day, I didn't have safety glasses and the PVC pipe was 4". Does it snap??? I hope not!?!?!?! Back to the story... There I was with my javelin case wedged into the ceiling and the escalator running. Now, the case begins to bend away from me. Internal thought.... Wow, this piece of PVC is bending and not breaking...AMAZING! Oh wait, what happens next... It's gotta go somewhere?
Let's think about this. If it's bending away from me, it's either going to snap and the top of my case will hit me in the head or it is going to unload, like a spring and hit me somewhere between my head and toes. Next I hear a huge CRACK! And then BAM!!!!!!! My case just hit me in the stomach, chest and shoulder. At this point, all I can do is make a grunting sound (UUUUUUUUGH), because I cannot breathe. The wind has been knocked out of me. Next, I have to save myself from falling down 40-50 stairs and in doing so, save everyone behind me from the domino effect. I grab the rails of the escalator. One of our sprinters (Oluseyi Smith) is behind me and he helps me from falling. In about 10 more seconds I reach the top of the escalator and everyone give me a hand with my bags and body.
The first thing I do is laugh, because my coach was just talking about this less that one hour ago. Secondly, I have to make sure the pole vaulter in front of me and the sprinter behind me are ok. They say they are ok. Now, I can bend over and take a breath. Here, I feel like puking, but I think I'm ok. I take survey of all my parts. Head...CHECK! Chest...CHECK! Stomach...CHECK! Hips, knees legs and feet...CHECK! Arms... Left... CHECK! Right????? Oh NO! OUCH!!!!! The javelin case hit me in my throwing arm. I am battered and bruised, but it feels ok.
Within 5 minutes, we are on a bus and onto the athletes village.
30 minutes after accident
Today, our team doc, Linda Thyer, check out my shoulder and thinks it is ok. just to make sure it is just a bruise, we went on an Adventure called... the Korean Health Care System!!!!!
The ride
Dr. Thyer (Team Doc) and Me in an ambulance
The table I was X-rayed on
After a 2 1/2 hour trip to the hospital, we found out that I don't have anything wrong with my shoulder that wasn't already there. THANK YOU!!! I am just bruised.
One day after being an idiot on an escalator, and yes this is my throwing arm.
Most people have no idea of what it is like to go to a world championship. That is the best part of the trip, when you don't train, you always have the meet to go to. However, when you still have 12 days until you compete, you have a job to do. What is that job? To get ready to compete!
What does that involve? My training schedule is training (working out) at 4pm - 5pm. My program for training has three different days of training.
Day 1
Warm-up (400m jog, Sprint drills, rotator cuff exercises, hip exercises)
4-5 Short approach throws (for rhythm)
4-5 Full approach throws
Day 2
Warm-up (400m jog, Sprint drills, rotator cuff exercises, hip exercises)
10x 1kg (2.2lbs) ball throws from standing position into the throwing cage
6-8x 1kg 3-step throws for distance
8x 4kg 2 hand overhead heaves for distance
2x8ea 5kg Medicine Ball standing twists into wall
Day 3
DAY OFF!
Today was a day off. So, what do you do when you have a day off. Well...
This morning I went for a 1 1/2 hour walk to see what I could find. The previous night, while looking out the window, I saw a lighted area not far from the hotel. I figured why to start there. Once I got to this area, I quickly realized that it was just a little dirty area with some typical Asian restaurant and bars. It looked like a pretty rough area, but I felt safe. There are times on trips, where you just get and uneasy feeling. Like the trip I took to Rio de Janerio in 2007. I felt like something was going to happen anytime I wasn't in the hotel or the track. Today, I felt safe.
I walked around this area for about an hour. There really wasn't anything to do. Some of the shops that existed in this part of town were primarily mechanic shops and hardware stores. Not something you would intentionally seek out on a tourist map. The one thing I could do was take photos.
After my walk, I went to lunch and then had to get treatment for a few nagging injuries and body aches. Tonight I had our Physical Therapist, Bob, work on my hips. I have been really tight all year and this is one thing that always helps in my throwing. My second appointment was with Garfield, our massage therapist. I have been working with Garfield on Canadian National teams since 2001. The treatments we can recieve range from physical therapy and massage to chiropractor, acupuncture and cold baths. Basically, we have a team of therapist with us.
An athlete getting acupuncture on tight neck muscles.
Garfield worked on my abs and hips. Now, when you think of massage, your idea is that a person plays some light music, puts warm and great smelling massage oil on and gently applies it you your skin. Your treatment is usually focused on relaxation and stress relief. Let's put it this way, the massage that Garfield can put on you is anxiety ridden and stressful! But in the end, it is all about getting the tissues that he is focusing on (muscle) to be loose and function properly.
It is amazing how you can walk in and feel tight, sore or like something is out of place and our team of therapist put their hands of you and sometimes put you in more pain that the injury. In the end, you walk you feeling loose and overall great! Sometimes I think it's just because they have stopped inflicting pain. Really, I am grateful to have a group of therapist as talented, knowledgeable selfless and friendly as Garfield, Bob, Carmen, and Wilbur. Not to mention some of the past therapist like Marilou and Al B!
The last few blogs, I have been trying to catch everyone up on what my life was and what it has become. Now, I will start to begin this Blog the way it is meant to be done, follow me in the day to day, week to week and month to month leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.
I left Kansas City on August 15th, the first day of in-service for school. I have had to take all ten of my days for the year and my remaining 5 that I have saved from the previous year. Should make for an interesting year, being that Tiffany (my wife) and I are having our first child in October.
Last week, we had a 3-D ultrasound last week. Which was our first glimpse of what are child looks like. And I must say, I think she has my nose.
So at this point in my life, you must imagine how difficult it is to leave a wife who is 7 1/2 month pregnant. Last last word of advise for my wife was, "Please carry this baby to full-term." We made a deal.
I left on August 16th and had the best long flight of my life. The flight from Chicago to Seoul, Korea was 11 hours. On the flight, I read 70 pages in my new book, Dan Brown's "Lost Symbol", watch 2 movies ("Limitless" & "Hanna") and slept for 6-8hrs. Now, let me tell you, with femurs (upper leg body) as long as mine, I usually have my knees driving into the back of the chair in front of me for 11hrs. This time, I was lucky and had an upgrade.
This was the the only reason that I was able to sleep for the first time ever on a plane. Usually, I will sit upright in my chair fighting sleep like an infant in a high chair. But this time, this is what I had...
This is the reason that I arrive in Seoul not feeling like I was rolled up in a sardine can for 11hrs. I was able to lay down on my side, back, front and basically get comfortable.
Upon arriving in Seoul, I had a 3 hour layover. Really not that much time. During that time, I Skyped Tiffany and made up locker combination lists for our middle school football team. Upon, leaving Seoul, I had one more flight to a city in the south east of Korea, called Busan.
When I arrived, my bag arrived, but my javelins didn't. At any point in my career prior to 2008, I would have been hysterically crying, but being a veteran in my sport, you just have to live by, "It is what it is!" If you stress the little things, you will not be successful.
At this point, it was 10:45pm on August 16th and there was a cab waiting for me. I love getting off a plane and there is someone with a card that says your name. After, getting my bags, we (one of our coaches, Jessica Zelinka - Canadian Heptathelete) hopped into the van and 45 minutes later, we arrrived at the hotel.
The team manager for Team Canada met us at the door with our room key and I was quick to get to my room and even faster to sleep!
The morning of the 17th, I walked to the track with our national throws coach (Larry Stienke - he writes my workouts and coaches me via youtube) and James Steacy (Canadian Record holder in the Hammer Throw).
The view from our room
Larry Steinke (Our Coach)
We are training in a large soccer stadium in Changwon City, Korea. The stadium seats approximately 25, 000 - 30,000. Team Canada has exclusive rights to the stadium from 9am-12:00am and 4:00pm-7pm.
