VS Athletics Track Club - SUMMER NEWSLETTER ~ LATEST NEWS

Roseline Agboke and Genevieve Graff-Ermeling have continued to race well in Great Britain this summer. Pictured at a British Milers Club Grand Prix Meet on July 11at Trafford Athletic Stadium in Stretford, England, Roz ran a PR and club record 4:23.70 for 1500 meters in 5th place in a crowded field, while Gen ran 4:24.35 in 6th—her fastest 1500 in 3-years.

VS WELCOMES EIGHT NEW TEAM MEMBERS
Club Director Skip Stolley has announced the addition of 8 new athletes to the roster of the VS Athletics Track Club. They include the Club’s first male high jump specialist and female horizontal jumper, a world-class female hurdler, a promising male 1500/5000m runner, and one of Southern California’s most improved male shot putters. They also include three new additions to Cedric Hill’s growing elite sprint/hurdle group. “These athletes are great additions to our team and our training groups, says Skip. We believe many of them will qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and that they all have the potential to eventually be USA Team members. And…there are more on the way.”

Decathletes Struggle for Any Recognition

From the New York Times

OSAKA, Japan, Sept. 1 — Simply to see what would happen, Paul Terek, a United States decathlete, wore a baseball cap bearing his name in Japanese when he landed at the Osaka airport a few weeks ago. Some children there took the bait.

The decathlete Paul Terek, who finished 10th over all, during the long jump Friday. “Right away, they noticed and were pointing: ‘Ah, you are Sasuke! Sasuke!’ ” said Terek, who is 6 feet 2 inches and 194 pounds. “For a couple of minutes, I really felt like a movie star or something. It was crazy.”

Terek may not be competing in the most high-profile sport at the track and field world championships, and he may not be the top American decathlete here. But in Japan, he made a name for himself by doing something completely different.

VS Athletics Track Club Summer Update

While competing in Great Britain this summer, Genevieve Graff-Ermeling recorded a new PR and VSA club record of 9:29.31 in winning the 3000 meters at the British Milers Club meet on July 24 in North Stretford, England. A week later on August 31, Gen ran a 1500 meter season best of 4:26.70 behind VSA teammate Roseline Agboke’s PR 4:25.50 at another BMC meet at the historic track in Exeter.

Meanwhile, back on this side of the pond at a meet in San Jose, CA on July 21, hammer thrower Trent Kraychir (a junior at 29 Palms HS), threw a PR 224’ 4” with the 12 lb. h.s. implement—more than 10-feet beyond his previous best. Trent’s Boise State bound brother Trevor Kraychir (a h.s. senior) threw a season best 188’ 3” with the international 16 lb. ball—#3 on the 2007 U.S. High School List and the 9th furthest toss ever by a high school athlete. Their sister Katie Kraychir, just an 8th grader, also upped her PR to 159’ 10”—#10 on the 2007 U.S. High School Girls Performance List.

Read the complete update here.

VS Athletics Track Club Captures 3rd Place At USATF Club Championships

VS ATHLETICS MEN PLACE 3RD AT NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

Nick Garcia, Jeff Ryan & Roseline Agboke Win Individual Titles

New York, NY—In just its second year of existence, the VS Athletics Track Club Men’s Team placed third at the 2007 USATF National Club Track & Field Championships with 110 points. The New Jersey’s Shore AC won the Men’s and Women’s team titles with New York’s mega-club, the Executive Track Club, placing 2nd in both divisions. Held at spectacular Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island in New York City, the meet featured 618 athletes representing 62 clubs from 27 States.

In the Women’s team competition, the VSA women scored in 10 events and placed 7th led by Roseline Agboke’s gold and bronze medal performances in the 800 meters and 1500 meters, Katie Kraychir’s silver in the Hammer, and Genevieve Graff-Ermeling’s bronze in the 5000 meters. Katie, just an 8th grader, became the youngest athlete ever to medal in the National Club Track & Field Championships. Other VSA scorers were Casey Kraychir (4th Hammer), Alexandria Anderson (5th in the 100m Hurdles), Dinah Clark (6th in the 100m Hurdles and 8th in the 400m Hurdles), Genevieve Graff-Ermeling (8th in the 1500 meters), April Panteau (8th in the 400 meters).

USATF results page.

VS Athletics Track Club At 2007 USATF National Club Track & Field Championships

Clubs set to do battle for national bragging rights

NEW YORK - The country's top track clubs converge on New York this Friday and Saturday for the 2007 USATF National Club Track & Field Championships. Featuring $10,000 in prize money, the meet will be held for the second straight year at New York City's Icahn Stadium, located on Randall's Island. It is conducted by the Metropolitan Association of USA Track & Field in cooperation with the USATF Club Council and a coalition of local USATF Elite Development track clubs. Read the complete article.

VS ATHLETICS HAS FOUR FINALISTS AT 2007 USA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

INDIANAPOLIS, IN—At the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, all but one of the four qualifiers from the VS Athletics Track Club reached the finals. The meet was held at Carroll Stadium on the campus of Indianapolis University.

In the Men’s Pole Vault, Jeff Ryan tied for 11th at 17’ 8¼” (5.40m) as swirling cross winds played havoc with the competition. A week prior to the Championships, Jeff had jumped a PR 18’ 4½” (5.60m). In the Men’s Decathlon, Chris Richardson finished 9th with a score 7542 points. Despite being drenched with rain at various times on both days, Chris had 3 decathlon PRs (shot put, hurdles, pole vault) and won the javelin competition en route to being selected for the USA vs. Germany team in late August. In the Men’s Triple Jump, Ronald Carter strained a quadriceps muscle on his first jump (a big foul near 53’) and was forced to withdraw from the competition. In the Men’s Discus, Nick Petrucci negotiated the rain-soaked ring to throw
188’ 1” (57.34m)—good for 8th place.

The complete article is here.

Gebrselassie’s Sets One Hour Run World Record In Ostrava

Ostrava, Czech Republic - Despite his recent career shift to the roads, Haile Gebrselassie illustrated quite clearly that he’s still very much at home on the track after breaking the World record in the One Hour Run at the 46th Golden Spike Grand Prix in Ostrava tonight (27), the Czech stop of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2007.

Running before a near capacity crowd at Mestsky Stadium, the legendary Ethiopian covered 21,285 metres* over the course of 60 minutes to break the previous best, 21,101m, set by Mexican Arturo Barrios in La Fléche, France, on 30 March 1991.

Read more here.