When athletes blog: Lauryn Williams at WCSN.com

Lauryn Williams opens up about her first-time experience strutting her stuff on a different runway - a modeling runway. She premiered as a model for a good cause in her hometown of Miami.

The former 100-meter champion took time on her WCSN.com blog to chat with fans about her races, night life, and who she cheers for when she isn’t running.

Says Lauren:

”March 29 was my big debut in the Jockstarzz Fashion Show to benefit the Kevin Everett Foundation, which raises money for spinal cord research. It was so nice to be able to support a fellow Hurricane alumnus and Kevin’s fiancée, Wiande, who is my good friend, in anyway I can. Kevin is a living miracle and a true testament that you can’t take a single moment of life for granted and that you need to be appreciative of what you have, because in seconds your world can shatter.

I was sooo nervous about being in the fashion show. First of all, I was scheduled to wear a PINK dress and very high heels, which would make me about one foot taller. I have to tell you that I am not a good example of how a female should walk in heels. I am truly an athlete. Second, I am very shy. I am not at all good with being on stage in front of an audience. Even though I was terrified, I was determined to do my best. But halfway down the runway, my shoes, which were too big, started to slip off. I didn’t’ want to ruin the show by bending down and fixing them, so I slowed down my walk, which was already awkward, and took my time.

Click here to read her full WCSN.com blog.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist

Asafa Powell Going Down Under

The maneuvering by track and field athletes, coaches and managers has begun. They are hoping the proper strategy will deliver a berth to Beijing.

Otherwise, those reservations for Beijing won’t be necessary.

The road to Beijing 2008 Olympics has officially begun with Asafa Powell’s love affair with boisterous Australian track fans.

Yesterday, Powell and his manager, Paul Doyle, announced his first race in 2008 will be the Sydney Athletics Grand Prix on 16 February.

Five days later he will run at the IAAF World Athletics Tour meet in Melbourne (21 Feb). Meanwhile, more and more runners are skipping the indoor track and field season all together and opting for races in warm weather climates.

Asafa and his crew will travel to Australia on February 9 with coach Steve Francis.

Powell has been criticized by track legend Michael Johnson and others for his lackluster performance at this year’s World Championships 100-meter final race. He was beaten by American Tyson Gay and Bahamian rival Derrick Adkins.

Asafa resurrected his season by lowering his own World Record to 9.74 seconds in September. The race still could not quiet murmurs that Powell disappears on the major stage.

MJ contends that Asafa is not a competitor at all—that he can’t win the big races, and his fast times are in races with nothing on the line.

Powell has been unfazed by his critics, and his eyes are locked on getting things started in Australia

By Jay Hicks