Mentors Build Minds at Texas Relays

The running and partying ended, Texas Relays turned to business on Sunday. University of Texas women's track coach, Beverly Kearney, organized the 2nd Annual Minority Symposium. The symposium is a get-together where top notch business professionals, entertainers and professional athletes to pass along their experiences and tips for success to student-athletes. Coach Bev and UT have put together a program to strengthen athlete’s minds.

The Minority Symposium in Austin drew big speakers, such as Cheryl “Salt” Wray, recording artist of Salt n’ Pepa, former NFL great and sports analyst Keyshawn Johnson, and former Longhorn great and current NFL star Vince Young just to name a few.

“Creating a mentoring program in our minority community is just so important," Kearney said.

Bravo. Coach Bev is a leader and inspiration who should be applauded for her innovations. Courtesy of News 8 Austin.

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

Texas Relays Produce World’s Fastest Times!

The high school participation at the Texas Relays was down due to a scheduling error that placed the Texas high school sectional meets on the same weekend. It happens.

The pro runners competing at Texas Relays delivered on prerace expectations. The years line up of pros with the assistance of USA Track & Field High Performance Relay Project is arguable one of the best in years.

The Waco All-Stars, featuring Olympians Darold Williamson and Jeremy Wariner, handily won the invitational division of the 1,600 meter relay. Wariner led the Waco All-Stars to 3:00.65, the fastest time run in the world this year.

Coming into Texas Relays conventional wisdom said that USA Red Team made up of Kerron Clement, Wallace Spearmon, Derrick Brew, and Andrew Rock would compete with the Waco All-Stars. However, USA Red Team finished in a distance fourth in 3:04.68. Team USA Blue featuring Tyson Gay on the lead off leg did not finish the mile relay.

The women’s invitational 1,600 meters saw USA Red team win in 3:23.49. The Red team, featuring Natasha Hastings, and Sanya Richards, ran strong from start to finish. Sanya Richards & company beat a talented relay team made up of Torri Edwards, Carmelita Jeter that finished second.

Former Longhorn Sanya Richards ran the anchor leg for the USA Red team that won the women's invitational 400 relay with a time of 42.25, also the fastest in the world this year.

The 400 meter relay featuring Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers won in 38.63 to edge out the USA Red team led by Wallace Spearmon and JJ Johnson.

Keep on eye on LSU senior Richard Thompson who won the invitational 100 with a very fast time of 10.0 seconds. This is a world-leading time at 100-meters.

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

Texas Relays A Sporting, Cultural Event

Everything in Texas is bigger. And the Texas Relays are no exception to the rule. Track and field is not just a sport, it’s a culture in the great state of Texas. A quick check of the facts reveals that, according to the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau, the meet brought in 200,000 visitors, $8 million to the city, and is the second largest relay meet in the country.

The 81st running of the Texas Relays takes places at the Mike A. Meyers Stadium on the University of Texas, Austin campus from April 5 – 8. Races are held in the high school, college, university, and invitational divisions for relays events.

The relay meet is almost surreal for track fans. Texas Relays is an example what track can be in North America. The meets popularity is due in part to the fab meet management operations and marketing by the University of Texas staff. It also helps that the track federation has little to do with Texas Relay.

From the world class runners to the packed stands and runners of tomorrow-- it’s no surprise to those who have attended that the meet continually gets bigger each year. The fervent fans are aware of the key match ups and cheer loudly during the race. The stadium buzzes with speculation on who will win relay match ups.

It’s almost a right of passage for pro sprinters to place their feet on the track. Past legends to have run at Texas Relays include: Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis, Leroy Burrell, and Maurice Green to name just a few.

Some coaches, athletes, former athletes, fans, meet officials, and timers have come to Texas Relays for years without missing a meet. It’s also a social gathering to see and be seen. The Urban Music Festival presented by Dell is back in downtown Austin for a third year featuring Jeffrey Osbourne, After 7, and Trey Songz. Fans are also promised a guest appearance from former Longhorn standout Vince Young. Only in Texas baby!

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

The Final Lap: April = Relay Meets

Most professional runners are competing in relay meets in April. This is the relay time of year on the U.S. pro sprint scene. These collegiate track meets primarily feature relay races with a limited number of individual events, so the relays make for some exciting performances from pro runners.

Relay meets have an open section for professional runners. No pro outdoor meets are held in the United States at the early stage of the outdoor season.

Running on relays allows pro athletes to evaluate their training and conditioning in a low stakes environment while having lots of fun. Relays races are one of the few chances to have a team experience in what is largely an individual sport.

The meet schedule for the next month is packed with collegiate relay meets such as the Texas Relays (April 2), Kansas Relays (April 16), Mt. Sac Relays (April 18), Drake Relays (April 24), and Penn Relays (April 24) to name a few.

• Fans at the 57th TSU Relays were witness to Jeremy “J Dub” Wariner’s 44.2 anchor leg this past Saturday on the mile relay at the Houston meet. This is an incredibly fast time considering observers report that J Dub shut it down 30 meters out.

• The heat was definitely showcased on the track in Miami . In the mile relay, Xavier “X Man” Carter lit up the first leg in 44.9 to officially begin his season. Running first leg on the mile relay is very similar to running an open 400-meters, which means X Man is in primo shape.

• The first fully pro meet on the Visa Championship Series is the Adidas Track Classic on May 18th.

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