Friday at the Long Beach Convention Center I presented at
the Perform Better Summit. This was the third summit for me this year. I did a
didactic presentation on Foundational Leg Strength and then an hour practical
learn by doing session. This was a mixed audience, not the normal audience I
present to. Many personal trainers, an area where I have no experience, I am
interested in coaching, injury prevention and rehab, I think that is where I
have been most effective. None the less, got some good comments and meet some interesting
people, some good questions. My biggest concern at these affairs is the huge emphasis
on exercises to the exclusion of why. We do not need more exercises, we need
focus, it is more than an exercise. It is the context the exercise is used.
That is what I stressed.
The next day, a highlight of the trip for me was the “Know
it All Clinic” at Carpenteria High School. It was a great day; I got to see
people I have not seen in years. The goal of the clinic was to raise money to
help pay for John Larralde’s hospital bills. By that measure it was successful,
but I think for John and all of us the outpouring of support in terms of old friends
and colleague
s gathering together was most heartwarming. One of the highlights was
to see John O’Malley, one of John Larralde’s and my best friends who came all
the way from Oregon for the day. It sure was fun revisiting the moon landing in
real time. (John Larralde in the middle in the picture and John O’Malley on the
right) I got to sit in with the sprint group, what a great group. It was chaired
by Brian Fitzgerald, the coach at Rio Mesa High School a super coach who has
developed numerous great high school sprinters. I wish I could have been a fly
on the wall in the other groups to hear the wisdom of the other great coaches in attendance. One of my elementary school classmates, Jesse Martinez
was there, I had not seen Jesse in years. He is now the head the Head Coach at Santa
Barbara high school where I used to coach. We reminisced about how I would
trade my mother’s salami sandwiches for his grandmother’s burritos. My mouth
waters when I think about it. I could go on forever. I was honored to give the
keynote address. When I stood in front of this audience I was humbled when I
saw the great coaches I was presenting to. It just reminded me what a great
sport Track and Field is and how deep my roots are in this sport. These coaches
are the heartbeat of the sport and keep in thriving at the high school level. Their knowledge and dedication is inspirational.
