Letter from the Editor, February 2016
Welcome readers to the February 2016 edition of The Hurdle Magazine. Let me start by wishing everyone a happy Valentine’s day, although this day is always a difficult one for me to celebrate. It was four years ago, on February 14, 2012, that my former athlete Cameron Akers passed away at the age of 28. The reason this magazine is published on the 14th of every month is to commemorate him and the joy he brought into my life as my athlete and as my friend. So, to all of you reading this, love your loved ones, and let today and all days be a time for love and togetherness.
This month’s issue includes an article indirectly inspired by thoughts of Cameron, but also by the season-ending injury suffered by Niklas Rippon, who was featured in a previous issue of this magazine about a year ago. Rippon, who lives and trains in Michigan, was on his way to having an outstanding season, and was hoping to vie for a spot on Germany’s national team before landing wrong off a hurdle and causing structural damage to his ankle. The article, “The Five stages of Injury Recovery,” borrows from the five stages of grief that commonly occur after the death of a loved one, and applies it to the stages of grief that an athlete goes through after suffering a season-ending injury.
In “How Fast Can Keni Run,” I take a look at the early indoor success of my former athlete, Kendra Harrison, who is currently ranked #1 in the world in the women’s 60m hurdles. There’s always room for improvement! And in this article I take a look not only at her success and the reasons for it, but also at what she can do to run even faster and compete for a gold medal at the summer Olympics this year.
In “In Defense of 8 Steps to the first Hurdle,” I revisit the 7-step trend and analyze why 8-stepping might actually be better. Eight years after Dayron Robles ruled the world as a seven-stepper, the debate continues as to whether or not seven-stepping in and of itself provides any distinct advantage.
On the other end of the spectrum, “In Defense of Four-Stepping” is geared to the younger athlete who is struggling to transition from taking four steps between the hurdles to taking three. Many high school and youth coaches face this issue every day, and it is one of the trickiest situations that a hurdle coach will encounter. This article gives tips and provides insights regarding this issue so that the coach can know what options are available. A central argument of the article is that four-stepping is not inherently slower than three-stepping if the three-step requires bounding and loping.
This month’s workout, the “Four-step Development Workout,” is specifically designed to help the four-stepper become proficient in leading with both legs, and to thereby eventually gain the speed necessary to transition into a fast and fluid three-stepper.
Finally, “The Do’s and Don’ts of Coaching Hurdlers” is an article I felt compelled to write based on the many emails I receive from athletes at various levels bemoaning the fact that they aren’t getting the coaching they need as hurdlers. Hopefully the advice I provide in this article will prove beneficial to coaches who have butted heads with their hurdlers in the past.
Thanks to all of you for your loyalty to the magazine and to the hurdles. For those of you still in the thick of the indoor season, good luck with the rest of your competitions. For those of you who are already looking ahead to the outdoor season, here’s to hoping you get some warm weather in the coming weeks.
Take care,
Steve McGill
