Letter from the Editor
The November 2013 issue of The Hurdle Magazine is comprised of an eclectic group of articles. This month’s athlete profile focuses on the hurdling career of American 110m hurdler Antwon Hicks, who has one of the most astute hurdling minds among modern hurdlers. Hicks has been among the top hurdlers in the world for a good decade, dating back to his Olympic Trials appearance in 2004. He qualified for the Trials in 2008 and 2012 as well, narrowly missing making the team in 2012 by .06. With a personal best of 13.09, Hicks is the 29th-fastest hurdler in history, and the 17-fastest American.
The longest article in this issue is “The Mindful Hurdler,” in which I further explore my ongoing interest in the mental/spiritual side of hurdling, and how a harmonious body-mind relationship can lead to greater success on the track and emotional balance off of it. The term “Mindfulness” has its roots in Buddhist philosophy, but its basic principle of acting creatively and spontaneously “in the moment” is one that has gained a foothold in sports culture, mainly because of the enormous success of professional basketball coach Phil Jackson, who incorporated meditation and visualization techniques into his coaching methods while leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships before leading the Los Angeles Lakers to another five.
Another article in this issue re-visits the question of whether or not the women’s hurdles in the 100m hurdle race should be raised to 36 inches to accommodate the modern-day female athlete’s strength, speed, and overall athleticism. The basic question addressed is, should the race favor the best raw sprinters or should it favor the better technicians?
For 400m hurdlers, the article to scrutinize would be “The Eighth Hurdle,” where I discuss the dangers that long hurdlers face at the eighth hurdle, where you’re still running on the curve but the final straight-away is only a step away. For 300m hurdlers reading this article, consider the 5th hurdle in your race to be equivalent to the 400m hurdler’s eighth hurdle.
In “Indoor Meets: Finding the Balance between Training and Competing,” I discuss the very issue that the title of the article suggests – how to get in the training you need for the outdoor season while dealing with the competition demands of the indoor season. Specifically, I focus on the difficulties that the modern indoor season presents, where there are more and more meets available, starting earlier and earlier, and leaking into the outdoor season for those who qualify for indoor nationals.
This month’s workout, “150 Pick-ups,” is a good cold-weather workout for sprinters and hurdlers as the winter temperatures are coming upon us, and it’s one that hurdlers can add their own variety to by adding hurdles to the mix.
In this month’s instructional video, I talk about the lead arm’s role in the hurdling motion. I do so by looking at the lead-arm styles of greats such as Allen Johnson, Dominique Arnold, Sally Pearson, Aries Merritt, and Liu Xiang. Also you will see how this video builds on the 1-2-3 theme of the lead leg and trail leg videos of September and October, respectively. I apologize ahead of time for the wind drowning out my voice for a few seconds in a couple spots.
As for thank-you’s, I want to start by thanking Chris Brajer, my web designer, for bringing my writings into viewable form on the web, and for helping me to increase my knowledge on the tech side of things.
I’d also like to thank the people who contributed to the various articles in this issue. Namely, Antwon Hicks, who broadened my knowledge of the hurdles tremendously in our hour-long conversation. Then there’s Elise Dorsett, who was so instrumental in putting together the “Yoga for Hurdlers” article for the October issue. Dorsett provided fascinating insight and heavy doses of simple yet profound wisdom that contributed greatly to “The Mindful Hurdler” being an exceptionally enjoyable article to write.
One person I forgot to mention in the October letter is my good friend Derek Bradley, who did the filming for the instructional video for that issue and for this month’s. Derek is very professional in his approach and very detail-oriented, which makes for a relaxed but very productive working environment. If you ever need a photographer for a sporting event (or any event for that matter), he’s your man. Check out his website to take a look at his work: http://flashphotosonline.com/?pageID=94252.
And of course, a huge thank-you to you, our subscribers. We are growing together. And if you have any ideas for article topics you’d like to read about in a future issue, email me and I’ll make it happen.
I want to dedicate the November 2013 issue of The Hurdle Magazine to my former athlete and treasured friend Keare Smith, who has struggled to find success on the track since our days together but continues to follow his hurdling dreams. Go where the hurdles take you, son. I know you have it in you.
Steve McGill
