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NTN Profile: Spring Boys TCPublished by
Top Athletes: David Johnson (hurdles), Ridgeway Frank (sprints), Reese Watson (pole vault), Bryson Carter (sprints), Taji Henley (throws), Anthony Bushay (jumps), Floyd Henderson (jumps), Daryn Young (throws) and Erick Whitaker (distances). Team Strengths: Spring has one of the most well balanced attacks heading into Nike Track Nationals. With strengths in the sprints, throws, pole vault and hurdles, this squad is primed to push for a top six finish, if not higher. Led by hurdler David Johnson, sprinter Ridgeway Frank and vaulter Reese Watson, all of whom have put up some tremendous marks this season, Spring can capitalize on their variety of talent to upset squads that are ranked ahead of them heading into the July 2 event. Key to Success: While Spring TC is ranked 11 out of 12, this team is so close to pushing for a top three finish. They have some heavy hitters, including Johnson, Frank, Watson and thrower Taji Henley. If all four of these talented athletes can equal or exceed their PRs, Spring will be sitting in good shape. Their one area of weakness comes in the distance races, where Erick Whitaker will need to push for a new PR. If he can lower his 800m performance by a second or two, that should give the team a very nice boost towards a top six finish. Q&A with Coach Aaron Shock NTN: With Nike Track Nationals right around the corner, how is the squad looking heading into the July 2 event? Aaron Shock (AS): The squad is looking good. Our season ended about a month and a half ago, but our athletes have continued to work. Several have reached new personal records. We are excited to see how we fare against the best of the best. NTN: Your squad hosts a nice mix of track talent and field talent. Is it a focus of your program to develop a balanced squad? If so, what type of practices do you do to ensure such balance? AS: In our district it is impossible to win without a balanced squad. We encourage all of our athletes to participate in multi-events early on. It takes great coordination and effort by our team and coaching staff to ensure that we are successful and competitive in all our events. NTN: Texas is a hotbed of track and field talent. How does competing in the ultra-competitive environment of Texas track and field prepare you for Nike Track Nationals? AS: It raises our team’s level of expectation and makes each athlete better. Being challenged weekly forces our squad to give their very best effort each week. We are proud to have the opportunity to represent the State of Texas and the Nike South Region. Because there is so much talent around us it seems that we are always in a dogfight. We would expect nothing less at Nike Track Nationals. NTN: Hurdler David Johnson has been a consistent force for your team. How has he been as a leader and athlete this season? AS: Two years ago we saw his potential and set extremely high goals for David. He qualified for Region each of the past two years, winning district as a junior. On the track he leads by example, always focused and preparing for his event. In the future, as a senior, we will expect even more from him as we lost a number of athletes to graduation this year.
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