NE State Track Meet Video: Best of 200 Meter Finals and 400 Relays
Clara Nichols Comes Up Big in 2011
Nebraska high school state track meet best of 200 meter finals and top boys and girls 400 relays featuring: Clara Nichols, Blake Micek, Michael Wickham, Kenzo Cotton, Omaha North girls and Central boys 400 relays.
At left is Nebraska state girls 400 meter record holder Clara Nichols. The Millard South junior won three gold Medals and finished 2nd in the Class A 100m at the 2011 Nebraska State Track and Field Meet.
Her 55.05 400 meter finals performance established a new state record and her gold medal winning time of 24.80 in the 200 meter finals was a PR for Nichols as well as her 100 meter runner-up finish (12.15). She capped off her outstanding meet by anchoring the Patriots 1600 relay team to a season’s best 3:58.28 gold medal performance.
As a tribute to Clara’s extraordinary dedication and commitment to being the very best she can be, I threw in a little something extra in this video to pay homage to her. After all she has done something no other Nebraska high school girl has done and she did it in what in my opinion is the most intensely gruelling and athletically demanding event in track—the 400 meter. Moreover, Clara Nichols has one of the strongest wills and a desire for being the best that I’ve ever seen in a young athlete, girl or boy.
Photo is courtesy of Woitzel Photography.
Best of 200 Meter and 400 Relays Video
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a6uUa0Rcf8
May 30, 2011 @ 3:28 pm
Clara Nichols is a pretty girl with a beast mentality. You could tell from the video that she wasn’t going to lose that race no matter what and her running form is far superior to even the boys on the video.
Her coaches and parents have obviously done a tremendous job with her. The thing that is most impressive to me is that she is not a big or muscular girl and she is still able to perform at such a high level.
Keep up the hard work and effort Clara, your future is bright.
May 30, 2011 @ 4:06 pm
Yep, SPECIAL!
If she and her coaches can figure out her start she will own the state records in all three sprints.
I don’t know if they use it at Millard South but the Horse Harness is a device that I’ve seen work to develop explosion out of the blocks. It’s simply a harness that goes around the athlete with a long rope attached that the trainer uses to apply drag on the athlete, while they are coming out of the blocks in normal fashion. The athlete lines up in the blocks, starts, and then drives for twenty or so yards while the trainer is applying just enough drag at the start and throughout the drive phase. It helps the athlete to realize how much pressure and/or force is necessary to explode out the blocks. The stronger they get the more drag the trainer applies.
It’s funny because after an athlete does it just once and then immediately gets back into the blocks to perform a normal start — they find themselves almost falling on their faces.
May 30, 2011 @ 10:10 pm
Cummings, where can I get a harness like the one you are talking about? You do good work on your videos, I learn a lot from them.
May 30, 2011 @ 10:47 pm
Harness Help: The one I’m familiar with was made by a coach’s friend or brother I forget which. I’m sure if you check a good sporting goods store they would have something similar.
But a word of caution: Like with any training device it needs to be used properly. The most important thing is that during the drill the athlete must use the exact form he or she would maintain without it. And the trainer’s drag needs to be held at least through the drive phase (7-12) steps depending on the size and/or experience of the athlete.
Thanks for the props. Glad the videos help.