by Jeff Metcalfe - Sept. 18, 2012 10:36 PM
azcentral sports
Then: 1996 Arizona high school track champion in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter at Tempe Marcos de Niza High. Played football and ran track at Wyoming (1996-98) before transferring to Arizona State. Set ASU 100 school record (10.10 seconds) in 1999 and is former NCAA indoor 60 record holder (6.46). He was Pac-10 Male Track Athlete of the Year in 2001. Ran 100 personal record 9.99 during his professional career in 2006.
Now: Head trainer at Athletic Republic in Tempe and coach with AR Stars youth-track team. Will be inducted into the ASU Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Age: 34.
Question: What's your reaction to being named to the ASU Sports Hall of Fame?
A: I wasn't expecting that at all. Not to say that I don't think that I deserved it. It was the last thing of my mind. I remember being a little kid and my dad taking me up there to look at the athletes in the Hall of Fame and just never really thought that I'd be one.
I'm starting to see how big an honor it really is. I always knew it was, but when it's you sometimes you really don't see the vastness of it until people around you start to encourage you and tell you what it's really about. It's taking it to a whole different level. I just look at the other athletes already in that Hall of Fame. To be mentioned with them is mind blowing.
Q: Are you surprised to still be ASU's 60 and 100 record holder?
A: That 60-meter record I knew would stay around for awhile because at one point it was the collegiate record. The 100, just given the talent of athletes that's come through there after me, for that to still be standing is amazing. I've talked to some of those athletes, and I always let them know I thought they were going to break it. I know they've got that guy (Ryan) Milus over there now, and that's what I've been telling him, just go ahead and shatter all those records. That's what they're made for.
The (100) record I broke was Ron Brown's, and everybody knows what kind of athlete he was. I remember growing up watching him play in the NFL. That was a major accomplishment just to break that record. I remember when I did it I was in shock. What's even crazier is how fast the time goes by. I still remember setting it. I work with kids now and they let me know how old I am all the time. But it's fun to see the new generation come up. They really don't have limitations with their idol being Usain BoltCQ and he's running 9.5 video game times. The sky is really the limit now.
Q: It seems that someone like Bolt always comes along to inspire.
A: I was a football/track athlete and in 1996 when I saw Michael JohnsonCQ set that 200-meter record that's when my whole focus shifted. That's what I want to do with my life. When he ran that 19.32, it expanded our mind to what was possible and produced a whole lot of track athletes. Bolt wasn't as big a surprise. No one saw that type of speed (for Johnson). He just pulled something out of his hat. That's just the nature of the Olympics. It brings the best out of you. I got a chance to run with Michael Johnson his last year in the game (on a relay). I was in seventh heaven.
Q: How do you look at your pro career?
A: I would have loved to make the Olympics, but I was always batting this injury or that injury. The hamstrings really hamstrung my career. But I was still able to accomplish a whole lot and made my name on the European circuit. I was fortunate enough to travel to places I never thought I'd be able to go to. I got to No. 4 in the world after coaching myself. I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to, but I'm proud and happy of what I did accomplish.
Q: Injuries held you back trying to qualify for the 2008 Olympics?
A: I sustained some injuries early that indoor season that threw off my fitness. I was still kind of scrambling trying to get ready for the Olympics Trials. I left a lot on the table because I wasn't in the best shape of my life going into that meet. I retired after the 2009 season. I got to a point where I wasn't motivated like I needed to be to compete on an international level and was ready to do something different. That's when I moved toward training the next generation of athletes. It's the perfect transition for me because it gives me an avenue to teach kids everything I've learned, good and bad. I'm there not to just show them how to run properly but to get their mind right in what kind of things to expect as they progress from level to level. That's my biggest contribution, not just technique enhancement.
Q: Is your football career still important to you?
A: I'm still friends with pretty much all the people still up there (at Wyoming) that I was friends with at the time. That's an important part and proud part of my life. I was part of that national team where we made it to the Las Vegas Bowl and took me from the small high school level to the national scene. I had an opportunity to play behind (wide receiver) Marcus Harris.CQ He gave me a lot of food for thought for what I carried over to the track.
Q: Did you transfer to ASU simply to concentrate on track?
A: I wanted to be a track athlete coming out of high school but didn't have any offers. It was like not go to school or go to school where somebody said they wanted to give you a scholarship. It was kind of financial decision really. I always had plans to run track, and that was my main goal. The success I had running track at Wyoming kind of brought ASU around to the table. The timing worked out perfectly. That was right when my dad got diagnosed with cancer so it was a good time to come back home. I was able to spend the last couple of years with him.
Q: What's it like working with youth?
A: One of the athletes (Simon Whitefield) I train won the state 100 for his division. That was pretty much like me winning the championship how excited I was. I never thought it would be like that. It was good to share it with him.
19 Sep, 2012
-
Source: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/articles/2012/09/05/20120905whats-up-former-asu-track-athlete-marcus-brunson.html
--
Manage subscription | Powered by rssforward.com
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
What's up with former ASU track athlete Marcus Brunson
Dengan url
http://adjustpositionracing.blogspot.com/2012/09/whats-up-with-former-asu-track-athlete.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
What's up with former ASU track athlete Marcus Brunson
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
What's up with former ASU track athlete Marcus Brunson
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar