From TrackSide Magazine - Issue 3 - "Time Stands Still" - Johnny Gray 800 Meter American Record Holder

For most of the 1980’s and early 90’s, Johnny Gray was the best middle distance runner in America. The California native made four Olympic teams (1984-1996), and won a bronze medal in his signature event, the 800, at the Barcelona Games of 1992. Years earlier, in 1985, Gray set the U.S. record in the 800 with a time of 1:42.60, a standard of excellence that has now held up for twenty-eight years.

(Right video) Johnny Gray
setting the American standard
of 1:42.60 back in 1985. No one
has broken the mark in 28 years.

Since retiring from competition soon after the turn of the 21st century, Gray has made his mark as a coach, first at UCLA, and now Central Florida where he is working with the distance runners and assisting head coach Jeanette Bolden. Now 53, he first earned his coaching stripes as the mentor for Santa Monica Track Club teammate Khadevis Robinson, who won five U.S. championships under the tutelage of Gray, who won seven of his own. This year, he has been instrumental in guiding the careers of 800-meter runners Maz Okoro and Duane Solomon, both of whom were seeded among the favorites at the recent World Championships in Moscow.

His working relationship with Solomon, 28, is especially noteworthy, mainly because the mentee has an excellent chance of breaking Gray’s AR, having already clocked a 1:42.82 last year.

XXX

Chip Jenkins, is a gold medal winning member of the 1600-meter relay team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Although Jenkins didn’t race directly against Gray (“Johnny didn’t dip into the 500 and 600 too often”), his accomplishments bridge the careers of both Gray, the runner and Gray, the coach. Now an intellectual property attorney in Washington, D.C., Jenkins was one of Gray’s contemporaries, and now at 49, watched earlier this summer as Solomon broke his American record of 1:15.80 in the 600 meters, a mark that stood for 26 years.

Jenkins recalls watching Gray race in the 80’s. “What strikes me about Johnny Gray was that he always ran within himself. It's great that he imparted upon Duane the same knowledge and habits to win consistently indoors and out.”

Even though it meant losing his American record.

XXX

To read the rest of this article, please go to page 34 at trackside3.tracknation.com

The Karate Kids of Yorktown - Meet the Park's

For the four Park children of Yorktown, taekwondo is more than a family affair. In fact, based on their recent performances at state and national level meets, the kicking quartet, who range in age from five through 11 and train at World Martial Arts gym, have become a familial force to be reckoned with.

(Right) Grand Master Ko
demonstrating his ability
to break hard objects in
1988 video

Calera, the oldest, is a student at Tabb Middle school, and probably the most accomplished right now, having scored her first national title last July at the U.S. National Taekwondo Federation championships in Chicago.

“She was the first to start,” says Johnathon Renner, WMA manager and coach. “It must have been tough for her, being the oldest and having younger brothers following.”

Fortunately, Renner is not alone in the dojo, as four other coaches, and until recently, two interns, are also available at World Martial Arts to oversee each athlete’s progress. All teaching is conducted under the watchful eye of Grand Master Pyong Tuk Ko, himself an eighth degree black belt with over 30 years of teaching experience on the Peninsula. Grand Master Ko, a former president of the Virginia State Taekwondo Association, was honored by then-President George H.W. Bush in 1992 for his work as the tournament director of the 18^th National Championships, which served as the Olympic qualifying match and was held at Hampton Coliseum.

The three young Park men – Edmond, 8, Andrew, 7, and Benjamin, 5 are bunched closer in age, but also perform at a high level. Like their sister, both Edmund and Andrew have earned their black belts, while Benjamin is in probationary status.

Yet the youngest Park sibling is making a lot of noise, having placed third at the Chicago tournament.

“(Benjamin) is probably the youngest guy I’ve ever seen do this. What he can do at that age is unbelievable,” says Renner.

Expanding on the thought, Grand Master Ko added, “You can see the hard work that the students put in. To see the skill and precision that the young people display is admirable.”

Three other World Martial Arts students – Connor Marsell, Kirsten Marsell, and Ben Bashore, also qualified for Nationals.

But there’s more to WMA than the activity which occurs on the mats. One of the staples of the gym is its after school program. Renner feels the program helps the students to prioritize.

“We’re making sure their focus is on self-control. They know that school comes first and this comes after.”

Four vans make their way around York County, stopping at numerous schools to pick up most of the 70 students who participate each day. The afternoon sessions consist of a one-hour class, followed by thirty minutes of mandatory homework and reading.

Other classes offered at World Martial Arts include a variety of options such as hapkido,  weapons training, tai-chi, yoga, personal training for weight management and performance enhancement for elite athletics.

World Martial Arts & Fitness is located at 2115 George Washington Memorial Highway (Rte. 17) in Yorktown, VA (just south of Wal-Mart). For more information, please call the gym at 757-867-5085 or visit their website at www.kostkd.com.

More About Manteo

Congratulations to Manteo Mitchell, who was last week's feature on the "Wall." He was recently selected to the Western Carolina Hall of Fame. To my surprise, he contacted me and asked for help with his biography, which I assume would be used in the ceremony and program. I pulled some stuff together. Turns out I had assumed the bio was supposed to be brief, and thankfully, he made some additions which truly pulled everything together. For the record, here's what I had.

Manteo Mitchell (’09) is easily one of the most famous athletes in Catamount history. While running for Western Carolina, Mitchell broke school records in the 200 and 400-meter runs, and also qualified for the NCAA championships seven times. Soon after graduating, Manteo became the first athlete in school history to become an Olympian, earning a spot as a 4x400 meter relay runner.

The relay finished with a silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics, but it was Manteo’s gutsy effort in the qualifying race that made headline news around the world. Halfway through his 400-meter leg, Manteo heard a crack in his leg. In spite of the pain, he courageously finished his lap, learning later that he had broken his fibula midway through the race. His story reached hundreds of millions of worldwide Olympic viewers, and even drew a comment from President Barack Obama, who called it “one of my favorite stories from the Games,” while Manteo was an honored Olympian guest at the White House.

Mitchell has also earned a world championship, for his part on the gold medal winning 4x400 relay at the indoor World Championships in 2012.

For his career at Western Carolina, Manteo’s highlights also include being a four-time Southern Conference MVP, five conference team championships, seven NCAA-All region athlete honors, and winner of the Joe Hunt Award, for being the Outstanding College Male Athlete at Western Carolina.

However, it is his recent work that is drawing notice, as Manteo has become a well-respected motivational speaker, delivering his testimony of “FaithFocusFinish” to dozens of youth and civic groups. His inspirational story was recently featured in a cover story of TrackSide magazine (trackside3.tracknation.com).

Mitchell, who runs for Nike athletics, was also recently selected for sponsorship by BP, the former British Petroleum Company.

Excerpt from TrackSide Magazine - "Manteo Mitchell: FaithFocusFinish"

From the Fall 2013 issue of TrackSide magazine, available now at trackside3.tracknation.com.

Manteo Mitchell ran 200 meters of a relay on a broken leg
at the 2012 Olympics, but that's not what he wants to be
remembered for.

Manteo Mitchell is leading a paradoxical life. He is an American professional athlete, and Olympic silver medal winner. At track meets, he is known by sight and as an inspirational speaker; he has delivered more than 60 testimonies of faith and hope. He even has a mantra which he is happy to share – that being “Faith, Focus, Finish.”

The problem is, Mitchell’s road to celebrity came as the result of a tough break, more specifically, the one in his left fibula as he ran a leg on the U.S. 1600-meter relay. In a twist of irony, he was introduced to track as the result of another bone injury, this one a complete break in his left radius bone, which ended his senior high school year of football in the second game.

While Mitchell would have preferred to find fame in another manner, there is no question that his heroic act of not being “that guy” and finishing his leg on the track at London has helped him find an audience.

Now it’s time for the real work to begin.

“FaithFocusFinish”

The casual observer might be prone to believe that this trite, but meaningful, saying was added to the quarter miler’s vocal repertoire soon after the London Games, when his name was on the lips and typing fingers of many a reporter.

Nothing could be farther from the truth....

(Continued on page 16 at trackside3.tracknation.com.)

Manteo Mitchell’s website can be found at manteomitchellusa.com, and he is also on Twitter @manteomitchell and @OlympicFaith (FaithFocusFinish.)

Denbigh's Hollis Continues Football Life in Finland

From Daily Press Newport News Town Square edition of September 26, 2013. This is the original version before editing -- in other words, not adjusted to fit within a certain space .. laugh.

For Dwayne Hollis, perseverance has been his key to success.

(Right) On the video wall, Hollis
returns punt for a Rooster
record 93 yards

As a 5’8”, 125 pound sophomore at Denbigh High School in the mid 2000’s, Hollis was judged as too small to play football. A couple of his coaches tried to steer him toward cross-country, figuring that his slight build and natural speed would be better suited for trails, rather than pads. But the youngster refused to yield to adversity. Even while attending several distance running practices, he continued to mold himself into a football player, eventually tacking on 25 pounds and earning his way into the starting Patriot lineup as a senior cornerback.

Simultaneously, he also grew into a standout track athlete, competing in the short sprints for a Denbigh team that finished the 2007 outdoor season with a fourth place state AAA finish. Part of that success came from Hollis’ ability in the pole vault, where his drive for excellence helped him to develop into a 13-foot vaulter.

Although he had speed, the size was still lacking. But the word quit never entered the vocabulary of the Newport News native. He found a spot on the Division III North Carolina Wesleyan football team. Little by little, his skills honed and his physique grew. But the speed always worked to his advantage. Hollis became a return man, and by his sophomore year, he had scored a touchdown by interception, punt and kickoff return.

Hollis' final two years served only to bolster his status as a one man human highlight reel for the Bishops.

The accolades piled up. He became the first NCWC player to earn All-American honors, as a defensive back. Hollis was also chosen as a Beyond Sports (BSN) All-American as a return specialist. For his senior year, Hollis, now 5’9“ and 165 (about the same size as Redskins Hall of Famer Darrell Green), recorded four interceptions (one returned for a TD), 46 tackles and a fumble recovery, while averaging over 13 yards per punt return and 24 for each kickoff return (with three more touchdowns). It was hard not to notice the speedster, and his accomplishments earned Hollis a spot in the Division III Senior Bowl.

It also earned Hollis a great connection. Wide receivers coach Kevin Burant had worked for a year with the Helsinki Roosters and received a call from his former colleagues asking if he knew any potential return specialists. The link was made and a flight was booked.

Hollis immediately noticed that professional football was lower key in Finland. Along with a 10-game season, there was a more laid back attitude.

“We practiced about three times a week and usually played on weekends. I enjoyed the nightlife sometimes.”

He also got introduced to coaching, working with the younger Roosters team.

Although Hollis didn’t arrive until the fourth game, he made an immediate impact, helping Helsinki maintain an undefeated record while defending their Maple Bowl title with a 52-31 win over the Helsinki Wolverines. Despite his late start, Hollis led the Roosters in all-purpose yards with 883, and scored six touchdowns in seven games – four as a wide receiver and two on returns. In the championship game, he caught five passes for 96 yards and a 50-yard touchdown.

The best may be yet to come.

“I’m about to get an agent,” says Hollis, ready to continue his professional aspirations, whether they be in the Arena Football League, or Canada. But, the ultimate goal remains the NFL.

For now, he is putting his newfound coaching skills to work, helping with the defensive squad at his high school alma mater, which got off to a surprising 2-1 start. For Hollis, it was a natural extension of his football experience.

“Every summer, I trained for college football at Denbigh H.S.. I was going to coach there before I left (for Finland).

Overall, Hollis is pleased with the opportunity to continue his football career.

“It was good to go to another country because not too many people go to Europe, let alone to play the sport they love.”

What was most surprising about Finland?

“It was different because a lot of people walk and ride bikes everywhere. One thing that I found shocking is that they don’t use traffic lights on Sunday. And they use kilometers, not miles.”