WCSN Blogs

So with the trials out the way, I took a much needed exhale and relaxed for a few days … then promptly headed to Europe. I arrived in Lucerne, Switzerland, on July 13 for a race that was on Wednesday. You would think that was plenty of time to adjust to jetlag…wrong!! I don’t know why I have such a hard time shaking it but I do. I ran 11.23s and got 3rd. It is so disappointing after a loss to face the staff that has rolled out the red carpet for you and extended hospitality above and beyond. I know that as a professional athlete, I should be looking at each race as business and just that but I can’t help but feel a certain way about wanting to put on a good performance for the person who had enough confidence in me to invite me to their meet and of course the fans. Lucerne - which was also my first European race last year - has grown on me quickly and is very near-and-dear to my heart. It is just a small meeting, but they have been creative in making sure that their meeting is unique. Where money is limited, they have all sorts of prizes such as coffee makers, Swiss knives, Swiss watches, and diamond and sapphire stones. They have come up with a way to select the best and 2nd best performer of the meet and they get a diamond and a sapphire respectively. In addition most events have a story (where you usually have to be one of the best to get into European meets), but this is opportunity for those on the line to take a last stab at a qualifying standard. One of the great stories of this year’s meeting was Oscar Pistorius, also known as the blade runner, whose controversy has been quite the news. The crowd was electric as they cheered him on as he made his last attempt of making the Olympic team for his country. Although he came up short it was great to be present as he still made history. His attempt stood for so much more than the actual win or lose.

Back to my emotional attachment with certain meetings, Korea has been the race that has closed out each season since I have become a professional. So you can imagine how distraught I was when I found out it might take place in May this year!! Luckily they thought better of that, but the date fluctuated multiple times. As a result I have scheduled my 25th birthday party to begin the same day as the meet in Korea!!! Being a very strict creature of habit I usually don’t waiver once I have started such a trend like this. So it goes without saying that distraught was an understatement to the reaction I had when I found out about my having double-booked two very important engagements!! Those brats on “My super sweet 16” had nothing on my display of emotion at not being able to be in two places at once. I still have not figured out what I am going to do as people have begun to RSVP and make deposits.  I do not have an alternate date in mind that would work. I mean, who wants a birthday party in October when their birthday is in September?!?  I had already compromised by agreeing to the 25th, figuring that since I am turning 25 and it is exactly two weeks after my birthday, I could celebrate it and still have a theme. How could I justify an October 9th party?!  I guess as time goes on things change and you have to able to adapt and move on. You only turn 25 once ( I guess you only turn every age once, but you all know what I mean ) so I guess I will pick up my Korean tradition again next year unless of course the meeting promoter is willing to change the date of the meeting to the 22nd or 23rd….I know, I know, fat chance.

I got to be on both sides of the fences this week and although I was already on the team, I can appreciate what it is like to be the first loser by such a close margin - it’s painful. There is an 85 percent chance I wouldn’t have run the 200 if I had made the team. I was doing it first for training and secondly to prove to myself that I was capable of going through the rounds. I know I can run a world-class 200m race, but have never been confident in my training to think I could do the rounds. I am a true sprinter and I-up until this year-had no desire to even test those waters. But, I am not afraid of the 200 anymore and will step on the line in Europe this summer, knowing I am a threat to the other 7 lanes..as opposed to thinking please GOD just don’t let me place last.

TONS of thanks to my support group.  You all have been amazing this week!!! I appreciate the encouragement and prayers. I am so grateful that time and space have come together at just the right moment and brought each and everyone one of you in my life at just the right time. Can’t get everyone into one blog and I am sure you all aren’t so wonderful to me just to receive a shout-out on my blog. I have to do just a little name calling and thank the Humphrey Family for EVERYTHING because a little of everything is what they do for me. Anytime I need anything, they come to my rescue from dog-sitting to airport pick-up to helping me look for my lost pet in a tree. They never tell me NO and it so great to know there someone who ALWAYS has my back. Also the newest member of my Medical team - Melvyn Williams, who has a very compact schedule but made time to see me and continued to work to get me healthy during this off season. Being healthy is half the battle!!

And in other news…Wallace nearly gave me a heart attack!! I wanted to cut the TV off in the call room. I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t made the team and I had to go out and race knowing that! For those who don’t know, he secured the the 3rd spot on the team in men’s 200m by close margins! I guess I only have myself to blame, as I am the big sister and I am supposed to be setting the example and I have been all about close margins lately.

So the next five days are rest and relaxation. Jog one or two days, but mostly let my body recover from eight hard races. I head to Lucerne, Switzerland, on Saturday and will spend two weeks competing in Europe before coming home. After just a few days to regroup, I head to China.

I will be checking in and keeping you all up on my adventures because I am sure there will be some!

–sub11

I am not a fan of politicians. I just can’t relate to politics, because I am the kind of person who thinks black and white - I prefer that you say exactly what you mean, as opposed to beating around the bush and using words to confuse me or to avoid answering a question.

I recently read an article in “USA Today” where the two remaining candidates discussed Title IX.  I found their responses interesting to say the least. With the Presidential primary winding down, I think I should take this opportunity to discuss a little politics. Excuse me if I am reading too much into their WORDS but I need some clarification…

John and Barack, I just want you to know that we as athletes are following the election and care what you are saying about the issues that matter to us.

Question: Title IX has been an important factor in expanding athletic participation for girls and women. What do you think of the way the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has enforced the law under the Bush Administration? Would your administration enforce Title IX differently? And if so, in what ways?

McCain:

“The US department of Education under President Clinton took liberties in interpreting the law and without debate determined that universities must fund men’s and women’s sports programs in proportion to the ratio of male and female students… Unfortunately many popular athletic programs have been cut because the overall amount of funding available for athletics will not sustain identical men’s and women’s programs in every sport…The positive effects of the law are indisputable, and John McCain supports the law’s intent of providing equal opportunities to all students in a manner that does not unfairly penalize or limit opportunities for any students.

John McCain will bring people to work together to find ways to help make Title IX accomplish its original intent without causing the elimination of athletic programs.”

My first question is…why is Senator McCain speaking in the third person? Someone wrote what he thinks on his behalf? Well did he at least read it before it went to print? Also why is he talking about Clinton when the question was about the Bush Administration?  This response lets us know he knows what Title IX is but doesn’t seem to know a solution. So although he’s critical of Clinton’s implementations, he doesn’t suggest he has a better alternative. It is my opinion that you should want to be President because you think you can do the job better than everyone else and have real ideas about how to change important issues not getting in there creating a task force to come up with ideas once you are president.

Obama:

“We know that problems remain…as demonstrated by the number of complaints to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) about discrimination against female teams. Despite these ongoing problems, enforcement by the Office for Civil Rights has been ineffective. Although complaint volume remains high, compliance reviews have dropped, the focus of the reviews has narrowed and the agency has taken a lax approach to enforcement…I will do more to ensure effective protection from sex discrimination. I will target resources to improve Title IX enforcement, including compliance reviews and the technical assistance. To address discrimination at the high school level, I will support the High School Sports Information Collection Act, which directs schools to make information on equality in athletic programs publicly available. This information is already required at the college level.”

Well speaking in the first person makes me feel as if I can hold Senator Obama accountable for his statements and he does answer the questions posed…I would still like more detail on his intentions. What exactly is ‘technical assistance?’ What is the difference is making the equality information public going to do? Sounds as if he is happy with the current layout of Title IX and plans to enforce it better.

Well, now that you are informed on what our two candidates are saying and have heard my commentary, feel free to form your own opinion. After all voting is about making an educated decision based on the facts given. Stay tuned for my commentary on their statements regarding the doping issue.

–sub11

It has been five days since I made the Olympic team and everyone is anxious to see what I was going to come up with. I have had a good amount of time to get a grip on my true feelings, so here it goes!

USATF Membership $50.00

Entry fee for USA Trials $25.00

Plane ticket from Miami to Eugene $1,182.46

Hotel for 13 nights $1,723.80

Two premium seating tickets for all 8 days of the meet $730 (subtract the $280 my mother sold them for)leaves only a $450loss…. I hope those guys were happy and have been in attendance EVERYDAY!!!

Running sub-11 three-times $3,000 (This money will go into the sub11 scholarship fund, to be distributed to various female athletes heading to college at a later date) $9,000

Making the team … PRICELESS!!!!

This trip has been such an adventure… I was a little worried when it started with a delayed plane that lead to me sleeping over in Denver and arriving in Eugene a day later than planned…but the mood quickly shifted during that final decent into Eugene when I was overcome with nervousness that didn’t recede until  the 100m final on Saturday night.

I must admit, I wasn’t too thrilled about trials being held in Eugene as this small rainy town isn’t my ideal place to spend two weeks - but I am also willing to admit when I may have judged too quickly. For starters, the weather is GREAT - clearly a blessing from GOD who realized what a damper it would have been to have a cold and wet trials. And the Eugene staff is amazing, six days into competition, everyone is still smiling and trying to be as accommodating as possible. It makes life so much easier on the athlete when we can focus on competing because all the little things are taken care of. The only two complaints I am going to voice are 1) there is no TNT or USA in the Hilton Hotel!! How is that possible?!! I am going through severe “Law and Order” withdrawal!! They have all kinds of extra stations, but have failed to incorporate the basics. SHAME ON YOU HILTON!!! Second, it has been a bit of a chore finding adequate nourishment as “tavern,” “bar” and “grill” and “pub” seem to be in the title of every restaurant, and the cuisine at these places is limited. Also things close early and are not in close proximity to the meet hotel. These are relatively minor things, but hopefully something can be done to remedy this as I believe Trials will be here through 2012.

Lots going on in the wide world of sprints!! Tyson Gay ran a stellar race and now has run the fastest 100m ever by a human, though we can’t call him a world record holder YET! You shouldn’t feel bad for your competitor but my heart goes out to Mashavette Hooker who was the first not to make the team in the women’s 100m, after looking stellar through the rounds. Having first interacted with her in Jamaica as part of the 2002 world junior team when we were roommates, I know her talent and potential and was not at all surprised with her speed this year. I know what she is capable of and look forward to working with her on the 4×100 creating a World Record pace team to compete against Jamaica in China. Speaking of Jamaica, I know it sounds weird but I was also sad to hear Veronica Campbell didn’t make the 100m as she is a respected competitor. It seems that the Jamaican sprints are just as hot as the American on both the men’s and women’s side. I can’t wait to see how it all plays out in China. You know it is going to be an exciting year when 11 seconds doesn’t make the American final and a Jamaican 10.88 didn’t make the Olympic team!

And lastly, with just twenty-four hours until the men’s and women’s 200 meter goes off…I want to say “Godspeed” to my baby brother Wallace “Squarepants” Spearmon, as he is the last of the gang to earn his ticket to China (Sanya, Bershawn and I all have.) As for me, I plan to go out there and race my heart out and I am telling myself that I am just as qualified as everyone else who is lining up. My personal best is 22.28 and I had run that prior to running sub11 in 2005. So now having the sub11 performances in the bank I am confident that I at least have a personal best performance to debut here and the pressure is off as I have earned a place on the team so I am going out there and have a good time!

–sub11

If you asked me to tell you the scoop, I would begin to rattle off flavors of ice cream most likely from my local Coldstone Creamery. Instead today I am gonna give you the story on something more personal that I’ve come to take very serious.

Food is one of my favorite subjects 2 discuss. I sometimes day dream about being a famous food critic when I am finished with track. I travel back 2 reality when I realize that although I eat just about anything I don’t eat everything and so my scope for criticizing would be somewhat limited.

I have been lucky enough that high metabolism and naturally muscular build as a result of good genetics has allowed me to eat whatever I want whenever I want and still be a world class athlete. This also has been my main argument for refusing a supplement of any kind. Who needs a pill for calcium when when you can drink milk (preferably with cookies

However during the 2007 season I carried around a few more pounds than usual. Still I wouldn’t budge on my views. I want to be as natural as possible. So during this off season I still ate what I wanted but focused on not always eating until I was stuffed. I also added some “distance runner runs” to my early fall training in addition to my regularly scheduled program. Having lost those few pounds I committed to eating better for the new year after all if you love just about everything what’s the big deal about eating the healthier stuff for awhile. In addition I gave up on the scale. I am convinced the scale was invented by Satan himself in an effort to get women to commit suicide either by starvation or other means.

Long story short in early April my coach forced me on the scale. I am not sure if it was because I looked like an elephant or if she just wasn’t sure what else to do as my workouts had been ok but not stellar as they usually are by this time of year. Not only did I gain back those few pounds but a few more had joined the the party!!! I am not naming numbers because although I am sharing a very private matter with you all I recognize that not everyone has my best interest at heart. Last thing I want is the media using my own words against me to making an issue of it. Talk about a nervous break down!! I had been eating right, training hard and putting an effort unmatched by any of the prior years as a professional only to find out I wasn’t on track.

Coach gave me the number of the nutritionist who I had refused multiple times in the past. I called… Lisa Dorfman came to the rescue. With just 10 weeks until the trials we had work to do. I sent in a menu of the things I had eaten over a 2day period and she analyzed it and brought with her to our first meeting along a detailed menu of of I would be eating for the next wk. We did height weight body fat etc. My weight comes from being dense. (Everyone knows muscle weighs more than fat still there is a fine line between having muscle for power and being weighed down by excess muscle where its function becomes counter productive. So since then I have become accountable to Lisa emailing what I have eaten at the end of each day. This is a great tool to make me think about what I am putting my mouth because I know I have to share it later and anyone who knows me knows I don’t have what it takes to lie. She breaks down my intake and gives me feedback such as suggesting alternatives as to what to do is a situation where only certain foods are available or whether or not I ate enough that day. It has been really great in helping me understand why I cant just eat whatever I want and my body has soooooo felt the difference. I have this never ending supply of energy. No more napping after practice because I am not tired and the workouts have improved tremendously.

I used to laugh at poor Jarred on the Subway commercial knowing he wasn’t eating the good sandwiches. I now have to laugh at myself as I often am limited to those same 6in sandwiches when I am on the road. you would be surprised how filling just half is if you just give it a moment 2 digest.

Lastly I want to talk about the supplements aspect of it. I was stressed out when Lisa started to discuss the things I needed to be taking as supplements and how each was important. I felt like I was going to become a sellout if I started with all these powers,shakes, pills and such. I explained I didn’t want anything that isn’t available to the whole world in a regular drug store as there are so many companies that you can order this and that from now a days. So after much conversation and compromising we came up with an agreement.Hopefully the picture above is clear and you can see what I have now added to my life as a supplement to my diet. This is all stuff you can pick up at the local CVS or Walgreens. In order to achieve success you have to make some sacrifices. I want to be an Olympic Champion in Beijing. I am willing to be open minded and try to get more out of my body by tailoring my diet to performance. Hopefully to my fans this shows my dedication to being a winner.I am still drug free and committed to clean sport and the idea of of a fair playing field!! My stomach is growling so until next time!!!

Last weekend was great!! My sponsor Bank of America has this put together a great idea to get America to rally behind team USA called America’s Cheer. You can create a video cheer for your favorite member of Team USA and post it to www.americascheer.com just like you post videos to Youtube. Bank of America also has a mobile unit traveling around various cities and states. In addition to recording your cheer the kiosk has interactive activities to participate in. I was so excited when I found out that the unit chose Miami as one of it stops. It was lucky that we could coordinate the final activity for the Lauryn Williams Mentoring program with this event. So last weekend the mentors and mentee’s came out to Dolphin Mall and recorded their cheers and enjoyed the videotaping and interactive cheer kiosk. After that we headed to lunch at Texas de Brazil a Churrascaria style restaurant where you get your side dishes at a buffet; then you have waiters come around to your table with every kind of premium meat you could think of grilled to perfection. This is the type of place where you bring your appetite! I am so grateful to Bank of America for their support of these young people and my program. The dinner which is truly a unique experience would not have been possible without them. I am also grateful to Andrew Post the President of Fun4kidz for all his hard work in making my idea become a reality positively influencing and changing the lives of 25 middle school students. A special shout out to the volunteers who were at each event. Volunteers represent the true essence of giving of yourself when doing extra isn’t in your job description! I can’t wait for next year!!

Wheww! I survived it!! The toughtest field ever…well as far as I am concerned.

Track should have far better following than it does! After all in other sports u spend all year building up for 1 big event then once it is over you have to wait a whole year for it 2 bulid up again and then your team might not be in the championship!! Not in track! You get GREAT races with all the hot names and constant excitement with surprises in the plot on a regular basis. This wknd was a perfect example. 8 of the hottest women in the sprints ALL capable of running sub11 times on the line at the same time!! I can garuntee it was a better line up than any final you can put on the line in Beijing because u can only have 3 people per country and america and Jamaica have far more qualified depth than that! There was a B race where the winning time would have been 4th place in the A heat! Then there are those who chose to either run another event or just weren’t present that you must also watch out for. ( ie. Muna Lee, Miki Barber, Sharone Simpson and Simone Facey just to name a few.) It wasn’t just our event either I could write a book about how much talent was at the adidas track classic. Hopefully you tuned in so you know just exactly what I am talking about.

Although my 9 race winning streak came to an end there was a Lauren Williams that was not only lighting fast but victorious! I believe she’s 8 but had the composure of an adult as she raced down the track to a first place finish from lane 1. She showed that lanes don’t decifer who wins races heart, training and talent does. I wish her the best in her budding career and hope she continues to represent the Williams name well!

I hate sharing my stuff but I can also say that I am equally as disgusted when it come to the thought of having to borrow from someone as well. So I try not to do either to keep my conscious clear. It is not just a figure of speech for me to say “I wouldn’t want to walk a mile in your shoes!!” With that being said I don’t want my baby sister to have to run around in mine either….

My baby sister (15), Leighandra is running track and she is talented. May13th she had the race that would have qualified her to the PA state championships. Top 5 make it and she got 6th in both the 100 and 200. She is a freshman. 4 seniors and a junior finished in front of her and she ran a lot slower than she did the week before! If it sounds like I am defending her it is because I am! I wish she didn’t have to deal with the pressure of filling my shoes. Truth is she’ll prob eventually be better than me. She is her own person and as I have said very talented. I want her to be the best Leighandra Williams she can be and wherever that takes her so be it.

I do want to share whatever knowledge I have that I think would be helpful to help her along but don’t intend to train her or override/undermind those training her now. She doesn’t understand alot about the sport, like the idea of the body gettin tired and not being able to remain in the same condition day in and day out. She also has 2 get her nerves under control. She is so emotional and has yet to grasp the mentality that she needs to have in order to be successful. So to those fans of mine who know her please cut her some slack and be supportive she is developing into a GREAT Williams! Not Lauryn, Leighandra!!!

Let the games begin!!! Thursday I travel to Modesto California for my first open 100m race!!! I refer to everything up to this point as pre-season. So on Saturday I plan to test the waters and see just where exactly I am. I am nervous but ready to know how exactly the training is going to convert to race pace and what I need to work on between now and the trials. Have to have a starting point to know what direction you need to go right? Let’s see what other exciting things can I tell you…

Penn Relays was great!! I love being back in my home state! The crowd is great the atmosphere is wonderful! It is also nice to be on the track with all the big names in US sprinting and not be against them but operating as a unit and we were unstoppable!! USA read and USA Blue finishing in 1st and 2nd and there was even a USA white team that although they didn’t compete was composed of premiere sprinters as well. This just goes to show the depth that US sprinting has and how hard it is going to be to be one of the three that makes the cut at the trials. I am up to the challenge and making sure I am as prepared as possible.

Well I am off to the races! My Theme for the year is DO NOT wish me luck! Luck is for those who have not prepared. All I need is hard work and GOD so if your up to it please pray for me I have definitely worked hard so that part is done! I will report back so with the results until then…GODSPEED!!

I may not be a hit on the runway, but on the track I’m undefeated

I was quite the busy body getting ready for the Pepsi Florida Relays last weekend. For these last few weeks, my three closest girlfriends from childhood have been gracing me with their presence. Devan was here for my race in Miami on March 22. That evening we went to the Mary J Blige and Jay-Z concert and sat in the third row!!! I have to give a shot out to Victor, who always comes through with the best seats to all the premiere events. Even though we got in late, we still got up at 5:30 a.m. for the Easter Sunday sunrise service. If you have time to party, then you have to have time for the Lord.

It was really good to see Devan. She even helped me with my sign language homework!!! (Her brother Chad is deaf.) After Devan left early Monday, things returned to business as usual until Thursday, when Stephanie my girlfriend from Rochester Pa., came into town. Stephanie now lives in Baltimore Md. If you know anything about me, you know that I am Raven fan. I am lucky Stephanie and her family open up their home to me during my off-season, so I twirl in and out of town for football games. This off-season, I also traveled to Baltimore for physical therapy on my left hamstring. I went to Melvyn, who works with Santana Moss of the Washington Redskins. Stephanie and her family have been a Godsend. They help me keep down the cost of making multiple trips to the Baltimore/D.C. area. Some of Stephanie’s friends were also in Miami, so she was mostly just my houseguest. But it was good to catch up with her when we were both home.

March 29 was my big debut in the Jockstarzz Fashion Show to benefit the Kevin Everett Foundation, which raises money for spinal cord research. It was so nice to be able to support a fellow Hurricane alumnus and Kevin’s fiancée, Wiande, who is my good friend, in anyway I can. Kevin is a living miracle and a true testament that you can’t take a single moment of life for granted and that you need to be appreciative of what you have, because in seconds your world can shatter.

I was sooo nervous about being in the fashion show. First of all, I was scheduled to wear a PINK dress and very high heels, which would make me about one foot taller. I have to tell you that I am not a good example of how a female should walk in heels. I am truly an athlete. Second, I am very shy. I am not at all good with being on stage in front of an audience. Even though I was terrified, I was determined to do my best. But halfway down the runway, my shoes, which were too big, started to slip off. I didn’t’ want to ruin the show by bending down and fixing them, so I slowed down my walk, which was already awkward, and took my time.

I was so sad; I felt like I had failed my first test as a fashion model. I still had another ensemble to model, so I got in competition mode and decided I was going to redeem myself the second time around. And I did do much better. But, I must say, I am NOT America’s Next Top Model. After another late night, I was up at 6 a.m. the next morning for a celebrity 5K walk to benefit homeless people in Miami. I couldn’t believe I walked 3.1 miles! What a way to round out the weekend.

Last week flew by. Since it was spring break, I didn’t have classes on Monday and Wednesday. So I spent my time getting all geared up for the Florida Relays this weekend. Thursday I got up bright and early and headed to one of Iron Arrow’s ceremonies called a tapping. Iron Arrow [http://www.ironarrow.com/] is an organization at the University of Miami. Being a member is the highest honor you can attain at the university. I was sorry I couldn’t stick around longer because the school’s athletic director, Paul Dee, was the guest speaker at the luncheon. But I had to get on the road to Gainesville with my training group. We all piled into one of my training partner’s big Expedition and off we went.

I am usually the designated driver because I am a speed demon and I don’t mind driving. So I was the driver Thursday. Well, at least, it started out that way. About half way there, I got snagged by a state trooper for going 91 in a 70-m.p.h. zone. What can I say? I like to do everything fast! A speeding ticket was a sure thing and I wasn’t going to argue. But much to my surprise the officer returned to the vehicle to tell me that my license was suspended! WAIT! WAIT! WAIT!!!! I want to clear the air before you all start thinking I am a bad driver. I have had only one ticket in my whole life!!! I got it and paid it the same day. Apparently, I also had to send some sort receipt to someone. But I didn’t, so my license got suspended. Thank God I know people who work in this field and was able to immediately take care of it. But for the rest of the weekend, I had to turn over the driving to the others.

We safely arrived in Gainesville Thursday night and met our former training partner Dominique who now trains there. It was so great for everyone to be together and have “girl talk.” Friday morning, we went to the track for a pre-meet meeting, then we went to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I ran the 4×2 at 7:55 p.m. and we WON!!!! Saturday the sprint medley was at noon. And guess what?? WE WON!!!! The 4×1 was the grand finale for me. AND WE WON!!!! That means so far this season I am undefeated!! I know I have just run relays, but every race counts.

When I wasn’t in a race, I was excited about sitting back and watching the rest of the meet, especially the 4×4, which is the only way to close out a real track meet. Shortly after my race ended, it started to rain, so the rest of the meet was canceled. It was a sad to close to a great weekend, but it was a great weekend just the same. I can’t wait to see what my first open race this Saturday has in store for me. After that race, I won’t have to wonder anymore. Until then BYE!!!

–sub11