I wish to give a word of praise for Latif Thomas and Matt Gardner, two elitetrack.com members who did a fantastic job with their 4x100m relays. I have known Latif for many years and always watch to see what he can do with his athletes at whatever school he is at. With no superstars Latif smashed the MA record with his girls 4 x 100m and Matt G took a bunch of seasonal track athletes and defended the division gold and lowered the school record as well. While Latif and I share radically different beliefs in politics, his ability to get results and share them in great educational formats is a true gift. Over the years he is a face in the crowd I look for as he is a great person and good friend. Matt is a future star in the coaching world and his abilities to work in extreme situations that would make most coaches quit is also a talent. If more coaches were like these guys we would see more athletes involved with track and more lives changed. I can’t say enough good things about them.
For more information on Latif and his products go to athletesacceleration.com as he has some products I like such as the complete guide to strength training for jumpers and his Complete Speed Training (great for new coaches) are a wonderful start.