Men continue roll against Spring Creek

Despite several injuries and working with a smaller team, the Ayden-Grifton Men continued their best season in years by beating conference opponent Spring Creek 76-60. The men wonthe 4x800, 4x200, and 4x400 relay and continued their dominance in most of the relays. Perseus Williams continued his streak in the 100 and 200 meter dash and the long jump. Courtney Fuller again had little or no competition in the 11o and 300 hurdles. He also easily won the high jump. Senior Jordan Evans won both the 1600 and 3200 meter run with impressive times. Jordan Cayton easily won the 400 meter run closing in on regional qualifying times. Ken Spady won the triple jump with a mark of 37'1". Our next meet will be on April 4th against non-conference powerhouse Washington. The meet will be at home at 4 p.m. The men's record is now 3-2, 1-1 in the conference.

Spring Creek Meet for Lady Chargers

The Ayden-Grifton Lady Chargers won their first meet of the year with a score of 59-56. Leading the ladies were Shamira Robertson winning both the 100 and 300 hurdles. Elisia Bell threw 65 feet in the discus for 1st place. Felicia Pope stunned the field with a runaway win in the 8oo meter run. This was Felicia's first time running the 800. Angelica Curry smoked the track in the 100 meter dash. The Lady Chargers won all of their relays by a comfortable margin. Lastly, we had our first female regional qualifier at this meet. Shamira Robertson qualified in the 300 hurdles by running a scorching 52.81. Great job Shamira. We have numerous ladies very close to automatic qualifying as well. Congratulations on your first team win in a long time. It is well deserved. Keep up the hard work...

On the Track

On the track focuses today on Shamira Robertson. This is her first year at AGHS and her second year running track. She has done numerous events but has been excelling as of late in the 100 and 300 meter hurdles. She has finished first in the 300 hurdles in two of the last three meets. Job well done Shamira.

Senior Spotlight

Today's senior spotlight focuses on senior Jordan Evans. This is Jordan's first year running track and his specialty has been distance running. He has been placing high in all events this year and is a fierce competitor. He placed first in the 3200 meter run at Rosewood High School on March the 28th. Jordan's best attribute is his toughness. He is always willing to work harder to achieve his goals. Jordan is also an accomplished artist and is a definite asset to our team.
(To the right is one of Jordan's pictures).

Rosewood meet

Yesterday the Ayden-Grifton Track team traveled to Rosewood for their first conference meet. Leading the ladies were Laura Steinlein with first place jumps in the long jump and the triple jump. Shamira Robertson had two first places as well in the 100 and the 300 hurdles. Brook Meeks ran a 8:24 and placed second in the 1600 meter run. The men were led by Courtney Fuller that won the 110 hurdles, the 300 hurdles, and the high jump. Joshua Hunter placed first in the shot put with a throw of 42 feet and 2 inches. Devoe Mewborn placed second in the discus with a throw of 104 feet and 11 inches. Senior Jordan Evans won a hard fought race in the 3200-meter run with a time of 12 minutes and 32 seconds. The Chargers will face Spring Creek at home on Thursday at 4 p.m.

You think hurdles are easy?

Coaches Corner #3 Workout Drills

Workout Drills.
These drills are designed to be a workout, or part of a workout. Typically three sets of each drill are performed. Start each drill on your toes and make an effort to remain in this position throughout the drill.
Cycling.
Leaning against a wall, bar, or any other support, one leg is cycled through in a sprinting manner. Emphasize keeping the leg from extending behind the body and allow the foot to kick the buttocks during recovery and paw at the ground to complete the action. Perform 10 cycles per leg per set.
Butt Kickers.
This drill is the same as butt kickers in the sprinting drills except emphasize more quickness. perform 10 kicks per set.
Down And Offs.
From a high knee position, the emphasis is to decrease your foot/ground contact by hitting the ground with the ball of the foot and getting it off as fast as possible. In turn, the effort on the ground should bounce your leg up into the high knee position. Ten down and offs make one set.
Pull Throughs.
Extending the leg in front of the body (like a hurdler), the leg is then brought down and through the ground contact in a power motion. Ten pull-throughs with each leg make one set.
High Knee Drill .
In a quick foot ladder, have the athlete sprint through the ladder as fast as possible, touching one foot in each rung of the ladder. Emphasize high knee lift and quick ground contact. One time through the ladder is one set.

Coaches Corner #2 Drills for sprinting and hurdles

Sprinting Drills
These drills are designed to develop the mechanics, strength, and power needed to produce maximum performance in sprinting. They are designed for use while warming up before the workout. The length and difficulty of each drill can be altered to any desired distance and intensity.
Butt Kickers.
From a jog, the lower leg is allowed to swing back and to bounce off the buttocks. The upper leg should not move much. Place emphasis on allowing (not Forcing) the heel to come up to the butt. Wall Slide.
From a jog, the action is the same as for butt kickers except that the heel of the recovery leg must not travel behind the body. Imagine that there is a wall of glass running down the back, and do not allow the heel action to break the glass. This action will produce knee lift without forcing the action. As in butt kickers, when this drill is done properly, the heel will bounce off the butt.
Start And Sprint.
From a stationary position, start quickly, and feel the power being applied behind your body. Ten yards out, quickly shift from running in the back of your body to sprinting in front of the body. This drill should emphasize the difference between starting technique (behind the body) and sprinting technique (in front of the body).
Quick Feet Drill.
From a jog, increase your stride rate so that you take as many steps as possible in a 10-yard interval. Jog 10 yards and repeat. Emphasize quick turnover with the legs moving in front of, not behind or under, the body.

Coaches Corner #1 Bounding for Sprinters and Hurdlers

Bounding drills are designed to develop the explosive leg power required during starting. These types of drills are stressful enough to be a workout by themselves, or they may be included in a workout. They should never be used as warm-up or cool-down drills.
Straight Bounding.
Begin with a slow jog and try to bound as high a possible using a running form that emphasizes a high-knee lift. Land on the opposite leg and continue bounding down the field. Start by performing 1 set of 4 bounds per leg and work up to 3 sets of 10 with each leg.
Outside Bounding.
This drill is similar to straight bounding except the foot is placed laterally outside the normal landing position and the body is projected laterally, as well as, up and forward. Use this drill only after straight bounding has been perfected.
Inside Bounding.
This drill is similar to outside bounding except that the foot is placed laterally inside the normal landing position, and the body is projected laterally, as well as, up and forward. This drill should only be used after you have perfected straight bounding.

A Special Thanks

A special thanks goes out to the Charger Club for buying the track team new uniforms. These were badly needed and we can't thank you enough for contributing to Charger athletics on a daily basis. Thanks again from all of us. Coach Dufour

On the Track

On the track focuses today on Sophomore Jeremy Hardy. In his first year on the track team, Jeremy has made a significant contribution so far. Not only is he a deadly sprinter, but he runs the relays to perfection. He is part of the 400 and 800 meter relay team that has already qualified for regionals. He will be running the 300 hurdles in the near future. Keep up the great work Jeremy.

Senior Spotlight

The senior spotlight today is on Co-Captain Khadeejah Boss. Khadeejah specializes in the hurdles and has always run them with loads of enthusiasm. She has been instrumental in the teams success the past few years and is looking forward to graduation. She will be attending NC A&T University next fall. Great job Khadeejah for the leadership you bring to our team on a daily basis.
(Pictured are Khadeejah and Seth Carnes)

Ayden-Grifton Chargers vs. D.H. Conley Vikings-March 20th 2006

The Charger track team traveled to face the DH Conley Vikings on their home turf. The day started off well with the women’s team starting strong. Laura Steinlein took first in the long jump and a close second in the triple jump. Thrower Sharissa Jones took second in the discus and third in the shot put for her best showing of the year. On the men’s team, Junior Courtney Fuller continued his undefeated streak in the hurdles. He also automatically qualified for regionals with a high jump mark of 6 feet and 4 inches, which was a career best for him. Daniel Greene also qualified with a jump of 6 feet 2 inches. Josh Crane threw the shot put 45 feet 7 and ½ inches, which qualified him for regionals as well. Josh Hunter easily won the discus with a throw of 118 feet and 8 inches. The 3200-meter relay team of Matt Daugherty, Jordan Evans, Jarvis Murphy, and Jordan Cayton easily won with a time of 9 minutes and 11 seconds, which is only seconds off of regional qualifying time. After the completion of 10 out of 17 events, the remainder of the meet was cancelled due to inclement weather. The men’s track team now has a total of 11 individual regional qualifiers and 2 relay teams. The team will next face conference rival Rosewood away on March the 28th.

Ayden-Grifton HS Track and Field

Tomorrow AGHS will face rival DH Conley again to defend last weeks win. Go Chargers

Men continue to dominate the field. Women come in second.

Yesterday the Ayden-Grifton Track and field team had their first home meet of the year against DH Conley. The men’s team won with a score of 83-54. Leading the Chargers were the 4 by 100 meter relay team of Perseus Williams, Jeremy Hardy, Daniel Greene and Marcus Moore, which flew, with a time of 45 seconds. Jordan Cayton dusted the field in the 400-meter dash with a time of 56.20 seconds. Junior Courtney Fuller and sophomore Matt Dougherty both continue their unbeaten streaks in the hurdles and the distance events. The men dominated most of the events and took first place in 11 out of 17 events. The Lady Chargers came in second and were led by Shamira Robertson in the 300-meter hurdles and Elisia Bell that threw a career long 60 feet in the discus. A special thanks to Mr. Mike Metcalf (AGHS Math Dept.)for assisting with the timing of today's meet. The next meet will be away on Monday at DH Conley High School.

First track victory of the year

The Ayden-Grifton Men’s Track and Field team enjoyed a close victory at Farmville despite the scoring error that was listed in Friday’s paper. Competing at the meet were Pamlico, Rosewood, and the hosts Farmville. The team won 3 out of four relays and dominated the 100 and 200-meter runs. Matt Dougherty smoked the field in the 1600 and 3200 meter run. First place in the 110 and 300 hurdles were also not close. Qualifying for regionals this week were Daniel Green in the 100-meter dash, Marcus Moore in the 200-meter dash. The 4x100 meter relay team consisting of Perseus Williams, Jeremy Hardy, Daniel Greene and Marcus Moore qualified for regionals as well. The Ayden-Grifton Ladies finished a strong third winning the 100-meter high hurdles, the triple jump and the long jump. Our next track meet will be against DH Conley at home tomorrow.

First Meet of the year

Yesterday the Ayden-Grifton Track team had their first track meet of the year at Washington High School. The men placed first in 10 events. Leading the Chargers were Matt Dougherty that won the 800-meter run, the 1600-meter run and the 3200-meter run. Courtney Fuller also won three events that included the 110-meter high hurdles, the 300-meter low hurdles and the high jump. Perseus Williams won the 200-meter run and the long jump. Ken Spady won the triple jump and Josh Hunter won the shot put competition. The ladies were led by Captain Khadeejah Boss that got first in the 200 meter run and Laura Steinlein that received first in the long jump. The ladies 400-meter relay team also scorched the competition by getting first as well. Both Courtney Fuller and Perseus Williams automatically qualified for regionals in 2 events each yesterday. The Chargers next meet is Thursday against rivals Farmville Central. The meet is away and starts at 4 p.m. Please come and support your Charger track team.

Reflections of Last Year 2005

Practicing handoffs at regionals
Felicia Pope, Khadeejah Boss, Teresa Danza, and Laura Steinlein
Khadeejah Boss, Courtney Fuller, and Teresa Danza
Co-Captains Teresa Danza and Matt Darden

Ayden-Grifton High School enjoyed a great track season in 2005. Led by Senior Co-Captains Teresa Danza and Matt Darden, the Chargers sent 7 individuals to regionals and also qualified 2 relay teams for the men and women respectively. Sophomore Courtney Fuller finished in the top four at regionals and advanced to the state meet where he placed in the top 10 in the 110 hurdles at the 1-A meet held at NC A&T. Graduating were Matt Darden, Teresa Danza, Jecol Edwards, Heather and Alicia Wade. All of our seniors are now in their freshman year at college. New assistant coach Teresa Danza (ECU) is returning to her alma mater to assist Coach Brooke Lamken with the jumps, sprints and hurdles.