Chandler TC (AZ)

Team Website / NTN Profile

Top Athletes: Jasmine Todd (sprints & jumps), Hannah Carson (thrower), Alexis Clay (hurdles), Alexis Roberts (sprints), Haley Bowser (pole vault), Cadija Harris (jumps) and Mia Townsend (distances).

Team Strengths: Two athletes, Jasmine Todd and Hannah Carson, lead the way for Chandler, who after dominating the Arizona state season, look to win Nike Track Nationals.  Along with Long Beach Poly TC (CA), Chandler is considered the favorite heading into Friday’s action.  Todd is a unique blend of sprinter/jumper, putting up some tremendous performances throughout the season, while Carson established herself as one of the top throwers in the country this sprint, once again.  These two, along with the rest of the squad, show just how strong they are across all events, and how their depth simply dominates the competition.

Key to Success: Of course Chandler follows the lead of their top scoring athletes, however, top squads at Nike Track Nationals are only as strong as their weakest link.  Fortunately for Chandler, they don’t have a weak link, but the areas where the team can seemingly improve the most are in the 800m dash and pole vault.  Mia Townsend and Haley Bowser, the squad’s distance runner and pole vaulter, should be looking to improve their PRs a bit.  If either, or both, athlete can improve their top mark, Chandler should be sitting strong at the end of competition on Friday evening.

Q&A with Coach Eric Richardson

NTN: With NTN right around the corner, your squad enters the event ranked US#2, sitting ever-so-close to US#1 Long Beach Poly TC.  What have you been having your squad do over the past few weeks to prepare them for July 2?

Eric Richardson (ER): We had to go back to basics (mini-boot camp) for a week or so.  Our state meet ended the second week of May, so it has been quite a while since we really got after it.  We have had a couple meets such as the Great Southwest and two USATF meets to try and knock some of the rust off.

I think the key component was us going back to work and reestablishing our work loads without overdoing it and making sure that we are getting enough rest.   Athletes being out of school can be problematic from a rest standpoint, because they all like to stay up all night when there is no school to attend. 

Additionally, it allowed us to reevaluate and reassess some of our race plans and see if we could bring them back sharp for the meet.   It has been a challenge, but we will see how effective our plan was. 

NTN: At the Arizona T&F Championships, your squad showed tremendous depth across a variety of events. How have you been able to build up such a strong program, which shows so much depth?

ER: We started building this program in 1997 with very few committed athletes.  We had no leadership to speak of and zero buy-in to the program as a whole. Over the years we have developed a culture that values hard work (weight room) and they have developed an attitude about what it takes to be successful.

The model is in place and they accept it. They are all striving to make it to the next level, whatever that level may be. They are committed to each other first and the weight room second, everything else takes care of itself. The group prides itself on being stronger and better fit than their competition.

NTN: What areas do you feel you can improve upon heading into next weekend?

ER: FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS!!!  I think we have lots of room for improvement.  However, the main thing is to try and reestablish our focus and competitive edge.   Its tough to remain sharp when you don't have the routine provided by the rigid high school schedule, but we will make the best of it.

NTN: What are the team's expectations and goals heading into Nike Track Nationals?

ER: First and foremost our goal is to have as much fun as possible and enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity provided by Nike However, the ultimate goal for us, as well as all the teams involved is to compete well enough to have a chance to win the whole thing. We think we are capable of pushing the teams from the larger states.     

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