Flyin' Frogs Weekly Breakdown On The Track
11/3/2008 12:00:00 AM
Nov. 3, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas - Flyin' Frogs head coach Darryl Anderson once again sat down with GoFrogs.com this past week to give fans his inside look into how practice has gone during preseason workouts and five student-athletes to watch during the upcoming indoor season.
TCU will open the indoor season on Jan. 17 at the Texas Tech Invitational.
Breakdown
We are really starting to see some incremental improvements in our training now in the hurdles and we feel that it is going well. Jordan Pitts and Kishelle Paul are doing a wonderful job right now, while Meaghan Peoples has made some improvements in her hurdling so we are expecting her to do a much better job this year.
The short sprinters have started to work with their starts and acceleration, while the quarter milers have begun to move towards more endurance work during practices. Really, we are starting to work within our race management a little bit because that is a big part of the 400 meters, but obviously we have to work their energy systems for it all to make sense. I think it is going really well.
Last week, I was on the track watching what everyone was doing and it got me excited because I like what I am seeing. You know its kind of funny, we have a couple of people on the sidelines, but I am starting to see the sign of a team that is making waves to be good because we don't really miss the people that are currently out. That is not a knock at them at all, but it shows that our team is making some headway. The good news is that we get those people that are currently out back in the next couple of weeks and that is only going to make us that much better.
Overall, I feel good about what we are doing. We have kind of set a theme this year and that is plain and simple, work ethic. For some people on our team it has been hard adjusting to this, but the team has started to separate itself from the ones that don't have a strong passion for the task at hand. The management of the team this year is so much better. By the time we get on the track in January, everybody with TCU on his or her chest is going to be on the same page. That is the one thing that we haven't had since I have been here. I want to make sure that everyone has the same objective, mission and that all of our goals are clear. We are just working towards that everyday.
Its funny, a couple of the kids have told me this year that I am getting to be a grumpy old man, but really it is just constant pressure of relaying to them what this thing is all about. I am telling the team that we are going to be good and we have to tell everyone from the coaches on down that this is where we are at within our program now. We are entering our fifth year here and that is where our program is. This isn't a social environment or a place where being on the team enhances your social life. When you walk in the gate, you are expected to come to work and put your hardhat on and go to work. To say that we have everyone on the same page at this point, we don't yet, but we have the masses on the same page and that is good. For the people that are wavering on the fence, they are either going to fall off on our side or the side where they are all by themselves.
Five Females To Watch During The 2009 Indoor Season
Neidra Covington
"I really like what I have seen out of her this fall. She is training and has a lot on her plate because she has started her clinical in Nursing at 6:30 a.m. It makes it very difficult, but she doesn't complain and does what she is supposed to do. She is doing a lot more training with her general conditioning this year and she looks a lot better. Overall, I am very excited to see her jump this season because she can get to 45 feet. I keep telling her 45 feet and I think she is starting to believe that she can get there. Finally, she will be a national meet person for us and we have big goals for her this season."
Jessica Young
"Jessica has very patient with me this fall. I have been doing a lot of different things with her and she has handled it well. She really understands that she is going to play a key role in our team success. Even though she hasn't really done anything at TCU or even put on a TCU uniform yet, we are putting a lot on her plate and I think she has handled that well. She doesn't have to be a vocal leader, but just someone who comes to practice and works hard. If she does that, people will follow her, but I know her personality and she is going to get a little bit more vocal as this season goes on, which is good. Its kind of intriguing in seeing what she is going to be able to get done in any event from the 60 to the 400 meters."
Candis Kelley
"Candis has been doing a great job in the weight room this fall. It has been a great thing to watch her. Coach Kenneson said yesterday that she was way ahead of where she was at during this point last year and that means she is going to start throwing far soon, which is exceptional. We are looking forward to that."
Kishelle Paul
"Two weeks ago, she started to work hard and I think that has continued. She is making progress and I think this year is going to be a really good year for her in the hurdles. I think the one thing that Kishelle has had a hard thing is sustaining the effort mentally. Physically, she has always been fine, but it is just mental with her. I think she finally understands that the season is only as good as the end of the season. I hope by the end of the season we start to see a different person. We expect a lot out of her this year."
Meaghan Peoples
"Meaghan has worked hard this fall. She has competed in the heptathlon for us and has really put the effort in during the fall in the weight room. One of the things that has to happen for her is that she has to get stronger. This year the objective is to get her more opportunities in the heptathlon. She is training really well and does a lot of things during the course of the day. We are looking forward to her doing some good things this year, not only in the multi-events, but also the hurdles."
Players Mentioned
