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LAWRENCE, Kan. – University of Kansas track and field will kick off the 2011-12 indoor season by hosting the Bob Timmons Challenge at Anschutz Pavilion on Friday, Dec 2. The meet marks the third-straight season the Jayhawks will begin the season at home, after opening the previous 20 seasons on the road.

“This meet is going to give our newcomers as well as our upperclassmen a great opportunity to compete,” said track and field head coach Stanley Redwine. “The team has been practicing all fall so hopefully they’ll be in pretty good shape and we’ll get to see how they compete. It should be a fun and very beneficial meet for us.”The Jayhawks are anxious to show off the newly-renovated Anschutz Pavilion, their indoor track facility that will host three home meets this season and also serves as the season-long practice facility for both teams. The building has been completely refurbished, with the installment of a state-of-the-art, six-lane, 200-meter track surface, the addition of an 18X16 feet Daktronics results board and sound system and a fresh coat of paint to complete the face lift. Among the top incoming freshmen who will be in action this week are Gardner-Edgerton’s Casey Bowen, who ranked fifth in the nation in the pole vault last year, sophomore Alex Bishop, who is the top men’s pole vaulter to return for the Jayhawks in 2011-12.

Alex Bishop sophomore 5-9  Scottsdale, Arizona .. Brophy High School High School: Lettered in swimming and diving, along with four years of track at Brophy College Prep in Phoenix, Ariz…2008 and 2010 earned Most Valuable Athlete for the pole vault…Holds the school record in the pole vault with a vault of 5.00 meters (16-4.75 ft)…Three-time 5A regional champion in the pole vault…5A state champion his senior year…Nike national champion in the pole vault…Earned a fourth place finish in the Great Southwest Region…Earned eighth place at the 2010 Junior Nationalsss:
Sophomore 

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TOP MEN

1. Texas

2. Oregon

3. Texas A&M

4. Arkansas

5. Harvard

6. Stanford

7. Florida

8. Virginia

9. Wisconsin

10. LSU

TOP 10 WOMEN

1. Stanford

2. Oregon

3. USC

4. Texas A&M

5. Clemson

6. LSU

7. Texas Tech

8. Florida

9. Florida State

10. UCF

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by Norman Katende

WHEN Commonwealth Games double gold medalist Moses Kipsiro withdrew from the World Championships last year on grounds that someone was bewitching him, it came to pass as a simple story.

However, a trip to the highlands of Eastern Uganda proved to this reporter that the problem is real and not just against Kipsiro, but to several athletes, who have been forced to flee to Kapchorwa.

Where Kipsiro’s woes started

Kipsiro’s woes of witchcraft started when he disagreed with Bukwo district authorities over the sh100m President Yoweri Museveni offered him to celebrate his double gold achievement.

The athelete suggested that parties be held at Bukwo (sh50m), Kapchorwa (sh25m) and Kween (sh25m) as a community celebration.

But to his dissapointment, when the money was wired on the Bukwo account, it was instead diverted to one party. Kipsiro did not hide his anger.

He accused the officials of corruption and during the LC 5 elections last year supported current chairman Wilson Solimo against the incumbent Paul Chelimo.

Relationships go sour

It is from here that a section of people at the new district promised to deal with him. Coicidentally around the same time Kipsiro suffered from a bout of typhoid, which took about a month to heal. His immediate suspicions were that he had been bewitched.

He reported his case to Bukwo Police, and after investigations, it was referred to the Resident Attorney of the region David Nabendhe for action.

“I looked through the file but most of the allegations were based on hearsay. There is no way we could open up a case so I returned the file to Bukwo,” said Nabendhe.

Athletes scared

Kipsiro, who is in the process of shifting to Kapchorwa, where he is constructing a residential house, says that the situation is too hard.

“Those people cannot be trusted. They will follow you up,” he said.

Jacob Araptany, an upcoming sensation, and Patrick Chebotwo also confirm the same. To them witchcraft exists and the target are the athletes who they believe earn a lot.

“To them, whenever you come to Kampala or represent the country you are earning money and they want you to use it on their projects. They call you Mzee (elder) but the problem is when you give them once, they will always come back. It never stops and when you don’t, they become jealous and start using Juju on you,” said Araptany.

The statements are confirmed by most of the athletes, especially those that happen to get places on the national team.

Training is a nightmare

The talk is that there are some people famously known to be witch doctors. It is not surprising that when people see them they just have to change their route in fear that they will be bewitched.

“They are there and the community knows them. They say that they end up taking the soil where you step and go and mix it with fetishes that will bring you bad luck,” says Lawrence Mangusho, the Editor of Sabiny Today, a local newspaper of the region.

Not even the athletes are spared as they usually end their training sessions prematurely on seeing them as they have to run for their life. This has forced many to travel to Western Kenya camps to train, but those without money have to endure all the shortcomings and train.

Police dismisses claims

But the District Police officer of Kapchorwa Patrick Biingi dismisses the claims.

“There is no witchcraft. It is just psychological and it is so because the place is remote and they are lagging behind in development,” said Biingi.

He says that for the last two years, they have received two incidents were people have been killed for allegedly being witches. “These are women in their 80′s.”

An unfortunate incident was when the mob found a man walking with his wife taking vegetables. They told him that the woman was a witch. They took her and dropped her off a cliff in the mountainous terrain to her death.

The other incident was when a man was called to treat a sick person. However the person he was treating died and the mob turned to him and beat him up.

“What these athletes need are good coaches who will train them both psychologically and physically. That thing (witchcraft) does not exist. It is just that the society is closed and people are not educated. Such things are bound to happen,” Biingi added.

Many cases in court

Though some sections of the witchcraft Act were repealed, it has not been updated, making prosecution difficult.

Nabendhe says that they receive an average of three cases per week relating to witchcraft but there is no confirmation that those accused practice witchcraft.

But does it exist?

According to Badru Sabira, an elder in the region and a board member of National Council of Sports (NCS), it is basically psychological and it does not exist.

“It is commonly used in polygamous families where jealousy exists. People start threatening you and if you give in to the threats, then you will claim that it exists,” says Sabira, whose mother survived death when a mob tried to attack her claiming that she was a witch.

But Mangusho says that there are incidents where women buy charms and return to their homes and claim they found a dead Indian body or an animal in their beds.

“I think people are over watching Nigerian movies. Those things are only seen by the husband and the woman and none of the public. There is also a 13-year old girl Aida, who is fire possessed. Whenever She stays in a home for three months, the house catches fire,” says Mangusho.

Victim speaks out

But in most cases the people are just looking for an opportunity to grab people’s land by dubbing them as witches like it was the case for George Cherop, who had his house burnt and was forced to migrate with his family of 19 from Kirwoko to Kapchorwa.

He was accused of bewitching the school to become Hysteric.

“But I had no interest in the school and there is no linkage. It is just that some people were envious that my textile business was growing yet I do not originate from the area,” he said.

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ELMHURST, Ill. – The North Dakota State women’s track and field team was unanimously selected to win its fifth straight Summit League indoor track and field title in the 2012 preseason poll in a vote of the league’s head coaches.

The Bison topped the preseason poll with 64 points and all eight possible first place votes. Last year’s runner-up, Southern Utah, was picked second with 55 points. South Dakota State was selected third with 45 points, while Oral Roberts was only two votes back at 43 points for fourth. League newcomer South Dakota was picked fifth with 39 points. UMKC, Oakland, Western Illinois and IPFW rounded out the poll.

The Bison are led by 13th year head coach Ryun Godfrey, the reigning league coach of the year. The team returns six league champions including  Leslie Brost (pole vault) 

2009-10 SEASON

Indoor (Sophomore): Competed in the pole vault in eight meets…Won the Bison Open after clearing 12-7 ½…Set a new NDSU record at the Last Chance Qualifier with a mark of 13-10 ½….Advanced to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year…Finished 17^th at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 13-5 ¼.

Outdoor (Sophomore): Took first in the pole vault in five of the eight meets she competed in…Broke her own school record at the Mt. SAC Relays after clearing 14-1 ¼, becoming the first Bison to ever clear the 14-foot barrier…Won her second straight Summit League title with a championship record mark of 13-5 ¼…Just missed out on a spot in the NCAA Championships after placing 13^th at the NCAA West Preliminary Round with a mark of 13-7 ¼.

2008-09 SEASON

Indoor (Freshman): Set a school record of 13-5 ¼ in the pole vault at the Bison Classic, her first collegiate meet (1/17)… Won the pole vault at three meets…Finished second in the event at the Summit League Championships (2/27)…Broke her own school record at the Last Chance Qualifier, clearing 13-9 ¼ (3/7)…Came in 11th at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 13-3 ½ (3/14).

Outdoor (Freshman): Set a school record of 12-7 1/2 in the pole vault at the season-opening Baldy Castillo Invitational (3/20)…Went on to break her own school record three more times…Captured pole vault titles at five meets…Cleared school record height of 13-9 ¼ in a second place finish at the Drake Relays (4/23)…Set a meet record of 13-7 ¼ at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays (5/1)…Won the event at the Summit League Championships with a championship record mark of 13-1 ½ (5/14)…Finished fourth at the NCAA Midwest Regionaln (5/29)…Tied for 13th in the prelims at the NCAA Championships before finishing 12th at the NCAA Championships (6/10).

High School: Five-year letterwinner at Watertown High School…Won three straight state pole vault titles…Named 2007 Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year…Holds the school and state record in the pole vault…Also holds the school triple jump record…Member of back-to-back state champion 4×400 relays in 2007 and 2008, also member of 4×200 state championship relay in 2008…Team MVP for field events from 2006-08…Also a six-year letterwinner in gymnastics, where she was a three-time all-tournament selection and helped team to 2006 state title…Competed at the IAAF Junior World Championships where she finished eighth.

Personal: Daughter of Bryan and Teri Brost…Born on Sept. 28, 1989…Has five siblings: Wendy, Shelly, Ashley Ally and Tommy…Shelly competed in gymnastics for the Air Force Academy…Planning a major in exercise science.

STEVE Hooker admits that this year he tried to convince himself he was physically ready to jump but was quickly brought unstuck by the mental demons telling him he was not ready to compete. The result was, in a sporting sense at least, disastrous.

The Olympic and former world pole vault champion is determined not to make the same mistake again leading into the London Olympics.

Hooker is biding his time, putting in the hours on the training track, trying to build up the kilometres in the legs and the metres in the air to recalibrate the balance between body and mind to know he can jump with confidence in London.

At the world championships in Daegu, South Korea, a few months ago, Hooker went into the titles trying to convince himself he was physically ready, but he knew he was nowhere near ready – he had not jumped enough in practice. Consequently, he repeatedly ran through the box and, to the surprise of all but himself, he was an early exit.

Now he is getting closer to getting his body and mind back in sync. ”The body has been really good. I feel like I have managed to keep myself in shape,” he said yesterday. ”In terms of my confidence, that is a work in progress really. I am just trying to build up the confidence after a tough year-and-a-half.

”I am jumping off a shorter approach in training at the moment, trying to build up and get my jump numbers up. Last year, I didn’t feel like I had that rhythm and it is a slow process to get it back.

”I want to get myself in a position to jump something decent. I don’t want to make the same mistake as last year and push too fast in my preparation and go out there when I am not ready to do it.

”I have to feel like I am at a level to compete. I will know in myself when I am ready to compete and I will have a hunger to compete. And I do not want to rush out and do it too early.

”Competition is a whole new level of intensity to training. If you are not ready you can break down any confidence you have built up in training pretty quickly, so it’s important to be measured about it.”

Yesterday, Hooker helped to launch the athletics season, but in reality his season is one event – the Melbourne Track Classic in March – which is also the Olympic trial event.

He believes if he gets his preparation right and keeps his body strong he can go higher than he has before – he is the Australian record-holder with a jump of 6.06 metres and set the Olympic record (5.96) jump in Beijing – and so a gold in London still beckons.

Like Hooker, another two-time world champion, Jana Pittman, is quietly making steps in her comeback for the London Olympics, and last weekend competed for a local club in a relay.

It was not the quality of the event – anchoring the Glenhuntly team in the 4×100 and 4×400-metre relays in the Victorian relay championships – so much as the fact she was back.

It was her first competitive run since April. Glenhuntly ran the quickest time in the 4×400 (three minutes 49.09 seconds) ahead of the final on December 10 at the Zatopek:10.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/athletics/its-mind-over-matter-for-hooker-20111130-1o6zi.html#ixzz1fDY3X4E0

From Pole Vault Power Blog

Dear Rules Committee,

I am writing on behalf of the pole vault community regarding rule proposal #33. This proposal is an attempt to bring the USATF rules in line with a new IAAF rule regarding competitions held outside of a traditional athletic facility.

Unfortunately, there are some issues with the wording of the rule, and some severe unintended consequences if this rule is passed.

There are currently about 30 pole vault competitions held each year in the US that take place in non-traditional venues, such as beaches, parks, street fairs, etc. These events annually expose hundreds of thousands of people to the pole vault who would never attend a track meet or watch one on TV. Some of these events are high performance meets with elite athletes and prize money, others are low-key events that are fun for the local community.

If this rule is passed, ALL of these events will be required to hire an official surveyor every year in order to obtain USATF liability insurance. I have confirmed this with Carmen Triplet.

Because the IAAF has passed this rule, the high performance meets will be doing this anyway. But for the low-key events, this is like to asking your local Turkey Trot or Fun Run 5k to undergo rigorous IAAF certification in order to get insurance. While a road race can get insurance through a variety of sources, I am not aware of any other organization that will insure a pole vaulting competition.

I am also concerned about the vague wording of the rule. The rule says “qualified panel of Officials.” What qualifications do they need? How many officials makes up a panel? Just because the IAAF rule is poorly worded does not mean we should adopt similarly poorly worded language.

Please note that there is unlikely to be an issue with elite athletes qualifying for Nationals because they will choose to go to meets that are acceptable to the IAAF. Also, most of these meets are held after Nationals, and we generally don’t see many athletes using marks from a street vault to qualify for the next year’s meet.

There are also no issues with records. USATF rules currently do not allow records to be set on wooden runways, and every street/beach vault I’ve ever been to in the US uses a runway with at least some wood.

This is not a safety issue in any way.

Please do not approve this rule. Please either table it, or reject it. Let us propose a more reasonable solution for next year’s rule changes. Rejecting this rule preserves the status quo and does not cause any harm. Passing this rule threatens the ability of many of these events to exist due to their inability to afford a surveyor, leaving them unable to get insurance.

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TAMPA: Today the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) spoke out to the national press that they plan to cut their budget by 40 percent.

The COE didn’t reveal actualy figures for the new budget but they plan to shave off 30 to 40 percent off the previously planned $50.4 million projection, knocking it down to between $30-35 million.

Spain and Italy have booth been experiencing financial crises and the Italian leadership of Rome 2020 has also expressed that they will be running a plan to host Games on a “human scale” with a modest budget.

Despite the financial situation both cities are using the bid as a springboard to jump start the economy should they win.

Alejandro Blanco, COE president and head of the bid, said in the Spanish press: “We will only be spending money in presenting our candidacy.

“We need the Games, with the political and economic situation the country is living at the moment, we need a project to unite us all. The Games mean a lot for every country, but they mean more for Spain. If we want the games, we have to believe that we are going to be chosen and we have to work for them.”

Madrid and Rome are competing against Baku, Doha, Istanbul, Tokyo for the chance to host the 2020 summer Games. The final decision will be taken in 2013 at the IOC session in Buenos Aires.

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Fredonia native Jenn Suhr, above, won the silver medal for pole vaulting at the Beijing Olympics. As she prepares for the 2012 games in London, she’ll provide monthly updates on Sports, Ink. Today, she discusses the challenges she faces in the coming months.

2008 feels, in a strange way, just like yesterday. My emotions from the 2008 Olympic Games are still mixed. I was blessed to win an Olympic Silver medal in the pole vault but felt, and still feel, as if I can do better.

In 2012, I will get another shot to chase Olympic glory. My pursuit is not what most people think of when they think of a chase or race … mine is vertical and not horizontal. It is hard to communicate the ups and downs (no pun intended) that come with this pursuit, but I hope to be able to give folks in this region a monthly glimpse of the good and bad, the fun and less than fun, and the joy and the frustrations that come with an Olympic year’s preparations. Most of us don’t realize the sacrifice and almost obsessive focus involved in pursuing an Olympic dream — but don’t worry, I will help change that.

The difficulty of my event is not only extreme because of the nature of pole vaulting. It is further complicated by the fact that in 2012 it will feature the only two-time Olympic champ returning for a chance at number three. Yelena Isinbayeva, from Russia, is the Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods of pole vaulting. In order for me to win the Olympics, I will have to outsmart gravity and a yet-indestructible Olympic force named Yelena. Remember “Rocky IV”? This is the real-life version of that movie with a training routine that isn’t that far off! The next 9 months will largely become a life focused on running down a runway carrying a fiberglass pole that will launch me, upside down into the air with a landing mat (hopefully) underneath me as I fall back to the ground. Dec. 1 is the official start for me, or the end, depending how you look at it.

I will become familiar with seeing 5:30 a.m. on my alarm clock and the daily distance run of four miles. The weight room will see me at least five times a week. My body will go through 30-minute conditioning cycles not that different than a college wrestler trying to make weight. And my training sessions will take place in a cold steel building in Churchville with a climate ranging from 40 degrees to -5 degrees in the winter months of upstate New York. Frozen fingers and toes always make it a little more challenging! Chips and Bison dip will be replaced by carrot sticks and celery; snacks will be replaced by protein shakes; goodbye pizza, and hello fruit; Sunday football will now be broken up by Sunday core session workouts; and my dog will get all the walking exercise he needs and more! Sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, and planks will soon be a way of life.

My husband, Rick Suhr, having been an All-American wrestler from Spencerport, completely understands the mental and physical struggles I go through. He will guide me every step of the way so this is a family affair. Film review will now replace Robin Mead; coffee will be replaced with tea; and cream with non-fat milk. Chef, julienne, chicken, vegetable and garden all represent my choices of salads for dinner. Rick and I have been getting everything winterized, and house projects have been rushed to the top of the to-do list to help eliminate any distractions later on. I just hope my body can make it through the winter and the inconsistent spring season we have learned to love.

I invite you to follow my journey to the Olympic trials in Oregon at the end of June through this blog space. I may complain on occasion, but there’s nothing in the world like clearing a bar that is 16 feet in the air — especially if it happens in London next August.

As of Dec. 1, I am all in.

–Jenn Suhr

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The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) says, it is working towards hosting the International Olympics Youth Games in 2018.

The Minister of State, FCT, Mrs Olajumoke Akinjide made this known today in Abuja at a seminar to kick-start the 2nd edition of the FCT Minister’s U-17 Inter-Ward/Area Council Football Competition.

She said FCT’s desire to host the International Championship is hinged on the socio-economic values derivable from hosting such sporting events.

“We are determined to seek ways and means by which the accelerated development of infrastructure in the FCT could be enhanced so that the socio-economic status of the inhabitants would be transformed”, Mrs Akinjide noted.

Akinjide who was represented by the Special Adviser on Social Development, FCT, Mrs Uchenna Nwafor said the FCT administration is already putting plans in motion to actualise the dream.

Meanwhile, all is set for the 2nd edition of the FCT Minister’s U-17 Inter-Ward/Area Council Football Competition as kits were distributed to all Area Councils of the
FCT at the occasion.

Mrs Akinjide said about 1,240 youths across the territory are to benefit from the competition directly, while twice that number will benefit indirectly as spectators.

She said the forth coming competition will help to imbibe into the youths, some conventionally acceptable behaviour that would make them good citizens of their
communities, the territory and the Country at large.

Also, the Secretary, Social Development Secretariat, Mrs Blessing Onuh said the Secretariat would continually seek to the development of sports as it has gone
beyond a mere recreational activity.

Mrs Onuh noted that Sports has become veritable instrument for socio-economic empowerment and social integration.

“It is against this backdrop that we in the Social Development Secretariat are determined to ensure that sports is given the desired attention in the FCT, in order
to give our teeming youth the platform to exhibit, develop and utilize their skills for their own benefit and the benefit of the society at large”,she added.

The tournament would start in December will take place in all the wards of the FCT.

The best players in each of the Wards of the Area Councils in the FCT will then form a team that will represent their respective Area Councils in the finals.

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DOHA: Qatar, future host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and past playground of several Arab and Asian games, is reaching for the moon as it eyes the 2020 Olympics despite seemingly insurmountable climate challenges.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already sent a positive signal to Doha by extending the period during which the games traditionally take place.

For super-rich Qatar, the Olympics would take place in September and October instead of in between July 15 and August 31, when temperatures in the Gulf nation reach more than 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).

The decision is rich in political symbols.

It shows the IOC is no longer giving preferential treatment to countries in the northern hemisphere that bask in temperate climates.

Qatar has followed the flow and plans to stage the 2020 showpiece games between September 20 and October 20.

The Gulf nation has already shown it is capable of hosting major games.

In 2006 the Asian Games involving more than 8,600 athletes from 45 countries were staged in Qatar, where 30 international events are also held each year.

In Qatar, potential Olympic venues can be easily identified.

The capital, Doha, has the impressive Aspire Zone, a true high-tech Olympic complex with several sporting areas modelled on the ones in Munich and Beijing, in addition to the World Cup stadiums that are being built.

There is also an infinite number of desert locations, and many facilities can be built as long as the funds are made available — in energy-rich Qatar, money is not an issue.

Qatar has already said that the 2022 World Cup will be played in specially-created, air-conditioned stadiums.

“Everything is possible here. We can examine, rebuild or re-programme anything in a few months,” said an official.

Following the success of the Asian Games, Doha kicked off an official bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics in October 2007, but it was eliminated from consideration in June 2008.

Doha learnt a lesson from its failure to clinch the 2016 summer Olympics that went to Brazil and Rio de Janeiro. It was a slap in the face because Qatar’s candidature was not even in the running.

Although it is a very warm and small country — a bit larger than Corsica, with 1.7 million inhabitants — Qatar holds a key point in its favour.

It is one of the rare countries in the world not to be facing any financial crisis — a key element for the IOC and FIFA, who must step in to fill the void should games organisers default.

“Our goal is to have great games, to offer new opportunities to the Olympics,” said Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) president Prince Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Doha, too, wants “to leave behind a legacy, not just for Qatar but for the entire Middle East, a region which is home to 450 million people under the age of 30,” he added.

Qatar, meanwhile, keeps its fingers crossed and officials say ‘Inshallah’ (God willing) their country will host the Olympics one day.

An expert on IOC issues agrees.

“Qatar will host the Olympics soon,” he said. “2020, 2024, 2028. It will happen for sure.”

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Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic bid leaders claim there will be “no mistakes” this time after losing the race to host the 2016 Summer Games as they unveiled a dazzling cherry blossom logo on Wednesday.

Once-bitten, Tokyo shyly tiptoed into the race for 2020 after the deadly earthquake and tsunami in March which triggered a nuclear meltdown at a power plant north of the capital.

The colourful, wreath-shaped logo of Japan’s most celebrated flower was created by a university art and design student to symbolise ‘revitalisation’.

Bid committee CEO Masato Mizuno told Reuters: “It is the idea of ‘coming back again’… the Olympic Games coming back to Tokyo and Japan coming back (from the disaster).

“Along with Mount Fuji, the cherry blossom is instantly recognisable as a symbol of Japan. We learned many lessons last time round and we must be ready this time.”

Tokyo, which hosted Asia’s first Olympics in 1964, lost out to Rio de Janeiro in the race for 2016.

Low public support was largely blamed and the cost of rebuilding after the devastating tsunami in northeast Japan had thrown preparations for a renewed tilt in a spin.

However, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) decided in June that sufficient funds existed to launch a new bid despite the nuclear crisis still raging at the time.

“Japan is struggling (to rebuild) and I wanted to come up with something to give Japan energy and vitality,” designer Ai Shimamine told reporters after unveiling her logo.

“I hope it gives Japan a boost. The cherry blossom represents friendship and peace, has a softness and also holds a special place in the hearts of Japanese people.”

Tokyo’s logo features the Olympic colours of red, blue, yellow and green dotted with the traditional purple prominent in cultural events in Japan’s Edo period (1603-1867).

KEY ROLE

“It has a comfortable feel for Japan,” JOC chief and bid committee president Tsunekazu Takeda said. “We hope it will play a key role in winning the battle for 2020.”

Mizuno insisted Tokyo’s 2020 bid would benefit from the disappointment of its stinging defeat by Rio.

“Public support was around 55 percent but my target this time is 65-75 percent,” he said, adding that the global economic downturn had also hurt Tokyo’s 2016 bid.

“It’s around 62 percent currently but we have much work to do. There can be no mistakes in our presentation this time.

“(South Korea’s) Pyeongchang made a wonderful presentation (for the 2018 Winter Games) and we will have a much better total plan too.”

Madrid, which also lost out in the 2016 bidding war, and Rome are expected to give Tokyo a run for its money.

The winner will be chosen by the International Olympic Committee in Buenos Aires in Sept. 2013.

“We also have to polish our lobbying skills. We Japanese don’t speak English very well,” added Mizuno… in perfect English.

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Apex junior Audrey Diener clears 11 feet on her way to a second place finish in the pole vault during the 4A 2011 NCHSAA Winter State Meet. Cary news file photo

Charlotte, North Carolina –

Indoor track is ready to go back indoors this year.

After a one-year hiatus from having the state championships indoors – last year the sport was called “winter track” because the state championships were held outside – they return to the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill this year.

Not as many athletes ran for their schools last winter for indoor track season, but part of that could’ve been due to the lack of a true championship venue. Still, some who did compete were among the state’s best last season.

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/11/30/2811810/indoor-track-heading-back-inside.html#ixzz1fCaj9l26