Blogs : Deserea Brown

Whats your deepest fear?

This is my favorite poem that I read whenever I feel that the dragon is too big to be slayed, or the task is too much to withhold. Just wanted to share this with fellow athletes!

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others

No matter what you are faced against, no matter how big the task at hand may seem to be, find out what you fear, is it failure or success?

Chasing the Mark!

I know ive been missing in action from my last update, ive still been competing this summer after winning a national championship in the 400h at the Division II outdoor meet in Walnut, California, amongst other All- American awards in the 4x100,4x400, and heptathlon.

Me and my coach as he presents me my national championship plaque!

Of course you know how we do by now!

I could talk more about that but I can't wait to share the news, Sunday June 15th I ran 56.82 only .82 tenths off the olympic trials A standard, with the B standard being 57.80 and sitting at a tie for 15th on the list I beleive im in pretty good shape to get into the meet and be competitive! The event only takes 28 girls to the meet so I am truely blessed to be in the top 15!

Ok so my pr before this meet was 58.21 but people around me kept telling me I was running the race ALL wrong lol! So after spending a couple of weeks after the national meet doing some event specific things and not having to worry about anything else we finally got it together, i ran 2 races this sunday and got 2 prs the prelim i ran 56.82 then 2 hours later i ran 57.22 in the final so I think I got this stride pattern thing....FINALLY!

This is one of the moments that has to be every runners dream and now its my reality, qualifying for the Olympic Trials has been a long time goal of mine even when I was too shy about my talents to really talk much about it, I am fortunate enough to have a coach see the talent in me anyway and go nonstop to get me to believe it was more than a dream.

I see myself in a whole new light currently, Im still just Dezi-Fresh from SIU-who lol, but i see myself as one of the elite! Only 15 girls broke 57 in the 400h in the United States this year and I, Deserea Brown am one of them...wow!  

I have always known that my most lethal weapon is when I believe I can do something, when I tell my self I am going to do something I usually do...from state championships to national championships and now Olympic Trials, I see the same pattern people telling me I can do it but then me finally believing I can do it causes great things to happen everytime. So I feel real dangerous right now because Im not one of the people who will just be "happy to be there" Im going to run a personal record, and make a new name for myself, cause I believe I can!

Im a National Champion!!!

Imagine the most exciting moment you ever had, a birthday, your wedding day, the birth of a child, anything the heartiest laugh or highest moment of elation....thats what winning a national championship with three of your friends feels like! so when you win your coach gets to hand out the the trophies to each team, this was exciting to me because ive received 11 other trophies from someone else, someone elses coach had the ability to stand in his athletes face and smile and no that all the work that the two of them did was not in vain, someone else got to stand up there and catch a moment of congradulatory praise from everyone in the stadium, someone else got to do what i wanted my coach to do so bad for years and now everyone got to see the worker behind our talents and accomplishments  yes i was happy about that!

I honestly dreamed about throwing my hands up after winning a national championship as a freshman and now as a junior i finally got to do just that, black "mystery" baton went straight to the air as i plunged across the finish line. The most exciting part had to be me screaming inside my head during the last fifty meters as lactic acid was no match for me, years of dedication and determination was fifty meters away and i new it!

My teammates all got to experience a taste of leading a national race as everyone led at the handoff, no matter what happened during the 400m leg each cougar ran the competition was no match for us...I felt confident anchoring such a talented relay because my girls show up and show out!!!!

As if that wasnt exciting enough, I finally got some personal satisfaction from the one race that started my track career the 400m dash, now ive been to indoor nationals 3 times in this event and only made finals once, this weekend being the magic race. The prelim was a very emotional race for because the only way i would advance to the final was to turn my weakness into my strength ( now i no you didnt think id tell you what my weakness was did you!!!) but ill say this I DID IT!!!! although i didnt run the perfect race in the finals i finished 2nd in my heat and 3rd overall and I loved every minute er second of it lactic acid and all! Now i can finally put it to bed and focus on these hurdles!!!

Now its time to take a quick and i mean quick break and turn the focus to outdoor...400hurdles is the first thing that comes to mind when i say outdoor track and im ready to learn all i can about it...i have such big goals and i might as well go after them while im feeling lucky!

"I want to win everyday, every interval, every weight session, every cool down, i want it more than you!"

Oh how could i not mention this my coaches were also named: Regional and National Coach of the Year by division II athletics for the women !!!!! Congrats

COACH OF THE  YEAR CONFERENCE/REGION/NATION!

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

SITTING RIGHT WHERE I BELONG!

YES WE HAD TO LOOK GOOD DOING IT!!!!!

Automatic is the New Provisional

I titled this as such because my goals are no longer to reach for the provisional mark automatic is the only way to go!

This season has faired well in terms of staying healthy and getting better each week. So far I have qualified for the national meet in 5 events 60m, 60m hur, 200m, 400m and 4x4.. The 3 events that im focused on ive qualified automatically ((60m Hurdles, 400m and 4x4)), so that feels really good. Im trying to better my performance in the hurdles this weekend at the glvc conference meet and then totally shift gears and focus on the NCAA Championship March 14/15.

Im pretty excited on where i am speed/endurance wise and im really just ready to put the race together at NCAA's....especially in the 400m dash, im definitely ready to shock some people, I love this race because of the difficulty of it. It brings out my strengths and weaknesses like no other and i cant wait to conquer it!!!

I have been quoting my favorite poem this season because i think it really correlates with what I am going through as a developing athlete this yr... my favorite piece is "our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, it is that we are powerful beyond measures....." theres alot more but that part is key for me....after breaking 4 school records and running faster each week then ive ever ran in my life the "powerful beyond measures" factor has begun to rear its head....I wonder just how good i really am sometimes because i think as an athlete once you surpass your previous personal record your back to shooting in the dark as id call it.

I feel when you have a record that you are shooting for then you no what to aim at especially when its a time you ran last season, so how do you plan goals once you have surpassed that without setting the bar too low? hmmm.... just something i think about...

anyway the team is gearing up for our last glvc indoor conference meet before our school changes conferences and im pretty excited for it, I can wait to see how the team pulls together to go for the championship...as a cohesive unit we train so hard, and truely deserve it! good luck SIUE!

Quiet Determination

The first meet is under my belt and im pretty pleased with it, I set goals before this meet right down to the tee (60 hur 8.90) (400 57.20 *after getting the cut*) (200 25.50) (4x4 split whatever it takes to win) the results were 8.91 prelims and 8.83 finals check....57.35 after getting the cut almost got that one but the cut was good check.....25.59 check and 56.05 and a win in the 4x4 check).

ok so now its on to the next chapter which is preparing for the Eastern illinois mega meet, I have the 60 hurdles, 600 and the 4x400 ahead of me so that will put me in the direction to help me get my trademark strength back.... this week im sure will have some vigorous practices and weight room sessions so i have to stay focus, im doing that this yr by setting one major goal and chasing it with smaller weekly goals....I picked up some strategies to slay my dragon by reading Micheal Johnson's  SLAYING THE DRAGON it talks about setting smaller goals to help stay focus and reach your major goal aka your dragon. great read!

Ive found out what Im chasing this year and I have found a new excitement for the sport almost a love for the pain because i no it brings success. Nothing worth having comes easy so why should this?

Ive also been studying perception: its caused me to feel as such: why should it matter what other people think you can do unless you live to please others, it doesnt matter how the world perceives me unjustly, unless someone has a reason to doubt my abilities like a fact that can be proven ie. i broke my leg, then it doesnt matter; opinions are weak emotions when it comes to someone feeling i cant slay my dragon....period.

I live by this when it comes to GOALS no one can determine to what height you can soar, not even you will know until you spread your wings....

Dreams can be reality...If you wake up

Im writing this for self cleansing....fyi!

How can one have dreams as big as mine and do as little as i do to make them come true, now i have been blessed with alot of natural talents and a coach who is more than equiped to bring it out of me, and actually wants to, not all athlets have that luxury to have someone who is patient enough to develop them..

So ive been thinking about my weaknesses because something is clearly holding me back, i think im mentally not where i need to be physically i try hard but i lose mental battles with myself..for example i go home for break and thought i did everything right i ran miles, hurdles, sprints, lactic acid workouts and lifted weights sometimes i did 2 a day practices, so i felt that i was getting more disciplined since i was able to do that away from my coach, then i get back and realize that working out on your own is still not the same as working with the team i basically got ran off the track a couple practices IN A ROW! wow! not something im used to and i took it pretty hard i began to doubt my abilities immediately, im glad it happened though because it showed me what i need to work on in order to be successful.

I have it set in my goals this year to be a national champion in 2 individual events and qualify for the summer olympic trials and after reading a couple other blogs i see that dream is being shared by athletes all over the world. So how do i turn this dream into a reality? not by doubt and disbelief but by hard work and diligience in everything i do pertaining to my goal. I have allowed myself to except mediocre intervals and lifting sessions, now im bright i no that my dreams will stay just that; dreams if i dont wake up.

I have some changing to do, i have to give up the luxury of falling behind when i get tired and not pushing through the hard times, i have to give up bad eating habits, i have to devote more time to quality sleep and not making up for all nighters by sleeping through the day, i have to push through lifting sessions, i have to mentally prevail and the physical will come.

I start my season off at mizzou this friday with the 60 hurdles 400m 200 and the 4x400...i couldnt be more excited actually because i get to test what ive learned and worked on this fall, i am focused on running with strategy and intelligience this season once i get that times will come im sure..

I honestly dont no what possessed me to write this blog but it seemed like i had some things on my chest or maybe im ready to wake up....

Final Chapter

This past weekend was one that Ill remember for years to come, It was my second outdoor national meet and I competed in the Heptathlon 2nd place, 400m hur 3rd place 59.1, 400m dash 54.1, 4x1 7th place, and 4x4 3rd place... a five time all-american in one meet!

Alot happened over the course of 3 days and sometimes it was difficult to focus on the race in front of me when there was another one quickly approaching, with 15 events in 3 days it was pretty much ok coach what do I do? I was all about the I ask he tell approach lol

The hept was a pretty interesting event for me because none of the events are what I actually run track for. I train for the 400 and 400hur, obviously since the hept consist of the 100h, high jump, shot put, 200, long jump, javelin and 800 I was just trying to see how good of an "athlete" I could be compared to the other girls.

Then there was the relays which pretty much take care of themselves since all of my teammates were also there in individual events; there were no punks on our relay.

The 400m dash was my favorite event of them all during the meet, I was seeing some much awaited success in that event and though I was fatigued and didnt really show it, the feeling is so wonderful to be over a second faster in a year last year I ran 55.27 to end my season and this year 54.15 after doing 12 events before it in the matter of 3 days I was simple overwhelmed with emotion! to bad I couldn't be content with that moment since the 400h were less than 40 min away !!!

my teammates also put it down in the quarter at nationals all breaking 55 seconds, simply amazing! Below is the future of  SIUE track and field!

Im pretty sad to see the season end, and the seniors leave. I no there is more in store for us so this summer I will have to be disciplined in some fashion, 53 maybe even 52 is in my future! Im looking to do big things with the 400m hur next year as well. I owe somebody fast times in that race since ive been jogging pr's!

Well basically this summer im willing to do what others won't do so when the gun goes off Im able to do what others can't do! Just some food for thought...

Here is some pics at nationals..and a season wrap up

I will def miss my seniors....

I think I may be a "HURDLER"

I know its been a while since my last post but, I promise you it was time well spent...

Two weeks ago our team traveled to the University of Vanderbilt for the invitational, ok so sec conference is banging basically, I looked around like a freshman in amazement as i noticed the flags that flew above us with the different schools in the conference the lsu, auburn, south carolina, vanderbilt, georgia, florida, arkansas etc basically conference is like a national meet for them...the average athlete would be overwhelmed, but i looked down at my sweatshirt that read SIUE as I do whenever we go to big places and thought what can I do to make people look at my school the way I looked at those flags... 

The schedule was a little different because no distance events were run between my races like usual for me to catch a breather, and honestly I think every one was worried except for my coach ben beyers....so basically i would run the 100hur then the 4x100 and rest then it was time for the 400 and the 400 hur which i usually do but, here's the catch the only thing between them was the 200m dash and directly after that was the 4x400...to be honest there was a part of me that was nervous the night before but I kept trying to read my coach on saturday and once i saw he was calm i went with it and thank God I did!!!

In the 100hur I ran a lifetime pr of 14.24 which set a new school record, placed me number one in the glvc and number 10 in the nation....funny thing was my coach told me directly after the race what my time was and i laughed and said "oh coach thats just your hand time" right before he pointed at the F.A.T board that yes indeed read 14.24 and all I could do was look exactly like this  especially since two weeks before i was happy with my pr of 15.03 lol...

Then it was on to the 4x100 which ran 46.72...new school record for us but coach still wanted more and so did we so we took it for what it was 8th in the nation, 1st in the glvc and a new school record. we understood we still had work to do in that event though...

So now that the short stuff was done it was time to mentally prepare for the lactic acid in the 400..I was in a pretty fast heat so I knew i would have to get out or get left. I felt great, my legs havent lifted so well since last yr...my body did everything I told it too, I was soo excited that I almost lost my composure but I stuck with it and ran another lifetime best of 55.12

At this point my day had been great and I could have packed it up and went home, but coach Beyers had a better plan I would be doing the 400m hur, I didnt complain because he looked so confident in me and I had no reason to doubt him...before we got our numbers I listened to the names of my competitors and heard some girls from alabama, miami,vanderbilt, western kentucky, and arkansas to name a few...thats when it dawned on me that this was my chance to put our name out there...i was determined to shut everyone one up who had called us "southern indiana evansville" at the meet when we are clearly "southern illinois edwardsville"...I got out and once again like the 400 I felt great, and carried that feeling all the way to the finish in a time of 58.78..and I was estatic, that was a goal I had set for myself in the summer and it came in april! I also broke the school record and meet record with that time andqualified automatically for the ncaa's, which was another goal!!!

finally its time for the 4x400 which is ran back to back with the 400hur...at this point im thinking im going to be taken off the relay and my record breaking day was over..but boy did coach have a different idea, not only was I running but I was anchoring whew talk about pressure...So I went over to my teammates who were telling me that they were tired but they would put everything out that they had left so i wouldnt have to run too hard...but when they said that i new i had to step up, if they were going to go hard then i was determined not to let there hard work go to waste and i promised that wherever i got the baton we would stay in that position or we would move up, but i wasnt going to fold up and dissapoint them...

they did there thing from jump my classman popped off with a great leg and our fresh ran a great race too bad i was to delerious to actually remember what place we were in when they were handing off lol but tai got the baton and somewhere within 400m she came around in second place and she just had this drive and determination to get me the baton that i knew i had to produce we finished second and i walked to the grass where my team was and all I can remember is too things coach beyers on my right saying "Des we ran 3:39, thats automatic!!!" and if that wasnt enough my boyfriend aaron was on my left saying "D you ran a 54, congrats!!!!" at that moment I closed my eyes and soaked everything in right there in the field...thats how we do at SIUE!

Round two

Practice this week went fairly well, at least i could run up the stairs to my apt afterwards so you have to be pleased with that!!!

This weekend I competed in the heptathlon at Eastern Illinois University...It reminded me of why I chose to go South...Well i went to this trying to be as optimistic as I could...I thought about difficult things that I have done in practice in horrible weather, I quoted some sayings we learned as a team...I packed on 4 layers of clothing, but nothing worked.

Needless to say the meet didnt go as planned and I left with a mere 4,084 points, basically enough to do absolutely nothing nationally.

So I have taken the time to see the good, if any, in this experience. I came up with the word experience! it also gave me confidence because it wasnt an easy feat to compete in those conditions 2 days in a row...i figured i was doing ok because the other girls who had done it as well were anywhere between 500 and 1000 points below there pr's as well...hopefully the opportunity presents itself again...but until then I have a couple of chances to put down some qualilfying in other events...

So yea it didnt end there I came to the home track and competed in the 4x1,100h,100,200,and triple jump...honestly if i had to pick my favorite event of the day it would be the 100m, its not a specialty but i definetly need to work some speed for my other events....

this weeks practice will have this weekends meet in the back of my mind pushing me through, the competition will be steep but i want to put down some times that will make moves on the national list in the 4x100, 4x400, 400h and the 400 so i def have no time to play around...check the game face.... 

The beauty of Outdoor!

Well this past weekend was our first outdoor meet...

since I love outdoor track alot more the indoor you would think i would be pretty excited right...NOT, it started off all bad for me, about 20 minutes into the 2 hour drive i woke up from what i thought was going to be a nice nap, I had this horrible feeling in my stomach almost like my insides where rearranging themself, so i squirmed around for about an hour and 45 min until we got there. then i had to immediately warm up for my least fav event the 100 hurdles...fortunately for me after a mediocre warm up i managed to run a personal best and not pull anything...

So laid on my back until practically 15 min before the 4x100 listening to my stomach speak in tongue lol...we {they} ran well and managed to pull of a provisional mark so im very glad that i have such talented teammates that i can have a bad race and we still do fairly well!

So next I had the 400m, in a heat with a couple of BEAST including two of my own teammates so i had tried to forget about what was going on internally and focus on my race strategy...I think it went fairly well, especially since practice has been like boot camp since indoor nationals..i pulled off a provisional mark behind my teammate juliet putting down a 55.78 and just in front of angel with a 57.17...its soo exciting to be amongst so much talent because even if their isnt any major competition at the next couple of meets we can push each other as well as in practice...

finally i ran the 400h...this race didnt quite go as expected but I learned a very valuable lesson....track is about getting to the finish line first by any means necessary...sometimes you have to put strategy aside and COMPETE!!! better luck next time :)

by the way indoor nationals ended on a bright note after i sprained my ankle and did poorly in the high jump...and had a mental lapse that plays some part in me not making the 400 final we placed 2nd in the 4x400 relay behind st. augustine college....lets just say im very proud of the FOUR splits on that relay every leg set the other one up for success!!!!

this weekend i will be competing in the heptathlon at eastern university...results coming soon!!! wish me luck :)

QUOTE: "Dream more than others think practical...Expect more than others think possible"

Howard Schultz

If you want to achieve your goals, reach HIGH!!!

Well this weekend was quite interesting...I competed in a lot of different events such as the 55m dash, 55m hurdles, 200m dash, 4x400m relay, 4x200m relay, long jump, triple jump, and high jump...

I ended up qualifying for the NCAA'  with a jump of 1.70 (5 feet, seven inches)...This is was interesting on many different levels, basically my coaches stood by and adjusted my mark and approach after every jump starting at 4'8 lol, with this being the 2nd time ive competed in this event this yr, i credit much success to them; I was simply running and jumping!!!....So basically between the three of us we punched a ticket to the national meet in Boston, MA!!!!

well thats all for now, unfortunately im writing this while its snowing outside....boooo!

The trudge uphill...

Training wise we are doing fairly well as a group, we have had some ups and downs on some days but overall the cougars are shining! I wish the weather was a little more cooperative so we could get those quality workouts in that make or break the season, but the BOSS keeps coming up with new stuff to compensate the weather issues brrrrrr!!!

Well so far we have had four meets..Alot has been accomplished but I still have some unfinished business in the open four hundred. On the lighter side our womens mile relay has punched its ticket to Indoor National Championships in Boston, MA!!! Thats very excited to me considering we had to wait two weeks longer to accomplish this feat last yr. As far as my baby the 400...well we have not been getting along to well lately lol I have still haven't reached my pr of 56.07 that i posted last yr but as hard as it is not to panic sometimes, I try not to worry too much because im usually late to develop in the indoor season, so now I have to trust my coach and my training that it will happen :) SIUE will be well represented with or without me at NCAA's in the four hundred by freshman phenom Juliet Alrich and sophomore sensation Angel Roysten...so if im not running ill sure have alot of cheering to do!!! also big shout outs to teammates Christine Butler, Tairisha Sawyer, Valerie Simmons, Callie Glover and Breanna Branson for posting qualifying marks in their respective events....

womens mile relay before qualifying!!! yes we sleep all worries away!!!lol

womens mile relay, after qualifying!

Im quite excited for whats to come: The conference meet is in 2.5 weeks, nationals in about a month and my favorite the outdoor season just around the corner that means FOUR HUNDRED HURDLES!!!!

Well until next time RUN FAST, TURN LEFT.....GO COUGARS!!!

Was it suicide or homicide?

Practice has been pretty hectic over the last couple of weeks. Some of us are still paying the price for lack of effort before and during Thanksgiving break, the heat on the workouts has definetly been turned up. You have two choices try or try harder!

The season is so close i can practically feel the indoor surface when i walk. It's quite exciting and I think the fact its getting so close is giving me back a much needed internal fire. I was starting to get tired of going in circles.....around and around and around and did i mention around!

Well the last practice started off pretty cool but ended on a different note. We got in some quality lifting before break, a vigorous workout folllowed by coaches infamous 450s.....THEY THOUGHT IT WAS OVER.....we had to pay the price for some mistakes we made; after all we had done that morning we had ten minutes to gather ourselves before we ran numerous TIMED suicides.....hahaha gotta love coach, he is going to definetely keep things interesting as soon as we get comfortable...

Anyway, no since in cryin over spilt milk, whats done is done...but we won't make that mistake again, although I'm sure their will be something else in the future....just wouldnt be the same without it. 

As far as the season goes Im expecting great things, so im excited to get it started....put in some quality over the next couple of weeks to get ready for the first meet Jan 12 and its down hill from there! you never no what you're gonna get!

"the winner is not the one who works only when people are looking; but the one who works when no one is looking" something i took from a conversation with a very wise man...

Round and Round we go...

The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic, track has not skipped a beat and we are reaching new levels in our training. Classes are surely playing their part in lifes stressors, this week alone I have 3 exams, 1 5pg paper, a revised essay and a group project due! Exciting; I know right...

This week we are starting our 3t's (twenty terrible two-hundreds): this is when we start by doing 10 two-hundreds and add 2 each week until we get to 20, we get to complete the 200s in 34 seconds with 3 minutes rest, despite the name of this workout I love doing them; especially since I know exactly what is going to happen and coach doesn't hit us with any of his many surprises.

We are approaching our third week of hills and all I can say is I can't wait until its over! 2 down 5 more to go.

 Until next time Happy October, Im excitied to be celebrating my birthday on Friday,

Happy Birthday Lovely Libras!!!

SURVIVOR...

Today we ran our time trials, while the men did fairly well the girls did "OK" :) Im fortunate to say I toed the line first even though I ran slower than I did last yr...but i kinda expected that especially since I had alot more to prove being the new girl and all...

Just wanted to let everyone know that there were no ambulances called and SIUE is back and in full blast.....

Dooms Day!!

Well freedom for all is officially over, and we are about to start our routine lives!

Coach has already sent out the mileage sheets and mine has been bumped up since last yr for extra strength and endurance. Its actually not as bad as I thought it would be; I've found some trails that last 3-4 miles and I throw on the good ol' ipod and get to moving. The recommended mileage this week is 20 miles with one run that last at least 4mi. It could be alot more fun if the weather was a little cooler!

Study hall starts tonight, its not the most fun thing to do on a weekend but at least you get the academic job done.

Well thats all for now; 800m time trial tomorrow!!!!

On YoUr MaRks....GeT Set....Goooo!!!

This past week Sept 5-8 was our Freshman week, Coach spends time with all the freshies :) and teaches them lifts, techniques, warmups, team rules/sayings etc....

This yr he added a little twist and had the upper classmen come in and touch base on a couple of topics: quitting, consistency, grades, pledging, relationships and taking advantage of opportunites.

I was asked to talk about consistency and I found it so ironic, because I felt the postitive effects of consistency and the negative effects of consistency all in one yr.  This yr I will definetly be working towards being consistent everyday especially when I'm tired...

I should prob go run some miles to get ready for the "welcome back 800m time trial" on Monday.... Ill let you know how that goes!

Until next time "don't make excuses, the stop watch does NOT lie"

Step One....Freshman Yr!

My Freshman yr in college was very successful in more ways than one! I was a 2 time all-amercan Indoors/Outdoors in the 4x400m relay, and an All-american in the 400m Hurdles, Indoor/Outdoor Freshman of the yr in the GLVC, earned a 4th place finish at the USA Junior National Championships, and broke 5 school records ( the indoor/oudoor 4x400m relay *of course with the help of fellow teammates Tai, Angel, Kimetha, and Val*, 400m dash indoors, 400m hur and the Heptathlon...

It was also successful because I qualified for the NCAA's in the 400m dash both indoor and outdoors but didnt make the finals either time (bummer!) indoors I was disqualified due to a collision with another athlete... 

and outdoors I was the first athlete not to make it into the finals....at the usa meet I had to watch the 1st and 2nd place finishers win a trip to compete in Beijing, China, so I had to swallow the fact that had I taken advantage of my opportunity I could have earned one of those spots because I was ready to run those times...so how is this success? Ill tell you why its success, these events have made me STONGER & WISER...and im fully taking advantage of OPPORTUNITIES!!!!

HOWEVER, ALTHOUGH I DIDNT DO AS WELL AS I WANTED I DID GET TO MEET MY IDOL....SANYA RICHARDS!!!!

If you look at my life you'll see what I see!!!