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April 9, 2005

Brentt Eads
Rivals High

The Arcadia Invitational is known as one of the premier high school track meets in the country and has been the venue where 22 national records have been set so perhaps it was appropriate that another newsworthy event took place Saturday where so much history has been made before.

The SPARQ Track & Field Rating was presented to athletes at the meet who had finished with their individual and/or team events and 100 boys and 35 girls signed up to be tested in the four categories which go into the overall athletic rating.

The star of the day had to have been Donnie Evege, a sprinter from Wayne High in Huber Heights, Ohio. Only a sophomore, the 5-11, 186 pound athlete had the day's fastest 30 meter run (3.58), the best vertical (37.9), tied for the best broad jump (10 feet) and had one of the top power ball throws (63 feet) for a SPARQ Track and Field Rating of 93.9.

Representing the locals well was Justin Clarke from L.A. Dorsey, a long jumper who earlier in the day had won the open event with a 22-8 jump. The 5-9, 150 pound senior had the second best SPARQ Rating with a 89.3 as he ran a 3.94 in the 30 meters, jumped 35.8 in the vertical, matched Evege's broad jump of 10 feet and threw the power ball 57 feet.

On the girls side, Heather Leidle of Rancho Buena Vista of Vista, Calif. took SPARQ Rating honors with a 78.1 as she put up numbers of 4.12 in the 30 meters, a 29.9 vertical, nine feet in the broad jump and a 35 foot power ball toss. The senior triple jumper is also a standout student with a 3.8 GPA.

Following right behind her was Rayna White of Ayala High in Chino Hills, Calif., who had a SPARQ Rating of 75.9. White tied for the best girls power ball throw with a 39 foot toss and had the No. 1 30 meter time with a 3.88?one of only two girls to come in under four seconds. The 100 and 200 meter runner also had a 23.6 vertical and a 7-9 broad jump.

One of the highlights of the day was the participation of Patrick Powell, a 55-year-old track coach from Canada. Willing to show his athletes he could put his money where his mouth is, Powell ran a very respectable 4.06 in the 30 meters and had a 41 foot power ball throw. "I'm the sprint coach at the University of Alberta and the track coach at Harry Ainlay High School," he explained, "and I like to show my guys I still have something in the tank, but also that the drills and work we're doing does pay off."

Overall, the chance to be measured for all-around athleticism and be compared to others was listed by athletes as why they were willing to test. "I'm a shot putter," explained one Southern Calif. native, "and I think it's cool that there's one measurement that can compare what I'm best at, strength, with what the fast guys have, speed."

Track athletes will also have the chance to get an official SPARQ Rating at several other prestigious events including the Penn Relays, Nike Outdoor Championship and Nike Team Nationals. Athletes and coaches who can't make it to these events can find out how to run their own SPARQ tests and calculate and store their ratings at sparqtraining.com starting April 18.

"The SPARQ Track and Field Rating is the first ever system designed to measure the sport-specific ' athleticism' of track and field athletes," explains Vern Gambetta, SPARQ Master Trainer and a key collaborator in the development of the new Track and Field Rating. Explosiveness, agility and speed are critical for all track and field athletes, whether they are sprinters, distance runners, throwers or jumpers. While lots of young athletes think that they're born naturally 'fast' or 'slow', the right training programs can really make a big difference in an athlete's speed and explosiveness."

"The key value of the SPARQ Rating," Gambetta continues, "is that it gives athletes an important new tool to gauge their dynamic athletic capabilities and gives them a benchmark to measure their progress as they train for speed and explosiveness. . Athletes can log on to sparqtraining.com and use the SPARQ database to see how they measure up against other athletes in their events -- then retest periodically to chart and measure their progress. As a coach, I think it is a great tool to keep athletes motivated and engaged in their training."

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