Twenty-nine high-schoolers learned in-depth running instruction recently as part of Vince DeGrado’s second annual Allen Community College cross country runners camp.
The camp drew participants from as far away as Topeka, Kansas City and Oklahoma, DeGrado said, and included Iola High’s Jeremy Spears.
In addition to several training runs, campers played a number of games and underwent a computerized gait analysis to better detail their strengths and deficiencies as distance runners. The 29 runners were about twice as many as those who participated in 2012, DeGrado said.
“Every year I try to either improve on the previous year’s presentation or come up with something different,” he said. “I personally don’t like to do the same things over and over again, I believe that creates complacency and when it comes to running, there is always room for improvement. The camp itself is designed to get the campers EXCITED about their upcoming season which is why I have it so close to the start of their season.
“The gait analysis is something that is pretty foreign to a lot of them,” he said. “They were pretty shocked after I put them through the analysis and then I literally go through each runner’s mechanics and give them feedback to help them. A lot of mechanical errors can correct future injuries from happening. It’s almost too simple, but yet one of the most neglected aspects of any runners program.”
The Allen cross country season begins with the second annual Red and Black scrimmage Friday in Iola.
Cross country campers
