A look into the C-USA Indoor Championships

Jahrel Francis/ Contributing Writer

The FIU track and field team, coming from the 2014 Tar Heel Opener at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on Jan. 25, has had a due revision of its goals and its correlation to their performance. With the 2014 Conference USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in the near future, the team looks to break records, give their best and score for the team.

“So far everyone has been doing well,” said junior shotputter and weight thrower Chelsea Gobourne. “Everyone has been progressing.”

With a recent coaching change, the team focus has been on a new page and no change other than for the positive. Interim Head Coach Ryan Heberling sees improvement in the team and within individuals.

The new phases of programs Heberling looks to improve and implement is scoring, academics, and recruiting. Inside of these plans he personally coaches the throwing events and monitors the progress made by the runners and jumpers.

Heberling spoke on the upcoming Conference-USA Indoor Championships.

“If we can get 110 to 120 points we think we can potentially come home with a trophy,” Heberling said.  “That’s always been the goal since day one.”

With key athletes coming back from injuries, redshirts and freshmen springing from high school, everyone is working to score points for the team. Heberling, having a lot of control in throwing, has confidence they will go out and give positive results.

“The whole sprint squad adores [sprint] Coach [Wylleshia] Myrick and [mid-distance] Coach [Jermaine] Felix’s efforts in their practices and the environment they create and we’re expecting some huge times.”

With scoring accounted for the next revision for the track program from Heberling is academics.

“We’re trying to challenge them now, to push that barrier for higher academics,” Heberling said.

A significant aspect of track is to see results. consistent practices should have improved times and distances. This aspect is being taken and also applied to academics. He stresses academics and its results. another new idea is to have weekly meetings. This brings them to reenvision their goals for both track and scholarship. Not just talk, he grants access and convenience to resources the athletes need to succeed.

“We’re starting to travel with an academic advisor from the SAC, so we’re actually getting study hall on the trips,” said Heberling, “cause we know that if we can have a winning program on the track and a winning one in the classroom then this is going to be a prime destination for some of those top recruits.”

Heberling believes the recruiting will take care of itself on the side of the recruits wanting to come to the University. The great program will attract them here and they will handle the rest of the work that goes into recruiting.

This mindset and improvement is not only whole hearted by Heberling. The athletes are right behind them to meet their goals and exceed them.

Gobourne said, “as a whole, i’m just worried about my team. My girls and boys, I feel like we’re going to do well, we’re going to get there and compete and hopefully we’ll end up on top.”

Speaking on the new conference championships the team has plausible confidence. Making noise at the conference and being seen, as a secondary objective, aspirations aren’t too far from reach.

“Jumping wise, with the new conference, you have a lot more triple jumpers so basically you have a lot more competition but I’m excited for it,” jumper Marcus Ghent said. “ I feel I’m around the right people to put me in the place I need to be.”

Everything seeming to fall in the right place has the team looking forward to the upcoming years and the 2014 C-USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Both Gobourne and Ghent have set goals for their placings that they have not yet reached yet. This is respectable as they consistently come right before their goal but don’t want to stop there and plan to improve for the championships.

“53 feet in triple jump and 25.5 feet in the long jump,” Ghent said. “Also, he (Heberling) put me on the four by 400 meter team so hopefully we can place on that as well.”

While Gobourne works on a new two turn technique, throwing farther consistently, she knows there is avid competition.

“18 plus meters, that’s where my goal is at,” Gobourne said. “The main thing, honestly is just to score, get points for my team.”

“Land some of those great recruit, get the great grades and make some noise at the conference level,” Heberling said.

With the entire team on the same page, they hope their goals will be met. The championships will be held from Feb. 28 to March 1 in Birmingham, Ala. Focused on the meet, practices are going well and all wishes are for prevailing.

-jahrel.francis@fiusm.com