COLD SPRINGS– For everything there is a beginning and The Cullman Tribune was on hand to witness what may be the beginning of a great relationship with Olympic gold medalist Willie Smith and the Cold Springs Youth Football Association as Smith held his speed and agility camp on the campus of Cold Springs High School.
“We should have done this camp last year,” said Smith, “but we were unable to get it off the ground. We are hoping to use this camp as a launch for other camps here annually.”
The camp took place on Friday the 22nd and Saturday the 23rd and featured instruction from Smith as well as Cold Springs coach Matt Negron, on the 23rd.
“This is a youth football league here,” Smith said as he motioned to the campers. “Some of the coaches took to me when we met at the Castille Camp and they said that this looks like something we need in our community and I said, ‘Yeah, we will get the kids together and go ahead and do it.’ Last year I did a demo and this year it is a full-fledged camp.”
Eleven campers turned out on a rainy, dreary Friday night to receive instruction from one of the best track and field athletes to ever step foot on a track.
“It is always like this the first year,” commented Smith on the turnout. “Kids just don’t know what to expect, but they will go back and say, man, we had a speed camp this summer and I hope we have it next summer. They will just talk it up. I hope they get a lot out of it and that is what I try to explain to the kids. About how this will help them in their sports. It they really like sports, and they seem to, then they will get something out of this camp.”
Smith spent the majority of the first hour of the two-day camp just showing the campers proper stretching techniques.
“All of my races lasted 45 seconds or less,” Smith told his attentive campers, “and you know how long I stretched and got ready for the race? Three hours. I would spend just an hour jogging, getting warmed up.”
He shared his techniques and routines that he had as he was training for the Olympics and competing at the highest level there is. He told the campers that he would train numerous times a day so he would have to give his body a boost of sugary foods.
“I would eat a pint of Häagen-Dazs ice cream and a pack of chocolate Zingers every night,” Smith told the camp attendees.
During the second hour of the camp, the athletes worked on arm movement, the key to speed according to Smith. From in-place drills with arm bands to hand weights and sprints, Smith taught the campers the importance of arm movement. From there they put the arm action together with foot speed, sprinting over small hurdles to teach the importance of keeping your heel off the ground. Next they worked on foot speed as the took to the agility ladder.
“The main basic thing I try to teach these athletes is there are three main parts of your body,” Smith said. “Arms, knees and legs. These you have to work on in order to get faster. It is like Running 101. We have worked on their arm action and now we are going to work on their knee lift and then their foot placement. They are already starting to think about what parts of their body are important when they are starting to develop speed. Just so the kids learn, this is what I need to practice. This is what I need to rehearse. “
Smith is the director of PurSpeed speed, agility and quickness (SAQ) camps. In the 1984 Olympics, he took the gold medal in the 400-meter relay. He is a graduate of Auburn University. He is also:
- 2-time NCAA champion in the 400 meter
- 2-time American champion in the 400 meter
- 3-time World outdoor champion on the 1-mile relay
- Participant in three Olympic Summer games
- World record setter in the 60-yard dash
- 1992 World indoor champion in the 1-mile relay
- 1996 World Masters record setter in the 400 meter
For more information on the CSYFA, visit http://qrne.ws/csyfa.
