The US Olympic trials are in full swing. I watched the swimming trials and aside from great competition, what caught my attention were comments regarding the new Speedo LZR swim suit. Supposedly, it provides 5% less drag in the water. Rowdy Gaines, 1984 Olympic Gold medalist, talked of the suit. He tried it on (said it took 20 minutes to  get into the skin-tight outfit). His comments were to me the real key. He stated that whether it really is faster or not, it doesn’t matter if it makes you feel faster and think you are faster. If you believe you can go faster then you will.

To support his observations here are comments by one of our newly crowned Olympians: “For me, wearing the suit and being faster is a total mindset,” said Ryan Lochte, who seized the 200m backstroke world record last year and finished second in a world record time last night in the 400 IM (yes - second but first place was faster yet - also wearing the suit - Michael Phelps). “When I wear it, I feel like an action hero.”

So, why do I bring up swimming, technology and mindsets? Because it is no different for any sport. Though advances are constantly being made in sporting goods materials - lighter, more aerodynamic, more durable, more cooling - not all those changes make us better at our sports. They do make the manufacturers gazillions of dollars. There are two major points that I want to make:

1. Technology doesn’t make you faster if you haven’t done the training.
2. Your belief in your equipment, your training, your diet, etc. is every bit as powerful as the equipment, training or diet itself.

Some sports seem more prone to the keep up with technology mindset but we’re all guilty. Golf is a good example. I don’t know a golfer who doesn’t want the biggest baddest newest club to come out in hopes that it will make them a scratch player. Triathletes are no different. Let’s spend thousands of dollars on upgrading a bike and saving one pound. Runners - not exempt - let’s change to the super light 4 ounce shoe to get that new PR; or that Garmin with HR monitor will surely be the trick to my quantum leap improvement in my next race.

Let’s wake up and smell the coffee! If you haven’t been putting in thousands of strokes on the golf course - many in game situations - it’s not the club that will get you to par! It isn’t the extra pound on your bike that is slowing you down. It’s the lack of proper training and maintaining your own body weight! It’s not the reduction of 6 ounces from a shoe that will get you your PR - it’s training smarter and doing all the things you need to do specific to your chosen race distance!

No technology overcomes poor preparation. In his prime, if you put Lance Armstrong on a generic “10-speed” bike and put him against most cyclists - he would beat them. Why? Because he did the training and he completely believed in his abilities. His mindset doesn’t conceive “losing.”

Ryan Lochte and Rowdy Gaines both clearly state that the mindset is what makes as much a difference as the technology (and perhaps more). I will posit that for the average athlete it is the mindset that absolutely makes more of a difference than the technology. I can almost buy that at the very highest levels of competition the balance MAY tip the other way because the margins of victory and defeat are so slim. Maybe. However, no one can separate scientifically which actually provide more benefit. You must believe in your preparation on all fronts (training, equipment, diet, etc.). For instance, there are  almost no independent empirical research supporting the use of MOST diet supplements for performance enhancement. Yet, millions of people use them and swear by them.

The bottom-line is that we should not dupe ourselves into believing these new advents are our secret to success… dedication, hard work and smarter work are.

The flip-side: if it feels good do it. If the newest “thing” keeps you motivated, focused and believing you can set a new PR - then go ahead and indulge yourself. But, should you wonder a bit, next time instead of spending hundreds or thousands on the newest gadget - perhaps what you really need is a quality training plan and a comprehensive mental game plan. Spend wisely.

Bainbridge Island, early morning chill, two sets of foot steps echo off the forest towering above; an occasional car passes giving wide birth. (By the way - very courteous drivers here!)

My brother and I run in tandem without much comment in the first mile. Then I break the silence, “Look at the Buttercups!” Quickly I follow with, did you notice the moss back there on the tree and those big red flowers?”

Jim looks at me - his look said it all - I knew I had crossed a line. A look of exasperation, fatigue and resignation fills his whole body language as we run. He starts, “Have you sunk that low? I don’t believe you just said that. Worse yet, I don’t believe I took notice.”

He continued, “I remember the days… not that long ago mind you… our running conversation was about what was that last split, what pace are we going now, monitor breathing & sweat rates, when should we pick it up, how long do we wait to pass that guy up there, let’s push the hill, and now let’s go for a negative split…”

“Now, it’s reduced to a Buttercup run.” He shakes his head.

So, it got me to thinking. I was once told many years ago my problem was that I never stopped to smell the roses. There was some truth in that. But the part that wasn’t understood is that I love going fast. For me, moving as fast as I could was my way of experiencing life fully and “smelling the roses.”

It has come full circle I guess. I love making observations on the run: other runners & cyclists, nature, weather, people, flora and fauna.

Association and dissociation are two aspects of focusing. Earlier in my career I used associative techniques most of the time (not always mind you). And this recent experience was a vivid example of dissociating. Don’t get this wrong - neither is better than the other. All runners use both at various times and varying degrees and it varies by run/race as well as personality.

In fact there has been some interesting research on this topic. Researchers have found that more novice runners tend to dissociate more frequently than elite runners. The elite runners tend to “tune in” instead of “tune out”. In one article there was an interesting observation. They surmised that this is one reason why we see more novice runners encountering more severe physical difficulties in races such as marathons. They do not “tune in” and have not learned to read their bodies. As a result, things go bad… very bad in some cases. Certainly lack of proper physical conditioning plays a role. However, when you “read” your body by associating regularly (notice I did not say “all the time”) you are less likely to push to points that may harm you physically. Again, do not confuse this with the ability to push and take advantage of your conditioning. Elite athletes can and do all the time.

For me, I’m having more buttercup runs on my route to getting into better shape. It’s just a technique I’m relying on more than at other times in my athletic career. But, I’m coming back!!!!

In the wake of our Tahoe experience I left for a few days with family in the Seattle area - Bainbridge Island. I was still recovering from the 16 total miles only days ago - more than two and a half times more than my longest run in the past 4 months. I was not specifically sore after a couple days but I did feel a bit sluggish and just worn out.

I went for a run with my brother, Jim (yes, the same one who comments on here from time to time). Early in the morning we ventured out for an “easy” run - about 5 miles. Nothing is flat on the island. only half a mile into the run and heading downhill - bantering back and forth as usual - my brother perks up and says “Well at least we have a downhill to loosen up on instead of an uphill.”

Feeling less than spiffy, I didn’t hesitate - in my grumpiest of intonations my response was “ya, it just means we’ll be heading uphill soon and hurting more than ever. Is nothing flat on this island?”

Jim looks at me and let me have it.

“Well, aren’t you little Miss Sunshine today!”

“Aren’t you the one who teaches this kind of thing?”

“What’s this, do as you say but not as you do …?”

“I’m going to call you Eeyore the rest of the day.”

“Go find your rose colored glasses and don’t come back until you find them!”

Ok, look, everyone has those moments. But, of course, when you espouse this stuff publicly you sure are a sitting duck when you don’t follow your own advice. He was right (which was a first). We joked about writing about it for the blog. It is a vivid example of how someone who teaches this stuff, even someone who only days before ran way beyond his physical condition would indicate and was mentally as tough as anyone in the race is susceptible to the very same distractors as everyone else; race or practice.

Mental toughness and the ability to stay focused on the “right” things is not easy. It is something that requires practice, diligence and persistence. So, let this be a lesson to everyone - stay with it, don’t give in, get back at it when you drift, take one step at a time and your goals will come to you.

PS
And don’t read my brother’s comments to follow.

Regardless of conditioning our focus can make us better or worse. This is an article on a recent race and how it should be done. (Read my next post for how not to do it.)

I went into the Lake Tahoe Relay race in minimal condition. I was running leg one; about 9.5 miles @ 6500 feet elevation and hills over the last 3 miles. Coming from Tempe Arizona I hadn’t run hills; my longest run over the past 4 months was 6 miles.

I prepared myself mentally, knowing that physically I was going to be able to complete my leg but that it was going to be a real effort. My mindset was “I’m going for a long run”; “this is the first step in preparing to run the Tucson marathon this December”; “it’s part of my prep for Boston.” I not only told myself this repeatedly I also told teammates.

I ran the first 5 miles exactly on pace (6:50/mile) and hoped to maintain 7:15-30 or so to the end. The last 3 miles my breathing was very labored, my legs were like lead, my stride uphill was barely the length of my foot. “One foot in front of the other… just keep going… just don’t stop” I repeated to myself. I stayed focused on a couple of runners about 100 meters in front of me… glancing every once in awhile up to them… then dropping my eye gaze to 20 meters in front of me… “just take another step.”

We actually had two teams entered in the race. I had passed our other team around 4 miles or so. But, I also knew him well and I kept thinking he was gaining on me. I refused to look back the entire run. I just kept plugging away.

I repeated things “every step brings me closer to my goal”; and “this is the toughness I need for the marathon.” “I can do this.”

With a mile to go, I closed in on the two runners in front of me, I knew with a surge I could get at least one of them. My old mantra “nobody, but NOBODY beats me in the last mile” immediately clicked. I felt pretty roughed up. But, I went after him and caught him in the final 100 meters.

But, it wasn’t over yet. By the start of the final leg (7) the teams were only a minute and a half apart. Five miles into the leg our runner injured his back and had to be replaced at that point. I was “nominated.” I ran the last five-plus miles of the leg. The first two miles went well but then reality of my lack of endurance struck. This was going to hurt. My focus became totally on one step at a time. I went back to what had worked for me earlier in the day. I didn’t want to let my team down after all their hard work. “It is just preparing me for what is to come… run strong… I can make it” - became the refrain. In the end, we tied - 41st out of 108 teams to start.
So, lessons:

• Have a mental game plan and rehearse it.
• Focus on one thing at a time and only the things you control.
• Don’t look back and worry about what someone else is doing; you don’t control their run, only yours.
• Create affirmations that work for you and use them repeatedly, especially during tough spots.
• You can get yourself to push even when you’re fatigued if you have a mental strategy and you believe in it.
• Nobody, but NOBODY beats me in the last mile!

In my next post there are more lessons on mental preparation and outlooks.

Focus - the ability to concentrate on a given subject - is a funny thing. (By the way, focus and concentration are used interchangeably.) I hear comments from coaches and parents in many sports telling their athletes things like - “You’re just not focusing.”, “Concentrate!”, “Focus!” Here is where they are all wrong - every last one of them. The athlete is concentrating! It just happens to be on the wrong thing or things!

Exhorting someone to concentrate doesn’t do much good if you or they do not know what to concentrate on. If I’m ready to serve in tennis I may be concentrating on how hot it is, or that I’m behind by two games or that my ranking is going to drop if I lose or that I have to avoid a double fault. None of these things are productive of course.. but I most certainly am focusing!

Sometimes we say things to runners like “don’t think about splits” or “don’t worry about them going out fast.” Not necessarily bad things, but it is only telling them what NOT to focus on.

We sometimes tell runners to “stay focused” in the race; so their mind doesn’t “wander”. Not a bad intent either, but it isn’t specific enough to actually act upon.

So, if you are going to urge someone to focus more or better here are some practical considerations.

1. Identify both the relevant cues for your running as well as those that distract you. Be specific. Vagueness does not help.
2. Use relevant cues you can control (versus uncontrollable elements) for the basis of your focus points.
3. Use the relevant cues - depending on your running event, that might mean things like: listening to your foot-strike, relax your breathing, visually focusing on the back of your main competitor, it may mean split times.
4. Agree with your athlete about any verbal cues you use. Use words or terms that have meaning and power to the athlete.
5. Practice your “focus” in training. You won’t magically focus better by just “thinking up” relevant focal points during a race.
6. Practice being able to refocus when things aren’t going your way. Focus is not static.

An important point needs to be made here. The ability to focus, like all other mental training techniques and skills, does not replace physical training. If you are out of shape, being able to focus will not suddenly make you beat someone who is in shape; and you will not set personal records if you have not trained appropriately for it. On the other hand, your ability to maintain appropriate focus may very well be the difference between breakthroughs you’ve only dreamed about!

If you want to know more about focusing, go to my website for a free e-book - Focus for Fitness.

And for personalized mindset and focus coaching, drop me a line, we’ll get your head in the right place - at work, at home or at play!

In sports psychology a comfort zone is a zone in which an athlete continues to perform at a level which may not be indicative of their capabilities. They find it difficult to reach that next “breakthrough.” Sometimes it shows when we practice but most definitely shows while racing. The athlete may self-destruct on the verge of a good performance or they end up “stuck” at a given performance level.

Case in Point I: One elite age group runner was accustomed to falling in line behind another runner with whom she was competitive with but as of yet not beating. Workout after workout she would fall right in just behind. I even observed her moving up on the other woman’s shoulder, and not pass. She has even eclipsed the other woman’s times. After urging her to go by and having conversations about limiting herself she indeed broke through her comfort zone.

Case in Point II: A top masters runner trying to break through in the 5K demonstrated sub-20 capabilities. His mile times were well under 6:00; he could run 20×400 at sub-20 5k pace with short recoveries. He is an exquisite pacer - we call him the metronome. He thrives more off competing with himself than others so his issue is not about staying behind someone. Instead, split times themselves feed his mind.

Do you perform in your comfort zone?

Do you find yourself falling in right behind the same other runners during workouts or races?

Do you hesitate to pass those same runners - fearing you might fatigue too soon?

Do you follow split times and immediately back-off if you are on the faster than projected time?

Do you tense up after hearing a fast “split” - start thinking about if you can hold it?

Do you start to worry when you are ahead of personal record pace?

Do you find yourself en route to a new personal best only to lose it in the final miles?

Does your mind wander to outcomes (hitting higher places, faster times)?

Do you feel pressure to race faster?

Four Ways to Breakthrough Comfort Zones

1. Test yourself. For middle distances through 5k and 10k - go out a bit faster than usual (not a sprint…). Use some reason and caution doing this with longer distance races where you are far more likely to crash and burn - marathons are not fun that way.

2. Run by “effort” instead of time and pace. Forget the watch. Run at what you “think” feels like a good hard race pace. (If you MUST have your splits, click your watch but do not look at the split.) I use this approach in workouts often. I use it to gauge my fitness and sense of pace.

2. Run with the next competitor up from you (maybe a teammate). Go out at their pace. Run their race. But notice, I didn’t say go run with the world record holder! It should be an incremental, reasonable stretch beyond what you think might be your current capabilities.

3. Drop the watch! Stop listening to splits. Run a race! Compete! A race is about who can get from the starting line to the finish line before someone else! There is too strong of a tendency to interpret, analyze and moderate your pace when you know splits.

4. Create and use an affirmation that gets you refocused. For example in the last half of a race you could take on the attitude of “nobody passes me in the last half of a race.” Now, your focus changes from holding back within your comfort zone to pushing with whoever might be around.

5. Find a faster runner who is willing to pace you just a bit faster than your comfort zone. You just concentrate on staying with him or her.

In fact, #5 is exactly what we did with “Case in Point II” above. We lined a whole group of runners up and we ran 5000 meters on the track. It can’t get more accurate. They were all of similar capabilities. they were instructed to just followed. No watch watching. During the run, my intermittent chat included reminding them to relax; follow; just do one more lap at that pace; now focus on the last mile; you can do just one mile; you can do just one more lap; etc. But I didn’t read out times. In the end we had 4-5 guys run PRs in the 5K… and that was just practice. They now KNOW they are capable of so much more. I am confident they will all be setting breakthrough PRs in the near future.

I was at the track this morning. Anytime I know it will be a challenging workout - my common refrain is “just take it one at a time” and as we progress further into the workout - “just focus on this one.” That happens to be what I started this morning’s session with when I saw fear and dread after announcing the pending workout.

One woman said, “You sure say that a lot.” Then the other chimed in, “Ya, but it really works! I don’t want to think about how many of these we have to do. Next thing you know, we’re done.”

Why does it work?
1. It chops a large project into bite sized pieces (just like the “eating an elephant” approach). Therefore, psychologically it is less daunting. We think of it as manageable. We can do this. It sets the stage – the mindset – to succeed.
2. It produces a process focus. You can only run one repetition at a time, only do one lap at a time and only run one stride at a time. You cannot do more. Therefore, our mental focus is only on what is most immediately relevant in accomplishing your workout.
3. It focuses on what you control instead of what you don’t control. You control your mind, you chose your attitude, and finally you and only you control taking – one more stride, one more lap, or one more “rep”.
4. It avoids an outcome focus. We aren’t thinking about our final split time totals; or about having completed a certain number of quality miles this week; or about tomorrow’s workout; or how sore we will be tomorrow.
5. It keeps in a present focus. We do not control whether we hit our split times on the last “rep”. Right now, we do not control if we will hit the next “rep” on time. We only control right now; our current effort; our current determination to maintain pace.
6. It trains your mind! You are practicing the very focusing skills you must have to perform at your best in competition. You will not magically find out how to “focus” to get through bad patches in the middle of a race. You will not magically figure out what to concentrate on in the last miles of your marathon. You must practice the way you race.

Make it your Mantra
The power is in believing. If you ingrain simple phrases like – “just one more” – into your workouts you concentrate on what you control. You focus on the process. And you are training yourself to have a special skill developed the next time you have a tough time in a race so you can focus on getting through one more step, through one more mile or just to the next corner… especially those last miles of a marathon!

This is a continuation of my 6 month follow-up post from an Achilles tendon tear last year. It’s now been one year. Things were going well until February this year. I had delayed getting into the strengthening I mentioned in that previous post… and it caught up with me. I strained a hamstring slightly in a workout (not even a speed workout either). Then I continued to train in preparation for the Ragnar Relay. I ran great at Ragnar - my 16 miles or so for three legs was run averaging around 6:15-6:20; with my last 5 mile leg screaming downhill. I was so pleased with how strong I ran with such limited training but that last push fried my hamstrings - both of them.

There is no doubt that my basic muscle strength (which I have long thought was minimal anyway) was lost over the past year. I took for granted exactly how strong I really was for a runner (even without any apparent muscle). I realized that I had gained a few pounds but worse yet my fat percentage was way up. The extra 10 pounds I gained was all fat… and I lost muscle. This of course is doubly bad since as we age there is a natural muscle loss. If we don’t use it we lose it. Well, I lost it.

Ok, so I have lost 5 of the pounds. I had my first full week of training this week after 12 weeks. During that time I averaged 10-15 miles per week - mostly 8-10 minute miles. I did a mile time trial last week in 5:47. That run seemed to kick start my recovery - my hamstrings made a quantum leap improvement the next day.

I committed to run the Lake Tahoe Relay and will need to run a 10 mile leg. That is in 2 weeks. My long run has only been 6 miles (last week). So, I’m going in just thinking - “finish this thing”.

Then, it becomes a summer of real rehab running. My son, Ryan, and I have committed to doing strength workouts (he is far more diligent than I on this topic). In August I will run the Hood-to-Coast Relay with Coach Joe.

Here’s hoping for a fun and progressively faster summer!

PS

Before rumors get out: Last night at the track there was a pact signed by just about everyone in sight… we’re running the Tucson Marathon with the purpose of everyone qualifying for Boston. Yes, you read it right - “we”.

Here’s another question about youth running:

“I have a 15 year old son who has run cross country & track for the past 5 years. He does very well and is top ranked in his division. My concern is that he’s a small for his age; but his size never was an issue until now. He’s competing with stronger & bigger runners in school he’s posting good times 10min 14 sec on the 3200 and 4min 41secs on the 1600.My question is should he start with some sort of weights for strength?”

This is such a wonderful question and a very common issue. Kids mature at such different rates that often competitions seem “unfair” with some so developed and some still looking like they belong in grade school or middle school (junior high school). Combine that with genetics (some kids simply won’t be big or tall or fast or whatever) and it becomes an interesting dilemma. However, the good news is that the answer is actually more straightforward than the problem.

The first thing to dissuade ourselves of is that a successful runner has certain dimensions. We know that runners tend to be leaner than other athletes. There is also a tendency for the longer distance runners to be lighter and slighter in stature; the middle distance runners tend to be a bit bigger and stronger; and sprinters tend to be the most bulky and powerful of runners. These are only a tendencies and do not dictate success - there are numerous exceptions within these generalizations.

Here’s a short list of elite examples for you. Moroccan Hicham el Guerouj was the world record holder of the 1500 – he is about 5-9 and 127. Compare that to American miler Alan Webb’s 5-9, 145 – 20 pounds heavier! While Bernard Lagat falls in between those two at 5-8, 134. Khadevis Robinson an 800 specialist is 6-0, 160. Dan Lincoln & Aaron Aguayo are the US best steeplechasers are 6-3, 160 and 5-11, 160 respectively. Moving up to 5k through the marathon, Kahalid Khannouchi is 5-5, 125; Adam Goucher is 5-10, 138 and Dathan Ritzenhein is 5-8, 117. Arguably the greatest distance runner ever (1500 on up to the marathon) is Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie, stands barely 5-5 and weighs 123 pounds. I’m not sure any of them looked at size as an issue. And you would never hear them use a competitor’s size as an excuse for losing to (or beating) them.

Your son’s training and his talent (genetics) will dictate how far his running will take him. The training I mean is far more heavily weighted (pardon the pun) on what you do with your running not in the weight room. Hill running makes you strong and it’s a running-specific strong. Weight training if done correctly and systematically may enhance his running at some point. Perhaps the most important benefit may be injury prevention. Most coaches do advocate some type of resistance training during certain phases of training but, running comes first. Something you truly have to think hard about is this. Do the Kenyan runners look like they spend a lot of time in the weight room? Doubtful. Their strength comes from high volumes of fast training (not the myth of several hundred mile weeks – though they do cover a bunch) and intensive hill training.

One intensive alternative to weight training is running circuit training. I have all my runners go through 6-8 weeks of this per year. Run 400 intervals @ 77 seconds (his 2 mile pace) with these exercises in between each repetition: sit-ups, push-ups, squats, squat-thrusts, medicine ball throw (the number of reps are individually determined). Immediately after the exercises launch into another 400. Start with 4 reps and move to 8 over the weeks.

My advice is this. If he doesn’t do cross-training (which also can assist with injury prevention) then weight training in a program that is designed for runners is OK. If it interferes with his quality runs (can’t run the reps or the paces required) or it requires that he ditch or dilute running workouts because he is too sore or tired; I’d tell you to stop it. Perhaps it is better left to pre-season or off-season and in the years to come he will be able to handle it.

Coach Dean Hebert, Tempe Arizona

A reader named Tracy with a 12 year-old son asks the following question:

I was wondering if you could pass along some advice for running with my son. He will be 12 in a week and I want to get him running with me a bit and then entered into some 5k runs over the summer. Any practical advice for a kid this age, do you think he’s too young? I’m pretty slow at a 10:30/mile pace so he should be able to keep up.

Being able to share mutual interest is one of the most enjoyable things as a parent. And better yet for running, toss most of the “how-to” guides out the window. The reason is because the simpler you keep it the better off you are. And, no, he is not too young at all to run! I could write volumes about each point below but I’ll keep this succinct and hopefully not lose meaning or impact. The first two have to do with the psychology of kids and sports and the others on the physical training elements.

1. One of the most rewarding things is to be able to share something that you both have an interest in have in common. Be sure he is doing it because he wants to, not you. If he isn’t in the mood, don’t force him.

2. The preferred competition should be with himself not everyone else. The object is to have him be the best him he can be. Self-efficacy, sense of mastery and competence are important. These are built through seeing success and progress in workouts not just in races. Minimize social comparison - though some is inevitable. Make racing about bettering his own time/distance not beating other kids.

3. He needs running shoes not cross training shoes. Do not spend top dollar for them it is not worth it. Expensive shoes will not make him a better runner nor will it protect him more. However, running shoes are constructed for running and should be used (not basketball or tennis shoes).

4. Run with variety in mind. Adults more than kids seem OK with ruts. Children do not have the attention span of adults nor do they typically have the mindsets to stay interested in only one activity for too long. Change venues, courses, distances, paces and play games (like non-stop tag, follow the leader, run through a park and use parcourse/circuit course exercise equipment or monkey bars – be creative – let him choose how/what to run).

5. Run shorter faster. Children thrive on short fast running. Infuse track running – 100, 200, 300 meter fast repeats with walking 50 or 100 meters for instance. If you don’t have a track, alternate running fast and slow between telephone poles. You’ll be surprised how much you will benefit from this not just him!

6. Long is a relative term. Certainly to run a 5k he will need to become comfortable with running continuously for that distance. It’s OK to intersperse walking until that endurance is built up.
7. Children in general should not be running every day. It’s better to run short, run hard, do lots of other activities (soccer is a great choice) and get rest.

So, in the end I would recommend the following to start:
a. Run three times per week.
b. Run one workout with faster interval-type repeats on a track (or see options above).
c. Run one workout in a variety of paces and terrains like a park or trails, etc.
d.Run one steady state “long” run. Start with running and walking and gradually increase the running percentage. Build up to 3-4 miles.

If you want more excellent programs on how to nurture the young athlete go here: Kids Sports Psychology and for parents go here.

Good luck and have fun with him!

Coach Dean Hebert, Tempe Arizona