The ones to watch in track and field

Natural talent is a given. Technique, taught by some of the best coaches in the state and applied unilaterally within their boys track programs, can be a wash.

The question, then, is what key components boosted certain athletes to the top of their respective heaps.

For example, York coach Stan Reddel has said he has about 90 sprinters this year.

There is but one John Fox, whose victories in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes at the DuPage County meet entered the realm of once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

The coaches who are closest to these athletes know their secrets.

Eye of the hurricane

Lake Park throws coach Bob Nihells asks two questions critical to the success of Lancers junior Dan Block, the reigning Class AA discus champion who on April 22 set a new state record and, on May 8, extended it.

"Have you seen him get mad? Have you ever seen him get really happy, though?

Answers: No -- not even when in the 2007 state shot put finals Block tore ligaments in his throwing hand.

And: slightly -- after two half-skip, half-hops upon tossing what was the winning discus throw on his last try during 2007 preliminaries.

Nihells notes Block's athleticism, a former basketball player whose footwork and long limbs are crucial to throwing Illinois' two best discus performances of all time, 201 feet, 5 inches in a triangular meet on April 22, and 201-8 last week at the Upstate Eight Conference meet.

He stressed, however, Block's therapy between throws at St. Charles North. Block was playing with his young nephew.

That's loose.

In throwing there's kind of a tempo, like 'la-de-da.' That would be kind of slow in your first turn and then you just want to bang it out there. La-de-da.

-- Dan Block

The Professor

"A student of the game" is a much-used expression.

Naperville Central high jump coach Jared Macari believes junior Aaron Petty aims higher than that.

"If you've got a word for it, he'd be like a professor of the game," Macari said, "because I feel like he's way smarter."

Petty's ability to diagnose various high jump components -- his personal best height of 6 feet, 7 inches at Rock Island on April 18 ranks among the nine best in the state -- and hone them through 6 a.m. workouts, muscle-specific exercises and extreme focus sometimes outranks even his teacher.

"He's always thinking exactly what I'm thinking, or he may be thinking something completely different than I'm thinking and it works out for him because he knows better than I know," Macari said.

In a revolutionary adjustment for him, Petty and Macari ditched a traditional 12-step approach to the bar for a 6-step run-up. It maximizes Petty's explosive vertical power without diminishing his speed to the bar.

Since then he's cleared the state-qualifying mark of 6-4 in every meet he's attended.

I know I've just got to take responsibility and know what I need to do to get to the high-jump bar. I work on everything.

-- Aaron Petty

The humble giant

Even before running 5 kilometers in 13 minutes, 55.96 seconds April 12 in Arcadia, Calif. -- fastest ever in a high school-only meet and sixth fastest by a prep -- people were saying Neuqua Valley senior Chris Derrick enjoyed one of the best seasons ever.

For all his achievements he maintains his favorite was the Nike Team Nationals team championship.

"Chris has actually taken down newspaper clippings of himself on the school bulletin boards," said Neuqua coach Mike Kennedy. "However, this modesty should not be mistaken for a lack of confidence."

The reasons for Derrick's brilliance are multifold: a discipline shown in his off-track behavior (he's got a 4.58 grade-point average); a penchant to study training methods, which he shares with his teammates; and endurance, which saw him open at Arcadia with a 68-second lap and close eight seconds faster.

Derrick is an awesome talent who spreads the wealth.

"He does not do what he does for accolades," Kennedy said, "but simply to improve himself and his team."

I've just been fortunate to be in the right system at the right time to have an amount of God-given talent that training can be effective and that I can improve from it.

-- Chris Derrick

The Spartan life

When, dear reader (and writer, as a matter of fact), was the last time you demolished a bag of your favorite saturated-fat junk food?

For York junior John Fox, it was, oh, sometime last year.

While he's not a vegan, in track season Fox cuts the chaff from his wheat. Lean and benefiting from a year's maturation, the junior has sliced significant time off each of his sprints.

"We have what we call an 'Elimi-diet,' " said York varsity sprints coach Chris Korfist. "Usually halfway through the outdoor season you've eliminated all the bad food out of your diet. And then at the state meet we celebrate.

"And he's the only one who doesn't."

Intense to the point teammates have been overheard commenting on his lack of expression after a victory, like Derrick, Fox's focus extends to his sleep habits and schoolwork, which Korfist said ranked in the top 10 percent of his class.

"I guess a good word to describe him would be 'Spartan,' " Korfist said. "That's his mentality."

It's just kind of committing to one thing and going after it. You have to have that kind of discipline.

-- John Fox

The Closer

Distance runners can get away with keeping a safe distance from the leader then reeling him in at the end.

This gap is a luxury denied most sprinters -- except, apparently, Wheaton North senior Ken Collier.

"He does not panic when in the race he is behind," said Falcons coach Don Helberg. "He actually likes the role of catch-up."

At the Red Grange Invite on April 18, Collier trailed Batavia's Erich Zeddies by several meters in the last leg of the 400-meter relay after teammate Dayton Henriksen stepped on Collier's foot on the final baton exchange.

Collier's 9.8-second split time down the stretch surpasses Zeddies for the win.

"He leads the workouts and pushes himself to be the best he can be," Helberg said. "He has a lot of confidence in his ability."

Last week at the DuPage Valley Conference meet, Collier twice went from second to first against no less than West Aurora 2007 state qualifier Josh Zinzer.

My body just takes control. If it knows I can catch up it'll push me to catch the person and hopefully pass him.

-- Ken Collier

Spin cycle

Waubonsie Valley throws coach Roger Einbecker, the father of Warriors senior Brett Einbecker, quoted a "throwing paradigm" that stated a discus athlete should make 10,000 throws a year.

"It is true," the senior Einbecker said.

Brett -- second only to Lake Park's Dan Block in 2007 Class AA discus and again last week at the Upstate Eight Conference meet despite nailing the state's No. 3 all-time mark of 197 feet, 6 inches -- hits the quota.

Six-foot-4, 245 pounds, able to bench press 345 pounds and front-squad 350, length and strength also are obvious factors in the Illinois-bound thrower's success.

In his fifth year throwing the discus, Einbecker throws regularly in the summer and attends multiple throwing camps. Repetition, not just practice, makes perfection seem more attainable.

"Throughout the rest of his throwing career, however long that should last," Roger Einbecker said, "he will be working on his technique."

The more you practice, it's more a muscle memory, and then you instantly do it. You know what you're doing is right.

-- Brett Einbecker

Size matters

Wheaton North middle-distance runner Graham Farnsworth packs about 180 pounds on a 6-foot-5 frame.

That's not huge. But in a sport that employs the term "bird-boned," Farnsworth's build can be an advantage.

"I think one of the things that helps him is his imposing size," said Wheaton North distance coach Nate Roe, also praising Farnsworth's mastery of the marriage of speed and endurance.

"I often marvel at how physically strong and imposing he can be. And yet, he is so fluid, efficient and, dare I say, graceful when running."

The senior's sole 2008 loss in an invitational setting was to defending 800-meter champ Mat Smoody of Palatine at the Red Grange Invite.

Farnsworth himself, a product of two running parents, said reliance on his kick in that race was a mistake. He was still able to post what remains this season's second-fastest time -- behind Smoody's winning effort -- of 1 minute, 54.34 seconds.

I really, really enjoy the tough weather. For some reason I feel like the size really helps. Especially with the wind I just feel like I'm able to fight through it -- even with basically being a big wind sail out there.

-- Garrett Farnsworth