Antonio Blakeney scores 30 points against the manta rays and leads his team to victory!
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creator of video Justin!!! @ThatMixtapeKid
Antonio Blakeney scores 30 points against the manta rays and leads his team to victory!
Thanks for watching! Follow me for more @DannyDuncanPT
creator of video Justin!!! @ThatMixtapeKid
Hey everyone thanks for joining us! Today, I will be interviewing former Gator All-American and five-time Southeastern Conference Champion Gray Horn. Gray set a personal best in the men’s decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Trials scoring 7,954 points to take home the bronze medal in June. I will be speaking with Gray to find out his goals for 2013, his thoughts on the 2016 Olympics, and what has brought him to this sport and kept him working for so long.
Danny Duncan: While competing as a kid, was it a dream of yours to run for the university of oregon?
Jordan McNamara: “I think almost every high schooler dreams of one day becoming a reincarnation of Steve Prefontaine- flying down the backstretch while proudly sporting the prestigious Green and Yellow of Oregon. While I certainly harbored such notions, I never actually thought of them as realistic.
Graduating HS, I attending the University of Washington, following the footsteps of an older runner from my HS- who had been an incredible mentor. After a year of constant injuries, I decided to take my fate into my own hands, and left for Eugene, Oregon. In my heart, I knew that moving to the world’s capital of T&F was the one true way to fulfill my potential.
Though a gamble without a doubt, I can’t say I’m dissapionted with the results so far.”
Danny Duncan: What was your most memorable experience competing for the U of O?
Jordan McNamara: “As the saying goes, “Ain’t nothin’ like your first time”. I’ll never forget my first race as an Oregon Duck. The race was 1500, held at Hayward Field, as a part of the UCLA vs Oregon dual meet- a meet that stretched back through the decades. The 1500 was a loaded race, featuring several high-caliber athletes- including Oregon’s AJ Acotsa, and UCLA’s Laef Barnes- both who had ran 3:58-59 Miles that indoor season.
I had missed indoors with a strained achilles and was just rounding myself into shape. Approaching the race, I’d figured that 3rd or 4th would be a solid debut. On the starting line, I looked around, taking in the 8000-strong crowd, massive grandstands, TV cameras…. it all instilled in me a deep sense of belonging.
The pace was honest throughout. Through straining, I kept myself in close contact, sitting in the middle of the tight pack. With 300m to go, I was still in the hunt, sitting in 3rd place. Wildly, I swung into lane 3 and kicked, moving into 2nd and vieing for the lead. The crowd bellowed its approval. It was that noise that made the tiny hairs on my arms stand on end; haunting in the most motivating way
Aj responded and with 200 to go, the race was on, Aj leading, with Laef and I going blow for blow after the Bowerman Curve. I was in a state of agony, spurred on by something else. Finally, we hit the top of the straight away: AJ leading by 2 meters, Laef chasing him, and I another 2 meters back. It was at that moment something happened that I will never forget.
Thanks for joining us everyone! Today we have with us, professional runner Jordan McNamara, 2016 Olympic hopeful. Jordan runs for Nike & the Oregon Track Club, he is also a sub 4:00 minute miler with an incredible story! We are going to sit down and find out, what his high school experience was like, from being brand new to the sport and earning the credentials as one of the top high school runners in the country before he was finished.
Danny Duncan: You have had tremendous success as a runner, describe how it was competing in high school and what it meant to you?
Jordan McNamara: “High school for me was all about discovering my love of running. In Middle School, I was lazy and more focused on the latest video game. I’ll never forget my first HS XC practice. I Showed up- donned in basketball shoes and baggy shorts, with absolutely no idea what I was doing. As the run started, I asked some of the fellow runners who the boys leading the pack were. “Those are the varsity guys, best to let them go”. Without a second’s hesitation, I pushed my way to the front, determined to last with the school’s top dogs. Needless to say, my mental grit carried me as far as I could throw. I ended up getting dropped at mile 4 of an 8 mile deathmarch- ultimately finishing half an hour behind the varsity boys. I limped home, sore and fatigued beyond reason and vowed I’d never run again. The next day I showed up, and haven’t missed a beat since.
Through HS, my enthusiasm was a constant. It was my fitness that continued to grow. From the beginning, I loved to run, I mean really just absolutely LOVED the sensation. I would sit in class all day, twitching and waiting, anxious to hear the bell of freedom. Within 5 minutes of school’s end, I would be hot on the trial, usually alone, smiling for no reason what so ever. Even at the tender age of 16, I would run 14,15, even 16 miles, all for the simple joy of it. Little did I know, I was laying the foundation for something truly special. As I matured I got better, rising through the ranks until I was one of the best in the state, and even the country. I would run at 5 A.M., often in the dark, pretending to be Dathan Ritzenhein or Alan Webb- runners who I would down the line race, and even beat.
Sure I had my set backs. As a senior, I went through my final XC season undefeated. I would finish races and spectators would think I’d taken a short cut, such was the amount of victory. Once this began to occur again and again, such notions were dismissed. those watching had little understanding that I had simply worked at an incredible level- in excess of 100 miles a week- all because I wanted to. Unfortunately, I suffered a stress fracture and was unable to compete in the post season championships. As always, I bounced back. I took my anguish and replaced it with my love of running, letting it fuel me to work deligently while rehabbing my injury back to health. I ultimately graduated HS with decent credentials, but not ones indicative of the future that was to come.”
Find out more about Jordan in the next interview. We will be discussing his dreams after high school, his most memorable moment while competing in college and what it meant for him to break 4-minutes in the mile.
Everyone show your support!
I want to wish Jordan the best for his upcoming track season, along with thanking him for his time!
Follow Jordan on Twitter:@JordanMcNamara
Thanks for reading! Follow me for more @DannyDuncanPT
Hey everyone, I am here today with Antonio Blakeney. Antonio is an elite basketball player out of Sarasota, Fl. He attends school at Cardinal Mooney and has some big plans for this season! I am going to talk a little with him and find out, how his college recruitment is going, a few of his goals and what keeps him going day in and day out to become the best!
Danny Duncan: Lets talk a little bit about your college recruiting process, I know you’ve had some big schools with strong interests. What are your favorites right now?
Antonio GetBuckets Blakeney: “I don’t have any favorites, I have a good amount of schools recruiting me right now schools like FSU, Miami, WVU, Virgina Tech, Virginia, Stanford, Ohio State, Murray State, Notre Dame and alabama. I have offers from USF, UCF and Georgia Southern.
The daily grind of being one of the nations best can be very daunting, who do you look up to for motivation?
“I look up to my mom, because she works hard everyday so I can have all the things I need in life.”
Being drafted in the NBA, is that a dream of yours that you believe is possible?
“That is a dream of mine and I think anything is possible, so I just work hard everyday so I can reach my full potential.”
Many people know you are one of the top Basketball players in the nation, what are you doing to continue to better yourself daily?
“Everyday I have practice with my Highschool team, and after practice I go to the rec and workout and get shots up.”
I believe this will be a huge season for you, what goals do you have in mind?
“My goals for this high school season is to make it to the final four.”
What has been your most memorable moment as an athlete?
“My most memorable moment as a athlete is playing at the nike peach jam where I played infront of 100’s of college coaches.”
What camps are you looking forward to in 2013?
“I’m looking forward to going to the Nike top 100 camp in St.louis.”
What would it mean to you to win a state title with Cardinal Mooney?
“It would mean a lot to me because I know me and my teammates deserve it.”
When did you realize basketball was for you?
“I fell in love with the game when I was in the 8th grade.”
How do you explain your great success last season?
“My great success last season came from hardwork and from me Humbling my self.”
Tell me what kind of feeling you get, when you step onto the hardwood floor on game night?
“When I step on the hardwood I get in a zone.”
What advice can you give to younger athletes trying to make it on the Highschool basketball team?
“I would tell them to go into the tryout and give their best effort and be all ears.”
Favorites:
Food- “Wings”
Favorite Movie- “Glory Road”
Subject in school- “Chemistry”
NBA Team- “OKC”
Pick one out of each that you like better.
Lebron or Kobe- “Lebron”
Nike or Adidas- “Nike”
Champs or Footlocker- “Champs”
Breakfast or Lunch- “Breakfast”
Hello everyone, today we have with us professional triathlete & 2016 Olympic hopeful Lukas Verzbicas. Many of you have heard that on July 31st Lukas was involved in a catastrophic cycling accident, he lost control of his bike, tried to brake and went straight into a barrier. He suffered various injuries and was told he may not walk again, against all odds, Lukas is now training full-time and making his way towards Rio. If you do not know who he is, please stay tuned and witness him while he does the “impossible”.
I am going to speak with Lukas, find out how his recovery is coming, when his return to triathlon could be, and get to know him better.
Danny Duncan: The accident you were involved in was horrible to hear about let alone go through. What key principles did you learn from this experience? Also, what advice can you give to someone who may suffer a similar accident in the future?
Lukas Verzbicas: “I learned too much to list in a few sentences but primarily I learned to appreciate life more knowing how quickly and unexpectedly it could be taken away from you. I also learned and would pass this along to someone who is also going through an injury is to believe in themselves and have faith no matter what the circumstances or others say. My doctors said I wouldn’t walk after seeing my first x-rays and now I’m back to training full time. I didn’t let all that get to me and believed the entire time I will be back.”
Many people have heard you are making tremendous progress, when do you plan on racing again?
“1st Elite Triathlon is set for early Spring 2013, might get in some running road races or low tier tris before.”
How is everything looking for the 2016 Olympics? Do you feel your cycling accident will help you in the long run mentally, dealing with the pain to compete and beat the best in the world?
“Everything looks clearly well set. I have a great foundation and support to be at the top. The cycling accident no matter how terrible it might seem is helping me in the long run. I learned plenty of lessons through it that I would have never realized in my everyday life.”
What will it mean to you to represent the USA in the 2016 Olympics..if everything goes as planned?
“It is a tremendous honor and a dream come true!”
Talk a little about competing in triathlon as a kid and competing now, who did you look up to back then and how does it feel having fans supporting you and looking up to you now?
“I had the same competitive spirit at 11 as I do now. In my first 5k road race at that time without any training I ran with the leaders for 2 miles before collapsing and finishing up the race walking it in with my dad. Pre has always been my hero, Without Limits has always been my favorite film. When I just started training I was so obsessed with the movie I would watch it multiple times a day I could never get enough of it. So being as inspired as I was, training and the desire to win were the only things I wanted and needed in my life doing nothing else really and with hard work and commitment no matter who you are or what you do you will get results. I’ve had supporters young and old from the first days of my athletic career and they have been driving me to succeed ever since. I really appreciate them all and from all their help I really want to help them too and inspire them all to follow their dreams.”
What is a typical day for lukas verzbicas?
“November 16th 2012: wake up 6:20am drink Herbalife Formula 1 sport shake while getting dressed, get out and go for a 10k morning run with other triathletes at around 6:45 pace along with drills and stretching. 8am breakfast. Nap for around an hour at noon and work on some online college classes until 3:45pm. 4pm 5 mile run at 6 minute mile pace on antigravity treadmill 90% body weight. 4:45pm lift weights and work on core strength for an hour. 6pm 90 minute swim session 5k working on endurance.”
Describe to me your hardest training day you’ve completed?
“This is a hard one I had many of those. I guess if I had to pick one from the top of my head it has to be one of the major brick (run-bike) sessions I do in the summer. The training starts at 8am on an old Colorado country road by a church that has dirt running trails in its backyard with a group of other elite triathletes. We do a 12 mile bike warmup with some pick ups and then run a few miles for warm up. The brick distance is a short 5k all out bike followed by a 2k all out run. We do this 6 times working on speed endurance and the technicality of transitions since before we get on our bikes were in push up position and have to get our bikes and helmets like in T1. We cool down with a 5k easy spin. The evening session is a 4-5k easy swim with a lot of drills.”
What would you say has been your biggest accomplishment so far as a triathlete. And runner?
“My consistency to be so successful in both sports.”
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
“Training in some exotic resort in Europe”
2013 is right around the corner, what should we expect to see from you?
“Wait and see I’m a man full of surprises”
Alright man, I am going to throw at you some questions, just reply with the first thought that comes to mind!
Dream car: “Audi R8 spyder”
Favorite food: “Stuffed with everything Omelette”
Inspiration: “Pre!”
Running: “Flying down the track”
Olympics: “Gold Medal”
Brownlee Brothers: “Respect”
World champion: “Rainbow colored world champion cycling jersey”
Florida? “Shirtless running”
Carl Sandburg High School? “First Love ;)”
2012 Olympics: “The tiny TV In my hospital room I watched it all on.”
2013: “Everyone’s jaw dropping experiencing my return.”
Triathlon: “Finish line tape”
Music: “Lonely long run”
NFL: “Memory of being tackled as kid by a much bigger guy while playing backyard football and having my nose broken.”
Now we are going to do “This or That”
BMW or Mercedes: “Beamer”
Swimming or Cycling: “Running… Jk cycling”
Ironman Kona or ITU: “ITU… For now”
McDonald’s or BK: “McDonald’s”
V-Neck or turtle neck: “V neck”
Nike or Adidas: “I like Asics a lot”
Baseball or Football: “Football”
Twitter or Facebook: “Twitter”
Summer or Fall: “Summer”
Thanks a lot for joining us Lukas! We all appreciate it.
LV: “No problem, thanks for having me.”
I want to wish Lukas the best on his return! I only see amazing things happening, stay inspired and win the gold in 2016. I’ll always be here supporting you along with everyone else, stay strong! – Danny
Follow Lukas on Twitter: @LukasVerzbicas
Thanks for reading! Follow me for more @DannyDuncanPT
Hey everyone, I am here today with David Tomchinsky. David competed in Track and XC at Lemon Bay High School (Englewood, Fl) and is now the one of the star runners at Florida Southern College (Lakeland,Fl). We are going to go through some of the events that got him where he is today and how he has been the last few years while away at college!
DD: Who was your biggest inspiration throughout high school and why?
David T: “I was inspired by those who doubted me. I was bullied as a kid for always being so small and weak. My best friend would tell me to keep my head up and never get down on myself. I used all of that negativity to turn it into my own motivation and focused on my goals. Shout out Dorio haha!”
DD: During high school which was your favorite, XC or track. and why?
David T: “In High school, I think I enjoyed track a little more. My team was not as focused as I was so track gave me the chance to focus on my own goals and not have to worry about anyone else.”
DD: What was it that attracted you to Florida Southern College?
David T: “After looking at a few other school, my best friend told me about FSC. He told me about the legacy the running program had and suggested I looked into it. I contacted the head coach and talked to a few of the runners, once I visited the school and saw that they had a good program for my major (Communication: Broadcast) I was sold.”
DD: What kind of times were you putting up in high school? did you ever think you would be where you’re at now?
David T: “I feel like I was in between average and elite in high school. I was running low 16’s in the 5k and sub 9:50 in the 2 mile with only running 35 miles a week at most and doing very basic workouts. I am very pleased with my high school career even though I feel like it could have been better. And I knew I had the potential to run what I am running now and to be honest I know I have yet to hit my potential.”
DD: You originally planned to go to Brevard College(North Carolina), are you glad that didn’t work out and you ended up at FL southern?
David T: “Yes, originally I had signed my letter of intent with Brevard College in North Carolina but things ended up not working out with the coaching staff there. Now that I am at FSC I am very happy I did not go to Brevard. I never would have met some of the best friends I have today and besides running in the mountains I would not have any good training partners. I am very happy I came to FSC instead.”
DD: How has your XC & Track career been while competing at Florida Southern College?
David T: “So far, I have really enjoyed running in college. It’s very different than high school, the increase in mileage took a toll on my body at the beginning but I started to get adjusted and besides a few bumps and bruises I feel I have been successful”
DD: Have you put up times in college that you planned to do? what are your goals for this up coming track season?
David T: “My times in cross country have not been what I wanted so far. I have ran low 26’s in the 8k several times when I know I should be running in the 25’s but it’s just a matter of time. I have been pleased with my 10k PR which 32:51 and I look to run sub 32:00 on the track as well as sub 14:50 in the 5k”
DD: What kind of advice can you give to young runners trying to reach their full potential?
David T: “For younger runners, I think it is important to just enjoy the sport of running. Go to as many races as you can and do not focus on mileage, just run. Look at the older kids around you as inspiration.”
DD: Thanks a lot David for your time, and have a great track season! #14:50
David T: No problem! thank you! 🙂
David Tomchinsky- Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/david.tomchinsky Twitter: @ChinskyRuns
Make sure all of you watch out for David he is still rising up, a ton of potential and a huge heart. I have never seen anyone with as much drive as him, when he wants something he will do what ever it takes to earn it the right way without ever taking a shortcut!
Thanks for reading! Follow me for more @DannyDuncanPT
Lower Body- When skateboarding the majority of the work is being put on your legs, therefore skating is not enough. You need to perform exercises to make your lower body stronger, this will increase your pop along with helping your legs stay fresh during contests. Nothing is worse than having jello legs while tre flipping down a 10 stair.
A few basic exercises you can perform at home:
Squats- Assume you’re sitting in a chair, do not let your toes go passed your toes. these will also help with landing, instead of leaning by your hips when you land…..squat down! 3 sets of 10
Single leg balance holds- Stand on one leg while having the other straight in front. 3 sets of 1 minute each leg
Lateral Lunges- Standing with feet shoulder width apart, step to the side and lunge while keeping your feet straight. Come back to starting position and perform to the other direction. 2 sets of 10 each leg
Core- Your core is very important, this will help with every trick you attempt and land. Having a strong core is also going to help you stay more balanced and land the tricks you may have slipped out on. Imagine 7th try being 3rd try next time…
Once again, I urge this post to skaters trying to make it to the next level. The majority of you do this for fun and enjoy not being told what to do and not having coaches. If you want to succeed, sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do that you know will help you reach your goals.
A few exercises you can perform at home:
The Plank– Assume pushup position but on your elbows, stay 90 degrees with your arms and do not let your butt sag down or rise to high. You need to keep a level plane, tighten up your stomach and glutes and enjoy! 3 sets of 45 second holds
Mountain Climbers- Assume pushup position, then you will drive your left leg toward your chest then your right leg. Make sure your legs are moving fast and are continuing to move towards your chest. 2 sets of 30 seconds
Upper Body– even tho you are using your legs while you skate your upper body is still very important, especially if you are a vert skater. Having a strong upper body (Not Bulky) will help you stay balanced. Skateboarding is a very rotational sport similar to baseball, pulling a Derek Jeter jump throw to first and swinging a bat is very similar to performing a back-side flip.
A few exercises you can perform at home:
Medicine ball twists– If you do not have a medicine ball, you can use anything. Pick up something that weighs about 5-10Ibs. Hold this straight out in front of you and hold, you will then twist to the left 90 degrees and pause, then rotate 180 degrees to the right and pause then return back to your starting point. 3 sets of 8 each side
Shuffle Pushups– Assume pushup position, perform a pushup then you will shuffle 5 steps to the right and repeat the pushup. At this point you will shuffle back to the left 5 shuffle steps and perform a pushup. You stay in pushup position at all times and keep perfect posture.
Try it out and let me know what you think, if you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me! Thanks everyone!
–Danny Duncan (TRX Instructor & Personal Trainer)
–Email– DannyDuncanpt@yahoo.com
–twitter– @DannyDuncanPT
–Facebook– http://www.facebook.com/danny.duncan.77