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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1984)
r v , Pegs 10 Q:il It Tuesday, January 31, 1C34 gig, gft G ' -- Small siieasur es up to track competition By Jscl: Denver Warning The Nebraska Athletic Depart ment has just determined that dynam ite comes in Small packages. There fore, it urges opposing Big Eight men's track teams to be on the lookout for one highly-explosive Cornhusker sprint er. His name is not that big, yet. In fact, it is rather small. He's a six-foot, 175 pound package of blazing speed, with personal best times of 6.49 in the 60 meter dash, 10.41 in the 100-meter dash and 2 1 .2 1 in the 200-meter dash. He was last seen recording a respecta ble 31.44 in his very first 300-meter dash in a dual with Southern Illinois recently. "During the first 40 meters of a race I am there. But from 40 to 80 meters my stride gets into rhythm and I just sort of explode," said Nebraska's Anthony SmalL "I have the ability to control my leg speed," he said. "In that if somebody tries to pass me, I can control the fre quency of my stride and hold him off. When I am behind though, my legs almost seem to propel themselves and boom, I am suddenly ahead." That is what Small calls controlled sprinting. A method of running he has perfected over the last four years which should inevitably enable him to make a big bang in the track world soon, according to Nebraska Coach Gary Pepin. "I think Anthony is a very talented athlete, who works very hard," Pepin said. "He has the ability to become a very good sprinter." The soft-spoken Small, a freshman from Toronto, Canada, was an instant success in his age group (19 years old and younger) in Canada last year even though he has only been running seri ously for a short time. nih School Career Officially, Small's triumphant entry into track competition began in 1975 at Chartland Jr. Public School in Can ada. But it never really got off the ground until 1980, when he started running for the Percy Duncan Track Club in Canada From there he went on to become the 100-and 200-meter dash cham pion at the Ontario, Canada Hih St. State Championships in 1983. He also was named the Canadian Junior Sprint Champion the same year. He earned that award by virtue of winning the 100-meter dash in a time 10.41 and the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.40 at the Canadian national championships at Montreal in July. Aside from having impressive cre dentials, the thing that makes Small so unique and sets him apart from other sprinters, is his running style and know- t.- .- ; v w ' V u J if l V'-... ... Craig AndressnDslly Kzbrssxan Nebraska's Anthony CmU. ledge. His lengthy, fluid strides lead one to believe that he isn't working hard, when in fact he really is. And he has the uncanny ability to get better and faster with every race, Small said. "I would be much happier if there were four races, instead of three," Small said. "My time seems to go down each time J run." "When Anthony runs, he looks like an ordinary guy who is so relaxed it appears he isn't thinking ," said Percy Duncan, who has been Small's per sonal track coach for the last four years. "In fact he is in deep thought. He. has the ability to know exactly what he is doing before he even does it." Small said he credits Duncan, a 69-year-old former Canadian national track coach,Xor developing his unique running style and getting him inter ested in making a career of track. "I really didn't have any interest in running track until after working with Percy awhile," Small said. "At first, I would skip a lot of practice sessions, you know. It was sort of like second nature and we didn't think about it. But by the second year I never wanted to miss a practice. I actually looked forward to it. And if I missed practice, I would feel really terrible." Duncan noticed Small at the Black Heritage Track and Field meet in Tor onto, in June of 1930. The versatile Small ran the 100, 200, 400 and high jumped that day. He immediately caught Duncan's eye. "I guess he was impressed with what I did at that meet " Small said, "because he started talking with me about train ing with him and the rest is history." Small and three other athletes began training with Duncan immediately after that. "I am a little choosy," Duncan said about the athletes he selects to run his track club. Small said Duncan has a different philosophy about coaching track in that he works mostly with stride instead of leg speed. That way I can cover more ground with less energy," he said. The training methods Duncan used were different to Small as well, he said. "We did a lot of calisthenics instead of long distance running to help my stamina," Small said. "The first three or four weeks I was with him I was just learning how to run with the high knee lift and long strides." The two to three hours per day he spent training with Duncan finally paid off, Small said. In his first meet run ning with the Percy Duncan Track Club, Small placed first in both the 100-and 200-meter dashes at the Peace Games, in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the start of a very successful out door season and undefeated indoor season for Small in 1883. "Anthony is a very good athlete," Duncan said. "He has so many things to run for - his family, his country, himself that one has no idea of where he is going to go in track." . "I trained with Percy for four years and now everything is coming together," Small said. Nebraska an "easy choice" Nebraska started recruiting Small in the summer of 1983 after the Cana dian national track championships. Pepin called his residence, but Anthony had gone to a meet in Japan. He was representing the Canadian junior team in a meet with Japan, China and the United States. Small again won the 100-and 200-meter dashes. When Small returned to Toronto, in early September, he called Pepin and arranged a time to visit the campus. "I liked it here," Small said. The peo ple were real friendly and had a good attitude about everything. I also went to a football game and was really impressed with the crowd." Small said he could have gone to the University of Ontario in Canada, but they didn't have as much to offer as Nebraska. "It really wasn't a hard choice at all," Small said. "With NlTs facilities pro gram and people, this was definitely the better choice." Duncan also believed Nebraska was the place for Small to go,- because Nebraska is like a second home to him. It would provide Small with the oppor tunity to achieve his full potential, he said. "It was obvious during the summer that Anthony needed some stronger competition," Duncan said. "So we felt the University of Nebraska could make some magic for him." So far, Small has measured up very welL In fact, he made his college debut as a Cornhusker by winning the 60-yard-dash in a time of 6.36 and placing third in his initial 300 in a recent dual with SIU. Continued en Pc3 11 tsy Scoreboard - CzzzLlTry Scum of the Earth (3.0) 41, R Street (3.3) 33 Theta Xi (4.0) 54, Harper Eight (4.2) 43 Chi Phi (3.6) 33, Abel Six 1 (3.6) 37 Culture Center (4.62) 70, Spud Boys (4.0) 43 Phi Kappa Psi (4.3) 43. Sijma Nu (4.3) 41 Sigma Phi Epsilon (3.3) 3, Short Stuff (3.0) 5 Hosers (4.0) 63, Harper Nine (2.6) 33 Delta Tau Delta def. Average White Team by forfeit Ducks (4.0) 37, Sigma Alpha Epsilon (4.0) 33 Tau Kappa Epsilon (2.7) 50, Beta Theta Pi (2.S) 43 The Kids (32.2) 53, Phi Gamma Delta (3.4) 43 Cather Nine (4.0) 47, Schramm Ei;ht (3.3) 33 Kappa Sigma (3.2) 43, Superior Place Five (3.5) 20 Gunners (4.0) 52, General Jean's Army (4.0) 22 R9da 11 (3.0) 55, W.C.P.C. 3,6) 3 Executioners (3.3) 43, Claekfcs'i Express (3.3) 44 Nosebleedsrs (32.2) 43, Arkatorture (3.5) C3 Volunteers (4.0) 33. ED3-Bones (4.0) 33 -. - . Hennlg (2.0) 33. Don Hcs (2.7) 23 ' , ' '. " Crsta Hosers (4.0) 57. Math (4,2) S3 - Brass Rail (3.7) 73. NROTC (3.7) 43 No Names def. The Shrooms by forfeit Bloto's Streak (4.0) 43, Board Members (4.0) 45 Heavyweights (3.6) 43, Reds I (2.0) 43 Sigma Phi Epsilon (3.6) 57, Who Knows, Cares & Why Bother (3.0)43 Alpha Tau Omega (3.0) 37, Sidatrack (3.0) 23 Acacia (2.0) 37, Temporary Heroes (3.3) 35 Harper Eight dsf. Delta Upsilon by forfait Beta Sigma Psi (3.3) 3, Phi Kappa Psi (3.6) 33 : . Opsn Dunks Unlimited (3.0) 50, Bud Boys (2.5) 44 Harper Seven (3.5) 75, The Aces (2.7) 2 -1 ;uanss dsf. Awesome Acacians. by forf sit - Dob's Boys (3.7) 51, Around the Corners (4.2) 43 HimHton Lunatics (3.6) 55, Hamilton ''Animals' (2.e) 24 ' ' -Animal Science (3.0) 34, Assies (3.2) 3D-';. ' CBA Two (4.6) 32, Forestry (4.6) 23 Schramm Two (4.5) 41, Harper Nine (4.5) 33 Harper Four (3.2) 32, Cather Four (3.5) 27 Acacia 2 (4.2) def. AOPiHashers (4.2) 15-3, 15-7 Ag. Econ, (4.0) def. Slug Jrs. (4.2) 15-6. 15-4 APS and Compnay (3.5) def. Love TwoCether Ten (3.7) 15-12 15-12 ' Sudden Impact (3.7) def. Food Science (3.0) 15-8, 15-11 Sandoz SixAbel Eleven (4.6) dsf. Harper SixSmith Six (5 0) 15-6, 15-9 V ' Triangle (4.0) dsf. Harper NineSmith Seven (4.0) 18-14, 4-15 15-11 . Smith EightSchramm Eight (4.0) dsf. Raymond il 142) 15-8 13-15, 15-11 - " Barely Legal (3.5) def. Ag Econ Club (3.0) 15-3, 15-3 Theta XiSandoz Nine (4.0) dsf. Ex-ls!and3rs (3.C) 15-4, S-15 15-13 - ' Cather ThreePound Seven (3.2) dsf. KA03 (3.0)15-5. 15-3 Abel Three dsf. Cortorians by forfait ' . . ..- ' Schramm FourSmith Ten Def. Rick's Rsidars by forfait Raymond Two dsf. Sandoz FourSeJlack by forfeit . ZZ Tops (4.0) dsf. HammsrenV-CaS!-sfs(4.C) 15-13,15-11 -