Sooners to Host Education Sessions

Head Coach Jim VanHootegem and the University of Oklahoma track and field coaching staff will host a series of coaches' education sessions in the next few months. The clinicians include three coaches who have worked with elite athletes on the collegiate and Olympic level and a performance therapist who has worked at a number of national, world, and Olympic sporting events.

Sessions will be held on Oct. 14, Nov. 18, March 2, and April 13. All sessions will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a meal and will run until 9:15 p.m. Individual sessions are $30 each for meal and presentations, $25 for presentations only. All sessions will be held at Headington Hall, the newest residential facility on the Norman campus.

The clinicians include Jay Johnson, former middle distance coach at the University of Colorado; Irving “Boo” Schexnayder, the director of the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's Track and Field Academy; Dr. Ernie Ferrel, performance therapist and member of the USA medical team at the 2008 Olympics; and Dan Pfaff, lead jumps and combined events coach at Altis.

Johnson is the director of the Boulder Running Camps and an accomplished distance coach. He started his coaching career as head coach of track and cross country at Pratt Community College in Pratt, Kan., where both cross country teams finished third at the junior college national meet. He also served as the recruiting coordinator and middle distance coach at the University of Colorado, where he coached for six years and was part of three NCAA Division I team titles and a Big 12 track and field title. Professional runners under his tutelage include Renee Metivier-Ballie (3,000m), Brent Vaughn (cross country) and Fernando Cabada (25 km).

Schexnayder has coached 10 Olympians, including multi-time world champion Walter Davis (USA—Triple Jump). A leading authority on training design, Schexnayder served as the jumps coach at LSU for 12 years, coaching 19 NCAA champions and contributing to 12 team championship titles. He is currently the director of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Track and Field Academy. He started his career as a successful high school coach at St. James High School in La., where he coached cross country, track and field, and football for 11 years.

Ferrel has been practicing chiropractic since 1987, and completed advanced training in sports medicine to earn his Chiropractic Sports Physician certification in 1991. He has also obtained certifications as a USCF Sport-Elite Coach, an industrial disability evaluator, a Graston provider, and an American Red Cross first responder. During his 28 years of practice, Ferrel has served as medical director for the Association of Volleyball Professionals, director of chiropractic services for the Triathlon Federation, Board of Directors for the California Chiropractic Association, Vice President of the American Chiropractic Association Sports Council, and steering committee member for the US Cycling and Triathlon Federations. He is also founder and developer of one of the most progressive soft tissue techniques used in the sports arena, Dynamic Motion Therapy (DMT).

Pfaff has tutored 49 Olympians (nine medalists), 51 World Championship competitors (also nine medalists), and five world record holders. He has directed athletes to 57 national records across a variety of events. Pfaff is currently the leads jumps and combined events coach at Altis. He is the primary mentor coach for the Apprentice Coach Program and is currently mentoring hundreds of coaches around the world. Pfaff's previous coaching experiences include UK Athletics, US Olympic Training Center, University of Texas and LSU. He also served as a high school teacher and coach for Carlisle Public Schools.

For more information, contact Evan Kubicek, OU track and field strength and conditioning coach at evankubicek@ou.edu.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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