Leonard Scott teleconference excerpts
04-25-2006
Contact:
Jill Geer
Director of Communications
USA Track & Field
317-713-4663
USA Track & Field hosted a national media teleconference with 2006 world indoor 60m gold medalist Leonard Scott, who will compete Saturday at USA vs. The World at the Penn Relays, part of the 2006 Visa Championship Series. USA vs. The World will be broadcast from 5-6 p.m. on NBC Sunday, April 30.
The 2000 USA junior 100m champion and a star sprinter and teammate of Justin Gatlin while at the University of Tennessee, Scott pursued a professional football career in 2003 before returning to track in 2004. Scott found great success in 2005, garnering his first major victory at the 2005 Millrose Games. Also in 2005, he ran the fastest time by an American indoors at 60m (6.46), set personal bests outdoors at 100m (9.94) and 200m (20.38) and was sixth in the 100m at the World Outdoor Championships.
Scott has taken advantage of that momentum in 2006, winning the U.S. (6.52) and world indoor titles (6.50), and is poised for a strong outdoor season, which will get in full swing Saturday at USA vs. The World at the Penn Relays.
For a complete bio of Leonard Scott, visit http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/Scott_Leonard.asp
Excerpts of Tuesday’s call are below.
Q: You won the 2000 USA junior title and had success at the University of Tennessee before taking 2003 to pursue football. Tell us about your return to track and field.
A: My first love has always been football, that’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. I didn’t realize the speed I had until high school. I ended up doing both sports in college. I wanted to pursue the football to see what could happen. I ended up going to Pittsburg [as a wide receiver] and making it to the last cut. I ended up getting cut and I ended up going to Texas [Dallas] because I felt like if I went home I would have got with my friends and would have lost track of my goals and things I wanted to do in life. I was out there for a while. My dad came to see me and my dad said he wasn’t going to let talent go to waste. He contacted the H.S.I. group. I spoke on the phone with John Smith, and next thing I knew I was out here in California. I think it was a gift from god that happened. I came out here with $100 in my pocket. I stayed with Larry Wade for a month until I could get myself together and maybe get a contract, get an apartment. It was a hard situation at first. I had to lose all that football weight, and I had to learn how to run because John Smith is so technical and what needs to be right. I had to learn all of that. So far, so good. The transition has taken its time and progressing to good things right now. That’s one of the things John told me. He said if you’re not coming out here for the long haul, don’t come out because you’re not going to have instant success. That’s what’s going on now - things are slowly getting back.
Q: What things have you worked on?
A: I had a problem with running real tight. That’s something I’m still working on right now. If you see old pictures, my veins in my neck are popping out, my arms are going across my body. Nothing was in front of me as far as my legs … I was carrying my legs, leaning over. That was hard on my hamstrings. John Smith just changed all that. He told me to put everything forward, start swinging my arms the right way. I had to learn to relax more, and I’m still working on that kind of stuff. The day that you feel like you know it all, that’s the day you need to quit.
Q: When start to feel better in terms of getting back to running?
A: 04 was basically just coming back. I PRed in '04, I ran 10.01 in the Olympic Trials and I was excited about that. But you look at my career and I’ve always been able to do something crazy and not even put my all into it. I knew if I was able to do this full-time, the sky is the limit with me. In '04 it was basically, here I am, I’m back in the sport. In '05 I started coming into my own. I got the weight off, and now I feel like I’m actually understanding what he [Smith] wants more than anything. In the past, John could have told me something and I knew what he was saying, but I didn’t know. Now I feel like I understand him. Before, I was just running.
Q: You’re strong over 60 meters. How to you convert that to a full 100-meter race?
A: Every year he [Smith] has something new to work on . This year is to build strength and to be able to finish the 100. This year I’m running a lot more 200s. I just ran a 200 in Kansas, and I ran a 200 in Mt. SAC. I’m getting ready to go to Penn this week, then it’s Modesto and I’ve got to run the deuce there. That deuce is what helps you in the 100. I truly believe that. With my weight, my strength and doing these deuces, the 100 is coming so easy to me now. Because I’ve got the start. I can get you out of the blocks. Now it’s can you hold on. I truly believe I can hold on, because I can do it in practice now.
Q: In college, you were running with Justin Gatlin or beating him. Now that he is Olympic and world champion, do you have any second thoughts about pursuing football?
A: No, because it’s one of the things I’ve always said: I have no regrets on any decisions I make. I truly believe that any decision you make in life, it happens for a reason. If I sit up here and had any regrets, I wouldn’t be able to do the things I do now. What happens is in the past and you have to move on.
I took him [Gatlin] under my wing in college, because he was a hurdler. That first year, he couldn’t touch me. Then after that, they got that fall training whereas I went to football. People don’t realize that fall training is important and he came back that next year running right with me. I’ve always said, let’s train full time and see what happens then. I truly believe the way things are going, the roles are gonna turn back again.
Q: Tell us about your 2006 indoor season and becoming a U.S. and world champion.
A: It was amazing. I was supposed to be in the Boston meet [Reebok Boston Indoor Games] and Millrose but I had to pull out because of my hamstring. I was training so good and I truly wanted to go after the world record [6.39, held by training partner Maurice Greene]. That was my goal. I was pushing myself so hard in practice ended up tweaking my [right] hamstring. I missed those meets and it was stressful. Me and my agent, we had a couple words about it because we were going back and forth about me running. I wanted to run. I was so used to having lots of races to get better. But I said I believe in you guys I trust in you guys. So we went to nationals, first meet out, and I won. I’m not going to lie, it took me by surprise. When I got to worlds, that was even more amazing. Even though I didn’t run the times I wanted to run, I learned something, because it showed me, you’re learning how to compete. You’re learning how to compete when things aren’t right for you. That way when the conditions are right, it should be a breeze. It helped me with my patience. That was a problem in the world championships [outdoors] last year. I took off and I just died in the end. This year, I’m maturing.
Q: You mentioned the indoor world record. Do you think you can break the outdoor world record?
A: Every night before I go to sleep, I think … I believe records are to be broken, and I know I can do it. You can’t set a goal for yourself and hesitate. You’ve got to know that you can do it. I believe 9.77 can be broken. I truly believe that 6.39 can be broken because my start I truly believe is the best in the world. That’s my opinion. … I keep my eyes on my goals - running a world record, winning the gold medal.
