2007 National Podium Education Project Sprint Session

December 11-13, 2007

As a registrant of the USATF sponsored 2007 National Podium Education Project Sprint Session (NPEP), this site will serve as the vehicle through which information can be exchanged. If this is your first visit, please review all of the information provided.

For 25 years the High Performance Division (HPD) Elite Athlete Sprint Seminar has been held, under the direction of Dr. Ralph Mann, to evaluate the top US sprinters. This science based program has attracted some of the best minds in the sport. The major reason why the large majority of the top US sprint athletes are coached by a handful of coaches is the expertise of the coaches and the quality of the information that is made available to them. The level of expertise can be seen by reviewing the list of the coaches that will be speaking to you at the Session. The quality of the information can be judged by examining the list of scientists that will be presenting.

Due to the quality of the Session, and the limited enrollment, there is great demand for a confirmed reservation. If you have not confirmed your reservation for the Sprint Session, which was requested in the email that provided the link to this site, then you should do so immediately. In addition, as the date of the Session approaches, you will be asked to reconfirm your reservation.

If you have not made your hotel accommodations in Las Vegas, you should do so immediately. Hotel space at the site for the Session is limited, so if you want the convenience of having on-site housing, you need to reserve early.

Dr. Mann's companion Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling manual, which contains the biomechanical research conducted on the sprints and hurdles, is available for purchase ($20.00). If you want to insure a copy, you need to pre-purchase this manual. There will be a limited number available at the Session; however, once they are gone, further copies will not be available.

On the evening of December 12th, there will be a banquet for both the HPD Sprint and Hurdle coaches. As a registered NPEP Sprint participant, you are invited to join these coaches. Space is limited, so if you are interested, you should make your reservations early.

This is an action packed Session, so you should review the NPEP Sprint schedule. You will be able to attend the main session with the coaches of the top finishers in the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. You will hear Dr. Mann's presentations on the mechanics of sprinting, along with the highly inquisitive, and sometimes combative, questions and discussions of the HPD coaches. In addition, there will be presentations by speakers in the field of sports medicine, motor learning, and sports psychology; all directly related to sprint performance.

On the application side, elite coaches including Clyde Hart, Amy Deem, Dennis Shaver, Curtis Frye, and John Smith will be giving presentations on various aspects of the development of sprint athletes. The highlight of this effort will be a live, on-track demonstration of how to best teach and improve an athlete’s sprint performance. This session will include Dr. Mann’s computer videographics based teaching system, as well as on-track presentations from Clyde Hart and John Smith. Bring your running gear since this will be a true application situation where you will be directly involved.

We are looking forward to expanding the HPD program to include more coaches. The only way to develop future successful coaches is to allow them access to the expertise of current elite coaches, as well as the information that only science can provide.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us.

To purchase Dr. Mann's Mechanics of Sprinting and Hurdling manual, please click here.

To view or download the Sprint session schedule, please click here.

To view information about the speakers, please click here.