Self among speakers at prominent DFW clinic
12/22/2015 11:51:00 AM | Track & Field, Women's Track & Field
Sam Houston State's David Self will be among seven head coaches to speak and participate at the widely-recognized DFW National Track & Field Clinic from Jan. 8-10 at the luxurious Arlington Hilton.
The three-day event, sponsored by the UT-Arlington Track & Field program and the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, will feature training in sprints, distance, running, hurdles, jumps and throws.
Self, a hurdler in college, will speak on the event Saturday morning, and will deliver a learn-by-doing session that afternoon. During the last two seasons, the Bearkats' seventh-year head coach helped mentor All-Americans Sabrina Starr and Danielle Demas, who own the programs top five marks in the 60-meter hurdles indoors and 100-meter hurdles outdoors.
“I was a hurdler in college and it has always been close to my heart,” Self said. “It's kind of the bread and butter of what I do. Hurdlers are very versatile and can do a lot of things for you. The elite level ones can sprint. We've had kids that bought into what we're doing and are great athletes.”
The clinic, founded by John McKenzie, will feature hundreds of attendees, including a prominent number of track coaches from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and state, an invite Self believes speaks to the level of performance the Bearkats are competing at.
“It puts ours success in the forefront,” Self said. “It speaks to the success of our program and the things we're trying to do. We want to be one of the top programs regionally if not in the state of Texas. When you talk about high-performance track and field, we want Sam Houston to always be in the discussion.”
Tickets are currently on sale for $100 by visiting DFWTrackClinic.net. Once pre-registration closes on Jan. 4, late and walk-up costs will be $120. Those wishing to attend may also access the full schedule and special hotel rates on the clinic's website.
Over the past three seasons, the Sam Houston men and women have finished no lower than third at the Southland Conference championships, spanning 12 meets between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
In 2014, the women's track and field program claimed both the Southland indoor and outdoor championships, marking the ninth title in 10 seasons since Self has been affiliated with the program. The men have brought home their share of hardware, as well, taking home five Southland runner-up trophies since 2013.
“We've had some exciting things going on in our program,” Self said. “It's nice to have our peers and colleagues recognize that success and invite me to share what we do.”
