Carifta Medalist Kyrah Scraders Training In U.S.
Kyrah Scraders — fresh from her two medal wins at the the recent Carifta Games — is perfecting her craft in Eugene, Oregon.
The young and upcoming 800M and 1500M star has travelled to the west coast of the United States with her coach, Jarita Vickers for a training camp with Mr. Peter Thompson, in Eugene, also known as “Track Town U.S.A.”.
Mr. Thompson, an acclaimed IAAF instructor and coach of former British Olympians, was invited to Bermuda, by the Bermuda National Athletics Association [BNAA] during the recent International Race Weekend in January of this year.
He conducted training courses for the Bermuda national track and field coaches on new coaching strategies. In particular, his theories surrounding the “New Interval Training” methodology which is a critical component to the base training of middle distance athletes such as Kyrah.
The purpose of the training camp is to help build a platform for which both Kyrah and her coach can develop their respective skills in the sport of track and field. The young teen has qualified for two major international meets later this year. The 2013 World Youth Championships which is being held in Donetsk, Ukraine, July 10-14th, and the Junior Pan American Games which is being held in Lima, Peru, August 1- 2nd.
“As she prepares for the World Youth Championships later this year, we thought it would be beneficial to organize one-on-one training sessions with Kyrah, Mr. Thompson and I. This time would be used to develop a plan for the upcoming championships as well as build a foundation for a future plan for Kyrah over the next two to three years” said Coach Vickers. “The new methodologies learned will also benefit the Bermuda National Distance program as a whole.”
During the camp so far, Kyrah has been exposed to various forms of training and has had the opportunity to train alongside some of the senior athletes currently under Mr. Thompson’s instruction. She has had technical sessions on the track, running sessions in the water, spinning, endurance training in the country side and strength and conditioning instruction.
Video of Kyrah’s gold medal winning Carifya performance in the 800m:
The Camp has been designed to have multiple training sessions per day as well as “quiet” session used for reflection and recovery. She and her coach have also had the opportunity to attend the collegiate Pepsi Track and Field Invitational at the University of Oregon’s Historic Hayward Field, where they saw the Oregon Ducks and the Texas A&M University Aggies in action.
“The experience has been very different for me. Oregon has many trails that are good for warm ups, warm downs and general long runs. I like working with Mr. Thompson and I think that the things I am learning will benefit me in track and field,” said Kyrah.
Well Done young lady, really well done!
Yay Ky!! Keep up the great work n proud of you!! Olympics here she comes!!
All the Best Kyrah!
Keep up the good work Kyra!