Brentwood TC (TN)

Team Website / NTN Profile

Top Athletes: Ford Bell (distances), Kevin Lazas (jumps & pole vault), Steve Wade (throws), Josh Killit (jumps), Austin Johnson (sprints) and Patrick Kellett (sprints).

Team Strengths: Brentwood’s strengths lie in their big three of Ford Bell, Kevin Lazas and Steve Wade.  These three athletes will compete in two events each, all capable of placing very high in each won.  Ranked US#7, but less than 50 points out of fourth, this squad should be eyeing a top three finish come July 2.

Key to Success: With Bell, Lazas and Wade each competing in two events each, and all three athletes proven to come up big when called upon, the key to Brentwood’s success comes from their other three athletes (Killit, Johnson and Kellett), who will need to put up big enough marks to keep this squad in contention for a big finish.

Q&A with Coach Gary Kinder

NTN: Your squad won a tight battle at the TN State Championships.  What did that close victory teach the team and how can what they learned be applied to NTN on July 2?

Gary Kinder (GK): We have won three of the last four state championships but none were in the same manner as the team of 2010. Our entire season was dedicated to the theme of "Team before Me". The depth of our team was our major strength. In the past we had been fortunate to have 2-3 athletes who could carry a giant load at the state meet and score enough points to win.

This year even when EVERYTHING went wrong(our #1  seeded discus thrower fouled out in prelims, Kevin injured his ankle in the decathlon and was unable to compete as usual in the long jump and high jump, two of our three pole vaulters PRed but because of the high level of competition this year they scored 0 points. So the meet came down to the 4x400, where we had to score a sixth place finish or better to insure a victory. We have ten 51 second quarter milers on this team. If any four did the job they had done all season we would be in good shape.

Long story short ,when Ford Bell got the baton in third place we knew the this team had accomplished its season long goal. Team before Me. We are so happy that Nike has recognized the concept of team track, and how it may change our sport at the high school level.

NTN: The squad seems to be led by the trio of Ford Bell (distances), Kevin Lazas (jumps) and Steve Wade (throws).  What's it been like having three such talented athletes on the team, guiding the team from meet to meet?

GK: It is not uncommon for a high school to have two or three athletes in the same event group shine at the national level but we have been very fortunate to have three kids in such varied disciplines rise to this level of achievement. Our true leader has been Kevin Lazas,the number 3 all time ranked high school decathlete ever(7510). His work ethic and competitive spirit has been the foundation that an atmosphere of success was built on.

Ford Bell has been our anchor not only in relays but in keeping a mind set of stability and steadfast desire that has shown in every race he has run for Brentwood High this season. And Steve Wade is the quiet warrior that leads by merely continuing to lean into the strongest wind. It has been comforting to be able to depend on all parts of our team to contribute in every instance. The leadership we received from these three lead to BHS being represented in 15 of 18 event finals at our state sectional championships.

NTN: What are the team's expectations heading into Nike Track Nationals?

GK: We are hoping to compete as hard as we can, share this incredible opportunity that Nike has created with our fellow competitors, and enjoy the magic of Hayward field and the amazing environment that only the University of Oregon track facility provides.

NTN: What has the team been doing in their training to maintain a high level of fitness?

GK: Kevin Lazas is competing in the Junior Nationals this week where he is the #2 seeded junior in the US in the decathlon. Ford just returned from the New Balance nationals where he competed in the 800 and Steve Wade won the international meet last week held in Puerto Rico in the discus. The rest of the team is training harder than ever to represent TN at the Nike Nationals at our highest level. We certainly appreciate this amazing opportunity and again I will tell you that in all my days this is the coolest concept that has caught even a breath for high school track and field.

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