Andrew Rock

[surfsider]

Rock ran 44.75 as runner-up to LaShawn Merritt's 44.66 in Kingston. This bodes well for the rest of the season.

 

[white lightning]

I was very happy to see Rock run a incredible time for
this early in the season!I don't know what is going on
with Potter and Steele.They are not in good form at all
as of yet.Hopefully they will get it together.Rock can
be just as good as Wariner.This kid's a winner!Keep up
the good work A.Rock!

 

[surfsider]

Steele was making some noises at the KU Relays about maybe moving up to the 800. The 400 is very crowded right now so it might be a good move for him though I wish he'd stick it out a little longer.

 

[white lightning]

I agree but I will root for him regardless.I have a
feeling that Rock is going to really explode this year
in a big way.It is hard to top last year but this kid
trains as hard as anyone in the us!Good luck to him.

 

[white lightning]

Don't be suprised if Rock upsets Wariner this weekend
at the Home Depot Meet in California.Rock is in top
form already.This race will have 6 of the top 400 guys
in the nation.It will be a dog fight.You have 3 white
guys in Wariner,Potter,and Rock.There will also be
Brew,Merritt,and Otis.It should be on tv too.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Should be a good one to watch.

 

[bigman]

http://folk.uio.no/royel/Men400.wmv Edited by: bigman

 

[white lightning]

Man did Rock run that outside lane with almost perfection.I have rarely seen an athlete in lane
8 get that big a lead and hold on to it for as long
as he did.He just about caught Merritt at the end.
I would like to see Andrew Rock run some 200's.I'm
curious what times he could run.Thanks for the link
bigman.Any links you have would be appreciated.Do you
have one for the 100 Big 12 Final?Hopefully we can try
to post some of the NCAA Champs.

 

[bigman]

These meets are just training meets... the big show comes at the USchamps... as for Rock in a 200.. I would guess that he is training for the 400 but is good for 20.4 or 20.5.

 

[surfsider]

I see that Rock is on the start list for the Prefontaine Classic on June 4. That will be a deep meet talent-wise. Anyone know Wariner's next meet?

 

[surfsider]

Rock got third at the Prefontaine in 45.58. Michael Blackwood of Jamaica won in 45.48 and LaShawn Merritt was second in 45.57. Does anyone know what the conditions were there? Times seem a little sluggish.

 

[white lightning]

I believe it was run into a strong wind and very hot.
They also gave Rock lane 7 which is a total joke.He has
been one of the top 2 or 3 400 sprinters thus far this
season and they put him in a lane where he has little or
no chance.He basically tied for 2nd because it was only
1/100th of a second between him & Merritt.For lane 7,
he raced a pretty damn good race.I expect bigger and
better things from him later this summer.He is just about
where Wariner is.

 

[White Shogun]

They also gave Rock lane 7 which is a total joke.He has been one of the top 2 or 3 400 sprinters thus far this season and they put him in a lane where he has little or no chance.He basically tied for 2nd because it was only 1/100th of a second between him & Merritt.For lane 7, he raced a pretty damn good race.</font>

WL, can you break this down for the non-track aficionados among us? With the staggered length of the lanes, does one really lose that much time starting in the outer lanes?

 

[white lightning]

It is hard to explain but basically you can't see where
you are at.Yes you start out ahead but it is very hard
to run in the inner or outer lanes of a track.Even in
the 100 meters,the best lanes are the 3,4,5,and 6 lanes.
The winners almost always are in these lanes and usually
you get a good lane based on times in the pre-lims.There
is no reason that Rock should have been way out there
with his performance this year.When you are in those
lanes 7 & 8,the other guys sneak up on you without you
even knowing it.You can win a race in those lanes but it
is very difficult.I hope that helped without getting too
technical.

 

[surfsider]

WL is right. The guys in lanes 7 and 8 are basically acting as rabbits for the rest of the field.

 

[white lightning]

I just want to give props to Andrew Rock.He has run in
the mid to high 44 second range three times this season
already.He is as consistant as anyone out there.He has
yet to beat Wariner,but is on his tail.I just wish the
media would give Rock more credit.This kid can really
run.He is one of the 3 best 400 meter runners in the
whole world right now based on his performances!

 

[surfsider]

1Washington Tyree USA 45.02
2Rock Andrew USA 45.10
3Simpson Brandon JAM 45.21
4Brew Derrick USA 45.30
5Williamson Darold USA 45.31
6Merritt LaShawn USA 45.34
7Clarke Davian JAM 45.59
8Barberi Andrea ITA 46.05
9Licciardello Claudio ITA 46.87

Results from the Rome 400 today.

 

[surfsider]

WL, do you know the lane assignments from this race?

 

[jaxvid]

 

[white lightning]

I'm not sure of the lane he ran out of but I will find out
for you guys.The thing that impresses me about Andrew
Rock is that he is always in the race.Even in his losses,
he is right there at the finish line fighting the whole
way.He gets screwed all the time though drawing the bad
extreme inside or outside lanes.Put him in lanes 3,4,5,or
6 and he will win almost every time guaranteed.He is that
good just like Wariner.

 

[nordic_miler]

Andrew Rock is a beast! It's great to see him doing so well, especially in a distance where whites are the minority in the USA. What is even better though is Andrew Rock is a local legend around here. He attended Stratford High School in Stratford, Wisconsin...he competed in the same sectional in High School as a trackster that I currently compete in now. The guy proved that you can become one of the fastest in the world even though he grew up in a small, dinky rural town in central wisconsin lol.

 

[surfsider]

Welcome aboard nordic-miler. I take it from the above post that you are currently in high school? It's good to see some younger folk join the board.

WL, your comment regarding Rock echoes my sentiments. He really comes to race and gives it his all each time out.

 

[nordic_miler]

Yep, gonna be a senior this fall.

 

[white lightning]

Andrew Rock lit up the field today in a winning time of 44.8!He looked really strong and ran very smooth.This kid is so talented.I'm really happy that he finally got the spotlite for a change today with Wariner not racing in the 400.I really belive that he can still continue to progress and eventually run in the 44.0 second flat range by 2008!He is a sleeper who is one of the few guys capable of running with Wariner.Keep up the hard training Andrew.

 

[Triad]

Rock was very impressive today. His time (44.8) was into a stiff wind for the last 80-90 meters. The lone white in a field of nine easily won.