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The Birmingham Crossplex in Alabama will have a Florida flare to it on Saturday. Several of the Sunshine State's fastest athletes will make their indoor debuts one of the quickest tracks in the southeast. Headlining the field is FSU signee Chauncy Smart who is competing in the 60m dash as well as the 200m under the group Empire Athletics.
Smart who has run 10.30 (at Florida Relays) and 21.89, and is the reigning 3A state runner-up in the 100 meters, hasn't competed in an indoor race since his freshman year at Jimmy Carnes. Saturday, will be his first on a banked track, and he is more than excited to get going.
"This meet is just to see where I'm at and to see how good my training have been going. I've been doing 200s, 150s, and 300s."
His training has been under the tutelage of a new coach, Gary Evans, who trains some of the world's best professionals in Clermont including Marvin Bracy, Tyson Gay, as well as his son Tariq and fellow Gainesville sprinter Tamari Davis. Smart says that next level training is exactly what he needs to elevate his game.
"It's been really great. It's also a different type of training that I'm not used too."
Evan's son Tariq, one of the top uncommitted track and field athletes in Florida is entered in the 200, 400, and triple jump. He is one of the most versatile athletes in the state having placed third in the triple jump, and was first heading into the finals of the 300m hurdles before faltering at the very end. His personal bests speak for themselves.
- 100m - 10.92
- 200m (in) - 22.32
- 200m - 21.56
- 300mH - 37.49
- 400m (in) - 49.89
- 400m - 48.27
- Long Jump - 21-9.5
- Triple Jump - 47-4.75
Coach Evans says the goals are to see where they are at off of muscle and endurance base.
"Our focus is more on April and May. Competing indoor though shows the kids what it takes to get to the next level. Seeing the in and outs of track on and off the track. We chose this meet as a tune up before the bigger meet in Alabama on the 30th and the meet in Virginia on the 14th."
Another thoroughbred in Evan's staple is 8th grade phenom Tamari Davis. Davis ran 24.96 at the Jimmy Carnes Indoor Meet last year and was a beast outdoors winning both the 100 and 200m at the FLYRA Middle School State Championships and following that up with a PR and runner-up 200m finish at Flo Golden South with a time of 23.94, and a third place showing and PR at the Adidas Dream 100 in Boston with a time of 11.77.