This past Saturday, local high school student-athletes gathered at the New Balance Track and Field Center at The Armory in Washington Heights to participate in the second annual Armory Indoor Track and Field Camp. Guest instructors worked hands-on with the youth on various aspects of the sport, including running technique and breathing. They also shared their experiences and anecdotes as pre-teens and teens that helped lead to their success.
Among those sharing their expertise was newly married couple Will Claye and Queen Harrison. The 27-year-old Claye, an American of Sierra Leonean descent, was a double medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, capturing a bronze in the long jump and silver in the triple jump. A two-time indoor world champion in the triple jump, capturing gold at the 2012 and 2018 IAAF World Championships, Claye was a collegiate standout in both the triple jump and long jump at the University of Oklahoma before transferring to the University of Florida.
Harrison, 30, who was born in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. in Sullivan County and raised in Richmond, Va., represented the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in the 400-meter hurdles. During her time as a student-athlete at Virginia Tech, Harrison was one of the country’s best track and field performers as a three-time national champion. In 2010, she became the first woman in history to win both the 100-meter and the 400-meter hurdles titles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Harrison said the foundation of her achievements was being a willing pupil who embraced coaching. “Doing what my coach told me to do helped improve my speed and strength,” she related.
She continued, “I came from a background that we didn’t lift weights in high school, and I was truly introduced to them in college, so my strength trajectory was very high and quick because I went from playing around in the weight room to an organized lifting program with a [Division I] weight coach. I believe I got quicker by being more intentional in every movement I did and just doing a lot of reps.”
She added, “The great thing about youth is the energy and the ability to recover really quickly. So my college coach taking advantage of that while I was young was very helpful.”
She cautioned, “There’s a thin line [so be] careful not to overexert your athletes too young.”
Claye suggested that youth not specialize in just one sport. He said, “As I look back now, I realized the way to improve in speed and strength was to put myself in different athletic situation, which helped me as an all-around athlete. I played every sport and that made me stronger and faster without having to even pick up a weight. It just made me a pure all-around athlete.”