With the Olympics only weeks away, I’ve decided to keep my time occupied by writing about each athlete that made the U.S. Olympic team in track and field. There is no better way to start than by introducing the 100m team. Justin Gatlin: The 2004 Olympic champion in 100m and bronze medalist in 200m and current World Indoor Champion in the 60m, this guy has proven himself that he can return back into the ranks of the elite. He served his suspension and is looking for more hardware as he heads to London. He set a new personal best at the Olympic Trials, running 9.80, edging out his compatriots Tyson Gay and Ryan Bailey. He’ll have to continue stepping it up if he’s going to go face the Jamaicans in their rivalry. ...

The U.S. Olympic Trials of track & field have been nothing short of spectacular these past 10 days, but one thing stuck out like a sore thumb. June 23rd was the women’s 100m finals. The top 3 finishers would qualify for the U.S. Olympic team, while the 4th place finisher would be an alternate and/or relay runner. The first and second place qualifiers were decided easily, with Carmelita Jeter in 10.92, and Tiana Madison in 10.96. It was the third and final spot which caused drama that would last for over a week. Training partners and friends Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh were “tied” for third in the 100m with a time of 11.07. It was decided originally that Tarmoh had taken the third spot, but much later after the conclusion of the competition that the result was considered a “dead heat,” and a tie breaker would need to be decided before the end of the Olympic Trials. Pictured below is the instant moment both competitors hit the line, and it was decided that they could not be separated on time. ...

As a runner, it’s something that has been mind-boggling me for years. I’m not sure if it’s because I haven’t fully researched enough to get a good understanding of it, or because I’m just an idiot, but pronation (the way your foot rolls when running) has been the most ongoing challenge I’ve had other than my injuries. What I want to do is try to explain the types of pronation, and ask some general questions and see if some better experts can help me out. ...

Where does it all go? When we pursue the things we want, suddenly we’re hit by a rush of self-doubt. Why? Why are we, as humans, so nervous when it comes to completing tasks or chasing dreams? I’ve really tried to ponder this for a while, and want to get my thoughts out on this particular topic. Society is the biggest judge of peoples’ choices. They set the rules which dictate what normal behavior is and what is not. So when someone decides they’re going to do something, they have to take a step back and think, “What will people say about this? Will it affect me and other around me”? They build up the confidence to do something, and then at that split second, they decide to add society into their plan and figure out what the potential outcome of their actions are. The easiest example to use is when a guy wants to ask a girl out, not always for a date, but to hang out and get to know them. You plan it all out, how you want to ask her, and then you decide to think about what her friends would think of her asking you, or you over analyze this girl by her tone of voice towards you and her body expressions to see if she’s even remotely interested in you. They are a huge deterrence to your confidence level. You wonder if this is going to be awkward or how she’s probably out of your league because society puts you in two different levels. Oh society, how I hate you so. ...

It’s something that I feel needs to be addressed. How many of you who are in college actually likes the major you’re studying? I’m always reading about how people hate the workload they have or they want to switch majors (I’m also at fault for this), but did anyone actually consider that this is the career path they wanted to pursue for the rest of their lives? There are a lot of factors that determine what a person’s major is. Some people pursue a major because they believe they’ll get a lot of money and be hired a lot more easily. Some go undecided, and later choose a career path of interest. Some even choose one they don’t care about so then they can go party every weekend. They can do the work with minimal effort, get a degree, and worry about getting a job after they try to remember what happened in the four years they attended school. ...