Recently we received a copy of Track Coach (issue 249) formerly Track Technique published by Track and Field News. We requested and received permission from Track and Field News to publish Editor, Russ Ebbets' column and another article by one of Russ's Villanova teammates, Jerry Bouma. Here is Russ's column. Jerry's piece will appear in our next issue. Thank you, Russ, for this memory of Brooks Johnson. Note: Some of Russ's column has been edited regarding other parts of this issue.
George Brose
Russ Ebbets
FROM THE EDITOR of Track Coach
RUSS EBBETS
BROOKS JOHNSON
The first time I met Brooks Johnson was at a Level 1 School Kevin
McGill hosted at Columbia University in NYC in the early 1990’s. In
truth, Brooks was not an “early adopter” of the Coaching Education
model. The curriculum and program that had been assembled by McGill,
Vern Gambetta, Loren Seagrave, Gary Winckler, Bob Williams and Joe
Vigil was minimalized and marginalized by many of the top U.S. veteran
coaches. By this time, I had already done one master’s thesis on the
necessity of a program such as this and also completed two study tours to
the Soviet Union and East Germany to marvel at the effectiveness of their
well-established programs of talent identification and career development.
By the 1990’s USATF’s Coaching Ed was no longer a “hard sell.” My first
Level 1 school in Boston had three instructors and two participants. By the
time of McGill’s Columbia school we had a classroom full of 40 participants
with many of the top high school and collegiate coaches from throughout
the Northeast prepared and excited for the 21-hour weekend program.
In truth, Brooks assumed the role of “that guy” who felt it necessary to
comment or question virtually every point made not so much for clarification
but rather to highlight the weaknesses of the teaching staff. Cocksure and
hard-headed, Brooks engaged me in a hallway discussion that scratched the
edge of civility and was finally diffused by Kevin McGill’s intervention. I never
forgot the interchange and over the next decade essentially avoided Brooks
whenever possible.
Imagine my surprise in 2005 when I was chosen to be the U.S. National Team
chiropractor for the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki. The honor and
excitement was soon tempered when I found out our team manager would be
none other than Brooks Johnson.
For this World Championships USATF resolved to bring the 4x1 sprinters, both
men and women two weeks early for a relay camp to eliminate the recent history
of poor stick work and dropped batons with an intensive team approach that would
address the issue and prepare our national squads to battle the world. Upon arrival
in Helsinki Brooks addressed both teams and underscored how the relay camp would
progress, why this process would work and how the medal count at these international
championships would either positively or negatively affect the sport’s public image in
the U.S. that in turn would either positively or negatively impact fundraising, athlete
support and help create a more professional model for the future. I remember the athletesbeing attentive and hard-working as
they cycled through two-a-day workouts in the two weeks before the Helsinki Worlds.
These international assignments are a series of “long days” with morning,
afternoon and occasionally evening therapy sessions. There is much
structured time and little free time as the different four-person squads practiced
and competed in some practice meets in Sweden and Denmark, if memory
serves me.
On my one day off I had contacted the Finnish Chiropractic Association
to introduce myself and offer to speak in Helsinki on the role a chiropractor
plays for the U.S. National Team. To my good fortune they accepted
my offer and quickly assembled a group of 20+ American-educated
Finnish chiropractors for a lunchtime presentation and discussion. Lunch
was reindeer, Santa’s reindeer, and it was delicious.
As the meeting adjourned, I was taxied back to the U.S. team bus at one of the
famous amusement parks in Helsinki. The younger sprinters on the team,
Justin Gatlin, Shawn Crawford, Alison Felix and Joanna Hayes all made a day
of it while the bus awaited their return from their afternoon off. When I returned
to the bus there was only one person on the bus, Brooks Johnson. I sat near
the front and we talked. I explained to Brooks that I had just
addressed the Finnish chiropractors of Helsinki for a lunchtime talk. He was
intrigued and many, many questions followed. Eventually I got to the point
how I emphasized the import of the foot and how during the 1980’s, in my
coaching days, I used foot drills with much success for injury prevention and
speed development. Brooks spoke with enthusiasm how he had done similar
drills during his tenure at Stanford when he had many of the great early
collegiate female distance runners (notably Patti Sue Plumer among others)
and also noted similar successes.
In the two hour’s time we had to kill until the athletes returned he questioned
me at length how I came up with my “thoughts and theories” on the foot. The
time available allowed me to review my Soviet studies, coaching background,
my master’s thesis and how I was able to combine all this knowledge into
my lower extremity course I taught at NY Chiropractic College.
In the end he asked if I had heard of the High Performance Summits he organized in
Las Vegas each December? I had not but he extended to me the opportunity
to speak for 90 minutes on my thoughts the coming December to address
coaches from throughout the U.S. on how to improve distance running of
the national teams. I welcomed the opportunity and began to work on
my presentation as soon as I returned to the U.S. from the Helsinki World
Championships.
In the early 2000’s the East African dominance of the middle and long
distances at the international level was without equal. The U.S. languished
as a top five country and medal production or significant performances
were spotty at best for both the men and women. Brooks’s vision was
a long view, not a quick band aid approach. As the Summit grew close I
remember finalizing what was to be my opening statement, “It has only taken
me 18 years to get this audience...” and then I was off on a series of 12
topics that justified my claims using neurology, kinesiology, biomechanics,
neuroplasticity, technique and training to create an argument that American
distance running could transform itself with a different approach. The
December 2005 presentation went very well and I was asked to return in 2006
to give a similar talk.
It should be noted that the Helsinki men’s 4x1 dropped the stick. On the 1-2
exchange the baton flew up in the air and that was the end of the U.S.’s race.
The relay exchanges are a clear example of the psychomotor skill called Fitt’s
Law. Fitt’s Law states that the more rapidly one tries to do any activity the
sloppier the whole process becomes. This applies to many activities from
relay racing to stacking plastic cups on YouTube. The solution here is to
automate the whole process, as much as possible and then practice what
can be done.
Long ago teammate of mine Jerry Bouma penned a short piece on what
it means to be part of a team. He is a product of one of America’s storied
programs (Villanova) and the support I received following an August health
scare has been nothing short of fantastic and will no doubt underscore the
importance of a shared heritage and development. *
Finally, a farewell to Brooks. Brooks Johnson passed on June 29, 2024 at
age 90 narrowly missing the outstanding performances of the women’s U.S. 4x1
team at the recent Paris Olympics.
Brooks, thank you for a lifetime’s worth of efforts to improve this sport and
leaving an indelible mark. May you rest in peace, my friend.
Russ Ebbets
* The Jerry Bouma article that Russ mentions will be on our next post. Ed.
Dr. Russ Ebbets has over 50 years involvement in track and field as an athlete, coach,
administrator and healthcare provider. He served as Niagara Association president in
2008-09. He had been a Lead Instructor in the USATF Coaching Education Program
since 1983. He has lectured at Level 1,2,3 Schools and at the High Performance Summits
on Improving Distance Running in the USA in 2005 and 2006.
Since 1999 he has edited Track Coach, the technical journal for USATF. He has lectured
nationally, in Scandinavia, Canada, the Caribbean and at the Olympic Training Centers in
Colorado Springs and Lake Placid on health and sport related topics.
He founded the nationally recognized sports outreach program at NY Chiropractic
College that has provided complimentary care at 250+ events including the Millrose
Games, the National Scholastic Indoor Championships and Freihofer’s Run For Women
treating some 15,000 patients. from USATF Niagara
We at Once Upon a Time in the Vest also want to wish Russ Ebbets a speedy recovery to a serious health scare he has recently encountered.
What an uplifting article in so many ways. Thanks for sharing. I did not know much about Russ Ebbets but certainly came to appreciate his knowledge and commitment to our sport. Bill Schnier
