THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 11, 1995 TAG: 9508110036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
They might fly under the flag of the Atlantic Coast Track Club, but their results are still the Real Deal.
Walt Green's band of locals, dubbed Norfolk Real Deal Track Club at its inception in 1991, changed their name when Nike offered partial sponsorship two years ago. The winning ways remain the same, however, as the club garnered a handful of national titles in the last two weeks.
At last weekend's Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Shnaka Walker of Norfolk won the girls 17-18 long jump while Portsmouth's Missy Banks captured the 15-16 girls shot title.
And spearheaded by a national title in the 15-16 girls 400-meter relay (Norfolk's Lisa Joyner, Virginia Beach's Ebony Shelton and Lashonda Cutchin, and Newport News' Shontell Powell), the South Hampton Roads-based team won the 15-16 girls AAU team title.
The previous weekend, Chesapeake's Jesse Grant won the boys 15-16 long jump at the U.S. Track and Field Junior Championships in San Jose, Calif.
It adds up to four national titles, one national team title and All-American honors for 14 team members.
Walker, a graduate of Lake Taylor High who is headed for Norfolk State this fall, expected to contend in the high jump. But an unfamiliar surface - the event was contested indoors on a rubberized floor - threw off her timing, and she finished fourth with an uncharacteristically low jump of 5 feet, 4 inches.
``It just felt funny,'' Walker said. ``My spikes didn't sink into it like they normally do.''
In the long jump, matters weren't going much better. Walker's approaches to the pit were off and she jumped off the wrong leg. She qualified for the finals on her last jump when she finally jumped off on her right foot. Then she posted a winning jump of 19-1 in the finals.
Grant couldn't compete in Des Moines due to the approaching football season - the rising junior is contending for a starting running back position at Deep Creek. So he went further west a week earlier.
Stretching his approach run from 92 to 150 feet this summer has resulted in consistently longer jumps and Grant went 23-4 on his first leap in the finals. That was good enough for the victory. He also finished fourth in the triple jump (45-1).
``The longer approach gives me more speed and lets me open up my stride more,'' Grant said. ``But I was surprised to win. I'd been told the kids out west usually go 23 and 24 feet.''
Banks, a rising junior at Norcom, won the shot with a 43-4 toss. She also finished sixth in the discus (127-8).
``This summer was good for us because I think a lot of people knew what Real Deal was but didn't know we were now the Atlantic Coast team,'' Green said. ``This put our name out there again and also gave our kids confidence for their upcoming seasons.''
Green predicts greatness for Banks and Cutchin.
``Both of them can make the U.S. Junior National (19-under) team,'' Green said. ``I see the potential for Cutchin to be great in the open 400 meters.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/Staff
Norfolk's Shnaka Walker, left, Chesapeake's Jesse Grant and
Portsmouth's Missy Banks have all won national titles over the past
two weekends.
by CNB