April Steiner to speak at Hellstern Middle School (AR)

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U S Track and Field
USATF MEDIA ADVISORY: Team USA standouts to Speak With Students at Hellstern Middle School


2004 Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes, Olympic hopefuls Wallace Spearmon and April Steiner and two-time Olympian Jon Drummond, will speak from 2:00-3:00p.m. CT on Thursday, Feb. 8 to hundreds of students at Hellstern Middle School in Springdale aspart of USA Track & Field's "Be A Champion" program presented by Tyson Foods. The quartet will address healthy lifestyles, keeping active, and living with integrity. They will answer questions from the students and lead them in reciting the "Be A Champion" pledge.

A major initiative by USA Track & Field, "Be A Champion" facilitates direct interaction between Olympic medalists and middle-school aged children around the country in order to positively impact their lifestyles and decision-making. The "Be A Champion" program in Fayetteville is made possible through the support of Tyson Foods.

In winning the 2004 Olympic gold medal and setting an Olympic record in the women's 100-meter hurdles, Joanna Hayes became only the second American ever to win Olympic gold in the event. Hayes went on to win the 2004 Jesse Owens Award, presented annually to the outstanding U.S. male and female track and field performer. But Hayes' talents are just as great off the track. She has long been involved in charitable causes, working at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Youth Center in 2001-'02 as the SMART Moves Coordinator, teaching kids to be positive in East St. Louis, Ill.

A standout sprinter while at the University of Arkansas where he lives and trains, Wallace Spearmon was the 2006 USA Outdoor champion, 2005 World Outdoor Championships 200m silver medalist, the 2005 NCAA Indoor & Outdoor 200m champion and is the American indoor record holder. He was also the 2004 NCAA Outdoor champion. At the 2006 Tyson Invitational, Spearmon brought home a $25,000 bonus from Tyson Foods, for his world record win in the 300 meter sprint in a time of 31.88 seconds.

Steiner, a three time Indoor All-American at the University of Arkansas, lives and trains in Fayetteville. A teacher by day at Hellstern Middle School, Steiner is an up-and-coming pole vaulter on the national scene. Steiner is off to a great start for the 2007 season. At the Pole Vault Summit she set a personal best with her second place clearance of 4.60m/15-1 and then she went on to take third at the 100th Millrose Games with her height of 4.53m/14-10.25.

An elder statesman of American sprinting, Drummond, 37, ran lead-off leg on Team USA's gold medal-winning 4x100-meter relay team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He also was a 1996 Olympic silver medalist in the relay, and is a three-time world outdoor champion in the event (1993, '99, '01). Making youth outreach a priority, Drummond runs the "With Purpose" Foundation.

The "Be A Champion" school visit is being held as part of USA Track & Field's 2007 Visa Championship Series and the Tyson Invitational, which will be held Friday, February 9 at the Randal Tyson Track Center. The meet will be televised Saturday, February 10 on ESPN2 from 1:00-3: 00p.m. ET.

THE MEDIA ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THIS UNIQUE EVENT.

Who: Joanna Hayes, Wallace Spearmon, April Steiner, and Jon Drummond

What: USA Track & Field "Be A Champion" school visit presented by Tyson Foods

When: Thursday, Feb. 8 - 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Where: Hellstern Middle School, 771 Har-Ber Avenue, Springdale, AR 72762

For more information on Be A Champion, visit http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?DUi ... 1_06_42_49

For more information on Thursday's school visit, contact Susan Hazzard, USA Track & Field Associate Director of Communications 317 289-7177