Since the day of his hiring, Illinois State track and field coach Elvis Forde has talked about building a championship program. The Redbirds are one week away from the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, and Forde has remained confident all season that his team can finish atop the league.
It comes down to mental preparation, Forde said. With the physical things being done like running, throwing and weight lifting, our athletes must now believe that mentally we can perform at a high level come conference time.
Forde is taking a select group of athletes to the Friday Night Invitational in Charleston this Friday, as preparation for the Championships Feb. 27-28. This is a final opportunity for many of the Redbird regulars to take part in competition before embarking on the quest for a championship.
This meet is mostly for preparation, especially for the sprinters, Forde said. The sprinters can work on their starts and the jumpers can fine-tune their techniques. If were trying to accomplish a whole lot more, then were in trouble. We are as set as we can be in regards to getting ready for the conference championships.
Many of the Birds sprinters, including Cherise Devers, Camari Brown and Lian Lucas will be taking part in the meet this weekend, but a number of Redbirds not on this years travel roster will also be making the trip to Eastern Illinois. Forde and his coaching staff want to give many of the other Redbird athletes a chance to compete to see if they made progress over the course of the season.
We want to give those kids an opportunity to show us whether they are making progress or not, Forde said of the non-travel roster athletes. In order for someone to make the travel roster, you have to give them an opportunity somewhere and the best place to give them that opportunity is against other competition.
During the course of the season, numerous records have fallen and many veterans and newcomers have performed admirably for the Redbirds. Forde sees the success of the season coming full circle next week.
I think the kids understand the magnitude of whats at stake, Forde said. Weve talked to the kids all season about the importance of a conference championship. I would give up any good performances during the course of the year for points at the conference championships. A conference championship is important to this school and to the athletes.
