Former US Olympic team sprint coach Russ Rogers will some advice to some of the Island’s budding young athletes at a training seminar tomorrow evening.

The event will launch the seventh annual Bank of Bermuda Foundation West End Athletic Club Schools Track and Field Challenge and will take place on from 4.30 until 6 p.m. at the Saltus School gym.

Rogers has more than 30 years of head coaching experience at both national and international level. He has worked with hundreds of aspiring young competitors throughout his career, ranging from All-Americans to NCAA champions.

While in Bermuda, he will speak to students about his life in sports, both as a celebrated athlete and as a seasoned coach. The seminar will include a drill clinic conducted by Rogers that will offer developmental tips to the participating students to help them improve their event techniques.

“Having Mr Russ Rogers working hands-on with our Island’s aspiring athletes is a great way to celebrate the seventh consecutive year of the Bank of Bermuda Foundation WEAC Schools Track and Field Challenge,” WEAC president Anthony Raynor said.

“Inspiring and stimulating young Bermudians in sports and in life is essential for the positive development of our society, and the productive growth of our future generations.”

The annual Challenge, which will be held at the National Sports Centre this Saturday attracts around 250 participants each year. Local schools will be represented by teams comprising of up to a maximum of 16 athletes.

The students compete in a variety of track and field events including discus, shot put, long jump, high jump, triple jump, 100 metres, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 4 X 100m relay team and 4 x 400m relay team, with points awarded to all finishers.

The top three schools with the highest number of accumulated points for Primary, Middle and Senior school levels are awarded cash prizes.

The Bank of Bermuda Foundation’s Event Shield is also presented to the school with the most accumulated points overall. In addition, the top three finishers in each event are awarded medals at the completion of the event, based on the fastest time, distance, and height achieved.