Training for the Olympic trials

The Olympic games are the highest level of competition for a track athlete, and the path to the 2012 London Olympics is grueling. The first step to making the team is performing well at the upcoming Olympic Trials in July. Only the top 3 athletes in each event will proceed. The journey is even more challenging—but also more meaningful—with the players’ unique obstacles. ❧ This documentary profiles three track and field athletes—and Olympic hopefuls: Bryshon Nellum, Reggie Wyatt, and Brysun Stately. Nellum, a senior 400 meter runner at USC, enters his first track season at USC since completing surgeries for removing bullets from his leg. After entering USC as the fastest runner in the country, two gang members shot Nellum in his legs. This is his first season since the incident that he feels completely healthy again. Wyatt is a junior 400 meter hurdler at USC, and among the top runners in the country, but struggles with the recent loss of both of his grandparents. Stately, a 2009 USC graduate, has already made the Olympic trials in 2008, but did not make the team. She strives to make her second attempt a success. ❧ The purpose of this story is to show the intense work, sacrifices, heartbreaks, and rewards-- both personal and professional—involved in training for the Olympic trials. To provide full context for the three athletes’ journey, their story is supplemented by expert interviews, including the Coach of USC track and field team, professional masseuse Bill Theriault, and a 2008 Olympic qualifier.