Wednesday, Jul. 21, 2010

Ready to race, ready to win

Garrison Rountree is a believer. He believes in the power of mental toughness. He believes in his own athletic abilities, but mostly he believes he can get a personal record in the 800-meter race at the Hershey's North American Track & Field Final Meet in Hershey, Pa., next month.

Garrison, 14, won the 800 in his age group at the North Carolina Hershey Track & Field Meet at the Buffaloe Road Athletic Park in Midtown Raleigh on June 15. Even though his 2:21.36 race time was enough to win the state championship, it was not his best. Garrison reports his fastest time in the 800 is 2:15. And for this emerging track star, even his best race so far is not good enough for him.

"My objective is to reach a 2:10 finishing time at nationals," he said.

To do this, he trains for both speed and endurance. Sometimes he works out twice a day, adding core and strength training to his regimen.

It's working.

He took the Hershey state championship in the standing long jump, too, after leaping 8 feet.

"Really, my best event is the 400-meter race," Garrison said. "I feel that I am not an all-out sprinter. I don't have that snap to run the 100-meter dash, and I don't have the endurance for a mile. But the middle distance is my best."

Garrison won't be heading out to Hershey alone. His friend and fellow runner, Ricky Council III, also qualified for the 800-meter race, but in a younger age group.

Council, 12, was quick to show off the blue ribbon he won as the first-place winner in the 800-meter race at the Hershey meet. A personal record, set at a speedy 2:37.41, made the victory even sweeter.

The 33rd Annual Hershey's Track & Field Games began last April with local races and will end with the North American Final Meet August 5-8. More than 40,000 kids ages 9 to 14 from the U.S. and Canada participate in their hometowns, and 540 will compete in the North American Finals, according to the event website.

Athletic ability is just part of the qualifying criteria, said Ricky's mother, Ruth. The winners' names go into a lottery, adding a touch of luck to the process.

Garrison was surprised when he found out he had made it to the final round.

"I wasn't expecting it at all," he said. "I had a hamstring injury last year and was forced to sit on the sidelines."

Redemption is sweet.

As Ricky won race after race on his journey to the finals, he never thought he'd make it all the way. He took his victories one at a time.

"It was exciting the first time I won, and then I won the next levels and I just kept winning," he said.

Those winning ways came about through the power of positive thinking and knowing when to kick into high gear.

"I just expected myself to win each race," Ricky said. "And I paced myself. When I get close to the finish line with 100 yards to go, I just start kicking it."

Ricky also remembers what it feels like to come in second, and it's not good.

"When you come in second, it's sad, but you have to keep trying and next time you can get first," he said.

As much as Ricky loves to run, he loves basketball more. He and his family can be found most days playing and working out at the Brier Creek Community Center in North Raleigh.

Garrison plays alto saxophone in the Ravenscroft School band, and he enjoys the instrument because he's a big jazz fan. He has tried tai kwon do and kicks a soccer ball around sometimes, but where sports are concerned, he's devoted to track and field.

"Track and field involve integrity and will power. It's an individual sport. In mid-race you can't just quit. You have to finish," he said. "It involves mental toughness."

Jackeitha Baker, who lives in Southeast Raleigh, also won the right to compete in the North American Finals. Like the boys, she will compete in the 800-meter race. Her state championship finish was 2:33.97.

Track and field might involve hard work and mental toughness, but if you ask Ricky and Garrison, the sport mostly involves fun.

And if a quest for fun is a goal, these athletes are already winners.