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Interval Session #44 - Vashti Thomas
April 3, 2008

Search the prep landscape for a better combination running/field athlete in the country and you won’t find one better than Vashti Thomas.  You could certainly argue that Christian Taylor – who joined Thomas as a triple champion at NSIC last month – is her equal.  But looking at current and potential PRs outdoors, and the all-time lists, and Thomas looks very much like she could have the best combination of marks.

Thomas has been building her diverse resume and ascending the national lists for the last two years as part of the powerhouse Mt. Pleasant CA program.  Each meet is a trilogy of jumping and hurdling for her, and each of her signature events finds a different mission for her this spring.  In the 100 hurdles, she stunned the country last June with her 13.03 at CIF … but she has yet to beat Jackie Coward TN, the undisputed #1 short hurdler in the country the past two years.  In the long jump, Thomas has company in the 20-foot range from around the country, but could be on the verge of a big breakout.  In the TJ, her stunning 42-8 at Simplot this winter established Thomas as the nation’s dominant performer; her only competition may be the tape … and the other-worldly standards set by fellow Californian Ke’Nyia Richardson last spring.

DyeStat news editor SteveU catches up with the multi-talented senior as she puts in the work to work toward a June peak and making the World Junior team.


1. You had a super weekend at NSIC a few weeks back. You won very decisively in the TJ, solidly in the 60H, then had a real battle on your hands in the LJ, where you were able to beat two 20-footers without hitting 20 (or even PR’ing) yourself. Was that the hardest event for you? Can you remember back and take us through that and the rest of the weekend, event-by-event?


The hardest event for me was the hurdles. I really didn’t want to lose and get second like I did the previous year. In the long jump, I was kind of nervous because I didn’t think that I would win. I just went out there and jumped, hoping that it was far enough. And for the triple, I felt that I could have done better, especially on my second phase. But I’m happy that I won.


2. I would think it would have to be a real challenge for someone used to training outside all year to get acclimated to the indoor track environment and excel as you do. Are there conscious adjustments you’ve had to make, or has it just come naturally for you?

Not really; I guess it comes naturally because I actually like being indoors. You don’t have to worry about the wind or (the skies) getting darker (laughs). And the running events are shorter. That’s great. I especially like the raised runways; they’re always fun to run on.


3. Let’s go back to your beginnings in track. Coach Nelson said you haven’t been in the sport that long. Can you tell us how you got involved and how the horizontal jumps and hurdles become your main events? We heard your favorite was the high jump at first.

I’ve always wanted to run track, because I always thought of myself as being fast, so I was just doing whatever I could. I used to like the high jump because I liked falling back and, of course, winning. But once Coach Nelson had me try other things, I found out how much I liked the LJ and the TJ. I was scared to do the hurdles, at first, but when I started getting better at it, I liked it more.


4. It’s really impressive that you’re national class and near the very top in all three of your events. Has the TJ become more of a favorite now that you’re getting in the 42-43 foot range? What are the biggest challenges for you in training and competing in all three?

I can’t really choose a favorite, because I keep getting better in all three. I just know that I can’t be in a meet without doing all three. It’s very hard.

The biggest challenges for me at practice are getting everything done right – and trying not to think about what everyone else is doing, about what time it is. and when I’m going to go home. I just have to act like I have all the time in the world so that I can do everything right.


5. You ran the best time in the country in the 100H last spring – and one of the fastest times in history – when you hit 13.03 at state. But competitively, Jackie Coward has stayed on top nationally by virtue of her championship and head-to-head victories. How big of a motivation is beating Jackie for you … or are you more inclined to back off from that comparison and just focus on performing the best you can and let the times and results fall where they may?

She’s a huge motivation and at times it’s like, I’ve got to beat her, because I have my little cousins that look up to me and it doesn’t look good that I can’t win, you know? But at the same time, I have to just run my race and things will happen when they happen. I can’t rush anything.


6. There have been many good girls’ long- and triple-jumpers in California the past few years, especially Ke’Nyia Richardson. Have you gotten to know Ke’Nyia or the others and have they motivated or inspired you in those events?

Yes, I have gotten to know them and they are really cool. They have motivated me to do better because I always want to do my best, and I know that they will, so that means that I’m going to if I want to keep up.


7. A lot of top high school track athletes do most of their work with their clubs, but my impression is that you mainly (or perhaps only) train with your high school team. Can you talk about Coach Nelson and your other high school coaches and the team atmosphere at Mt. Pleasant? What kind of an impact did it have to have a teammate like Jeneba Tarmoh on your side? As a senior now, how important is leading your team to success as a group along with your individual efforts?

Well, our club team is mostly people on our school team, so I see them all year. Wow, my coaches are amazing. They’re hard on me when I’m doing my workout, but when I’m resting, we joke around and have fun. So it’s not all work; there is fun, too. But our team, we need to come together a bit more. Having Jeneba, Stella, and Deirdra on our team really helped; they kept everyone on track and motivated everyone to do their best.

As a senior, leading the team is important, but I don’t like to single myself out just because I have achieved many things. I’m just another person on the team and we all have to do our part to win.


8. With the whole spring and summer ahead of you, what motivates you the most for the rest of your senior year in track? Is it times? Championships? Making the World Junior Team?

Really, the thing that motivates me is that I’m almost out of high school and I have to do it big. I can’t go out on a quiet note.


9. You signed with Texas A&M recently. Can you talk about what other schools you considered and what were the biggest factors in your becoming an Aggie? What areas of study are you most interested in?

The other schools that wanted me were LSU, USC, Arizona State, and others. Sorry I can’t remember all of them. The biggest factor was that I loved the coaches and they kept up with me. They kept calling and calling and calling – although I wasn’t good at getting back to anyone. I loved the girls on the team.

Photos by John Nepolitan from NSIC 2008


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