DyeStatCal - internet home of California track

Whew! Sometimes an athlete will go through a season full of challenges during their high school career.

Isaiah Green of Long Beach Poly had such a sophomore season this past spring. During a fine indoor 2005 campaign, where competing unattached Isaiah was third in the National Scholastic Indoor 60m Dash at 6.95, and joined his teammates as an "unattached" group in setting an impressive National Indoor Prep 4x200 relay record of 1:26.09 and 2005 Nation-Leading indoor 3:17.10 4x4 baton effort. Obviously, Isaiah and those who followed him had high hopes for the outdoor season. As the leading US finisher in the 2004 USATF National Junior Olympic Intermediate division 100m event last summer Isaiah was in line for membership on the 2005 USA World Youth (under 18) squad for that July competition should he show fitness during the prep outdoor season. Green started the outdoor campaign off in fine style, and early in the April Arcadia Invitational rocketed an impressive anchor leg on the Poly Jackrabbit 4x100 relay squad that blazed a 41.03 win! While running in lane 1 in a loaded Invitational 100m field in that competition, he suddenly half-way through the run fell off into the infield with injury, one that turned out to have signfiicant recovery time described below. With obvious big plans for the year recovery and all was a real test in a number of ways, which Green passed, showing up at the State Meet in the Relay, showing fitness during the early summer age-group competitions, and competing for Team USA in the World Youth Meet in Morocco in mid-July. At that world-level competition he achieved a personal best in the 100m at 10.66 in the semi-finals, and brought home a gold medal in the medley (100-200-300-400m) relay event, leading off the all-California US squad that won by nearly a second and a half!

A year that started with records and stunning performances, changed gears in a big way due to injury into a study in patience where, as he relates below, he had to watch others race by his early season best marks, but finished kind of like a fairy tale with a personal best and gold medal by representing his country in international competition. So went the year 2005 for Isaiah Green!

We appreciate him taking the time out to answer the following questions, with just about everybody meeting some serious obstacles along the way at some point in their athletic career. The real tests in life come not when one is undefeated, untied, or unscored upon, but when one gets knocked down a few pegs due to some unforseen circumstances such as injury. How one deals with the problems and charts a comeback take some very special qualities, as Green and his supporters showed this past season.

It is nice to write about a happy ending, with two more years, hopefully problem-free for another of the great Long Beach Poly Jackrabbit stars in the sport!

1) What was the highlight of this past 2005 Track and Field season for you?

IG - The highlight of 2005 was being selected to run on the World Youth
Team and being able to travel to Africa. I had so much fun competing and
spending time with my teammates. It was also nice to have my best friend
and teammate Bryshon Nellum and my mother with me.

2) What was the low point of the season for you during the last spring and summer?

IG - The low point for me was not being able to reach some of the goals I
set for myself as a sophmore. Me only running 5 hard 100's was never in
mind--haha. And my injury was a surprise and somewhat of a mental
setback also.

3) What has track and field meant to your overall development as a person over the last few years?

IG - Track and field takes up a lot of my time. So I mean it really helps
me stay focused and keeps me out of trouble. Track also helps build my
character and and personality. With all the travel and experience it
helped me learn how to stay humble and it really got me closer to my
teammates who surrounded me.

4) What can we find you doing with your time when you are not doing sports or homework?

IG - When I'm not running track or doing homework you can find me at home
with my brother Ellis and my mother just spending time with the family.
Or if I'm not at home I'm over my teammate Travon Patterson's house.
That's like my second home.

5) What other sports have you been involved with while you have been growing up?

IG - Before the sports I was acting. I started running track in the fifth
grade and started playing football in the sixth. I use to race a friend
to the bathroom on the playground and would always win! That's how I
stared running track because he mentioned me to his dad who has been my
coach for 5 years now. But when I started running I realized track speed
is A lot different then playground speed. (Haha)

6) Describe what it was like to try to recover from your mid-April injury this year and
what you learned from that experience?

IG - I didn't believe it happened when it did. I didn't want to. I was more
angry and surprised then in pain because I was on my way to an
outstanding sophomore season. I did a lot of praying and would go to my
Doc. Dr. Dossman everyday and get treatment. We all agreed to sit out
for the rest of the season. It was hard for me seeing everyone move by
me and run these fast times which I knew I would be able to run. And all
I could do at the moment was sit and watch. There were times where I
wanted to give up But I couldn't-- I HAD to run. So my Doctor put me on a
serious plan where I would build my strength around my hips and take a
lot of the pressure off my quads. And my family and teammates and coaches
were behind a 100% and my comeback was successful. I was named the
miracle kid Green.

7) What are some of the goals that you have for yourself this coming year and down
the road in track and field?

IG - My goals are to be the best at whatever I do to stay healthy and
strong and to progress every year in my times. My main goals are to win
2 state titles in the 100 and to run in every world Junior Team that I can
participate in. My main goal is to run in the 2008 Olympics.

8) Who are some of your heroes in life and sports?

IG - God because he blessed me with the talents, my mother Alice Green she
supports me in every single way possible she's the BEST mother EVER. My
brother Ellis Anderson I look up to him because he works hard and never
gives up, and my two great friends and mentors Lionel Larry and Cleo
Tyson, they make sure I stay on top of my game and just keep me inline.
And those are my role models and heroes.

9) What is the academic and athletic atmosphere like at Long Beach Poly that continues
to turn out so many good athletes who do well as high-schoolers and then move on to
the college or pro level in outstanding style?

IG - At Long Beach Poly The team, the coaches, the teachers are great. You
might get a few classes you do not like here and there or a few strict coaches
but they are only there to make sure your giving 100%. The coaches make
sure you are working your hardest at whatever you do. No matter what the
task is they want you to give your all, So does the team. We feed off
each other, if one person is working hard everyone is going to go hard. If
one person is weak we build them up to be strong. Its like were a big
family and we look out for each other. At Poly if you really want IT
meaning your goals that you set and nothings going to hold you back, the
coaches are going to do whatever it takes to get you there in the proper
way by working hard. So a lot of the people that went on to the big D1
schools and the pros, basically wanted it, and the coaches and teachers
help them every step of the way.

thanks and best of luck Isaiah
Doug Speck- DyeStatCal.com