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Haley Lawrence
(Aliso Niguel) State
One of the great efforts in the 2006 State Track & Field meet was the upset win by Haley Lawrence of Aliso Niguel in the Girls 800 Meters. A close view of the video of the event shows Lawrence seemily hoplessly boxed in fifth place on the inside pole at the start of the homestretch at 700 meters, but with a "never-say-die" attitude Haley took advantage of the openings that appeared, and she raced away to the win. The race bears watching, and rewatching as the Orange County star weaves her way through the opposition for the victory. As Haley indicates in the below interview she is quite seriously into soccer also. She adds some information about the tough weekend tourney schedule that she often participates in that makes her ready for a tough two days of racing like the state meet in track! Congrats - Thanks for taking
time to do this interview 1) After the prelims what was your planned strategy for the State Finals 800m? HL - After placing 3rd in my heat and tied for the 8th qualifier in Prelims, to others I probably didn’t seem as much of a threat. My coach and I went over how I would run my race probably four times. I knew that my endurance would help going back to back with races and in the heat, and I knew it would probably come down to how I was positioned on the last 100m. I led most of the race and felt pretty confident about not getting boxed in, but I knew I was going to have to be on the outside for a shot at placing in the last stretch. That part of my race didn’t go as planned and I got boxed on the last turn stuck in 7th place. I didn’t really panic, I just took one more deep breath and started sprinting as hard as I could. I was fortunate to find an opening between Emily Dunn and Renisha Robinson that I was able to sneak through to get out of the bunch. 2) After the quick start of 29.1 for the opening 200, what sense did you have of the race as you headed for the first lap point--were you content to lead, surprised to still be leading, did you sense the pace slowing, and what was going through your mind as the group came to the one lap point? HL - Towards the end of the first lap, I was surprised to still be leading. The only thing I remember going through my mind as I read the clock at a 64 was, “Wow, I’m still leading…okay one lap left…you’re not tired you can do this.”
3) What were you thinking when the group started to moved up to challenge you half-way down the backstretch in lap 2, and were you aware of Mia Lattanzi moving up and past you on the inside? HL - During the second lap when I was passed by about 5 girls I didn’t even really notice who it was or where Mia Lattanzi was on the inside. I just kept running my race and waiting for an opening because I had more left in me.
4) Were you concerned about your positioning as you went through the final turn where you were in sixth place seemingly boxed in along the pole? HL - I actually only panicked for about a second and a half while going around the turn and trying not to trip on the curb or clip anyone’s heels. As soon as we straightened out though, the panic went away and I knew I had one shot left.
5) How did you physically feel as you entered the homestretch, seemingly boxed in hopelessly (to viewers) on the inside with the pack around and outside of you? HL - Physically and mentally that last stretch is the hardest part of the race and your whole body is going numb. I have never pushed my body that hard at the end, and I really felt the physical pain but I blocked it out. In my mind, I was moving smooth and everything was okay. I knew the finish was close and I just dug down deeper than ever before.
HL - As I was able to move around Robinson, I started to think, “No way, there’s an opening for me, I can do this!” I just took the space I was given and ate it up. It was such a tight race that if one person would have stepped on the back of anothers spikes, we probably all would have gone down.
7) How is your athletic year divided up (know you have more than a casual involvement with soccer)? HL - My athletic year is pretty crazy, but I love it. I play club soccer year round on a competitive Gold team as well as playing on the Varsity high school team in the winter season. Club goes through the summer and fall (which is why I choose not to run Cross Country), then high school soccer goes from November-March. As soon as high school soccer ends, I start my training for track as well as going back to club soccer. Most of the nationally ranked girls in track have been training all year and can dedicate track season to track only. I do my best to balance both going to both practices each week and getting less training in track than I probably should. I miss some of the weekend invitationals because of soccer tournaments, and vice versa, but I try to balance them both equally. It is extremely tough, but I really do believe my soccer training helps me with my endurance and speed on the track as well. Maybe my ability to run faster in the finals less than 24 hours after the prelims two years in a row comes from playing 4-5 soccer games in a weekend tournament. Who knows? 8) What advice could you give to other athletes who find them in a position where the pecking order may have been established in qualifying races, etc. and the odds would have to be considered against them to win an event like you did yours (what did you personally and your coach think about your chances, and again, what advice could you offer others)? HL - Once again, no one really expected me to win. I did place 4th last year in the State Meet, after qualifying 9th and starting in Lane 1, but I hadn’t really broken any new records in the 2006 season like some other girls. On paper, going in as the 8th qualifier my chances may have seemed slim to none to win. But my coach and I both knew there was no way I would get last if the race came down to the last 100m. I always run to do my best and we figured that my endurance and sprinting ability was what would help me finish the race ahead of some girls. Honestly, I thought I might get 5th or 6th because the times were so much faster this year, but I learned something too. You can’t just assume you’re not going to win. Even though I had never beaten most of those girls, that doesn’t mean it will never happen. You just have to believe you can do it, and I know my coach believed in me as well. She told me it was anyone’s race on that given day, and it was.
Thanks so much! Haley LawrenceJ |
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