Elizabeth
Olear (Louisville, WH) and
the State Meet Sprints!!
June, 2006
Great close to senior year has Southern Section Star
two seconds at Cerritos!!
Doug Speck
It was a great final month
in the regular prep season for sprinter Elizabeth Olear (Louisville,
Woodland Hills), with the Southern Section star moving up from her
school's Division
IV section
qualifying meets to a double sprint title in the
Section State Qualifier and two second place finishes at the Cerritos
State competition a week back. The Louisville group had a fine
4x400 relay crew that Olear also raced a part of in each of those competitions,
with the State meet weekend requiring solid 100-200 and a 4x4 leg before
coming back for the finals on Saturday, with the long baton group also
qualifying for, and taking seventh at the State Finals.
Below, the University of
Southern California-bound star spends some time talking about her races
at the state meet, with the experienced championship-level athlete
able to quite objectively take apart races run under a ton of pressure. She
talks eloquently about her running career, and offers some good advice
to those new to the sport. With the super job Coach Ron Allice
and crew have done lately at USC, with the Men's group winning and
the Women's squad a tie with Stanford on top in the recent NCAA Regional
competitions, we are sure we have not heard the last from the fine
Louisville HS grad!
Congrats - Thanks for taking
time to do this interview
Doug Speck - DyeStatCal
1) Super senior year - your reaction to how it has gone
against how you viewed the possibilities back in January and February
before it actually started?
Thank you. I feel my senior year went pretty well. Prior to the
outdoor season I didn't know what to expect. I was well aware that this
would
be my last year to do anything in Prep track, but at the same time I
saw it as an opportunity to at least "make a comeback", after
battling injuries for two seasons. I set goals towards my times in both
my 100 and 200, and even though my season is technically not over, I
have already exceeded my expectations. In May at the league finals, I
was running with my hamstring taped up. I just chose to take each event
one at a time and hope for the best.
2) What has been the most satisfying part of your high school track and
field career?
Wow. That's a difficult question. There have been so many parts of my
high school career that have been wonderful. For starters, freshman year.
Running in the state meet and placing fourth in the 100 behind Allyson
Felix, Shalonda Solomon, and Carol Rodriguez and then third in the 200
behind Allyson and Shalonda was unbelievable. It was my first year running
against much older athletes and I was overjoyed with the results. Then
junior year, making the USA junior Pan American relay pool was shocking.
I had struggled that season with constant hamstring troubles, so simply
getting to be a part of that team was a blessing. The college recruiting
process was definitely one I will never forget. I am so grateful to the
coaches at Cal, UCLA, Stanford and USC for taking the time to come visit
me at home and officially recruit me. Then senior year, our relay team
went to Texas relays, won the 4x200 small school division and set a new
meet record in that event, no one saw that coming. And then most recentl,
the masters and state prelims 2006. Being able to run the fastest times
of my life and walk away injury free is something I will always cherish.
In addition, leading my school to an unbelievable third place in the
team scores at the State meet. Being that we are a Division four small
school, making it to state was an accomplishment in itself. Then placing
ahead of large schools such as Poly, is incredible. I know you asked
for the MOST satisfactory moment but all of these have been landmarks
in my high school career and it is way too hard for me to pick one over
the other.
3) What has been the most frustrating part along the way during your
high school track and field career?
The most frustrating part of my high school career has definitely
been the injuries. In age group track I was able to run as fast as I
needed to without ever doing
a full stretching routine or warming up correctly and there would be no consequences.
High school taught me differently. Sophomore year I tore my left hamstring during
a dual meet in early March. I ended up taking nearly 2 months off in order to
heal. I came back and ran in the CIF finals where another hamstring injury (now
of my right leg) ended my season. I was extremely disappointed but knew I could
look forward to my junior year. Junior year was a struggle in itself though.
I started the year strong, posting consistently legit times. But during one of
the invitation meets I remember running my 100 meters and feeling a slight pop
in my right hamstring as I crossed the finish line. It wasn’t a major,
just a slight strain. I figured I could live with that. Little did I know, I
would spend the rest of the season attempting to overcome little obstacles and
injuries like this on a weekly basis. This season while at Texas Relays during
the 4x200 meter relays, I aggravated my hamstring and had to wrap it completely
in order to even compete in the 100 meters. This explains my time of 11.9 just
.1 off the meet’s small school record which I was unable to break that
day. Again at the Los Angeles County meet, I was unable to compete because I
strained my right hamstring during warm up. Even just as recent as last May during
Mission League finals I had both hamstrings taped. It wasn't until the end of
the season, towards the state meet that I became fully healthy. My first injury
free meet was the division four prelims. Prior to that it was a struggle. I thank
God for the blessings I have received. Yes, these injuries are frustrating. I
can sit here and wonder what would have happened, or how fast I could have been
if not for them. However, I keep in mind that everything happens for a reason,
it is all part of God’s plan and am eternally grateful that I was able
to run at all at the end of this season, especially when it counted.
4) Tremendously exciting State Finals in the 100 and 200 meter events - what
was going through your mind in the two events - Tarmoh seemed exceptional 100
start.
State Meet 100m - Jeneba Tarmoh leads out of the blocks (left) and still
is separated from the
pack by the 50m mark
At 70 meters Olear (middle in dark uniform) and defending champ Ebony
Collins (Wilson, LB) start to close
down on Tarmoh, and by 85 meters have almost reeled Tarmoh in
at the finish it was Tarmoh holding on with a super 11.59
(-1.3 mps wind)
-
11.63 (Olear) 11.65 (Collins) finish!
Race
Video - Need Broadband
- 200 meter State Final Video
The 100 meters was a blur.. I remember getting
into the blocks and focusing on getting out hard, getting a fast start.
Once the gun went
off, my first step seemed pretty good. I was in the race.. But I don’t
know what happened during my next 5 or 6 strides. I lost focus I guess.
And that’s when I lost the race. Once I regained my focus I attempted
to play catch-up, and that’s when you can see me "picking
up speed" I guess you can call it, but in a 100 meter race, there
is never time for that much adjustment. In my 200 I came into the race
with a little more passion. I knew there was a lot of pressure for me
to get the state title, being that it was my last race in my senior year.
Yet I tried not to let that get to me. I got out of the blocks as fast
as I could. My strength is running the curve, so I drove out and stayed
focused , the only thing on my mind at that point was the finish line.
I remember asking myself "how badly do you want this Elizabeth?" it
wasn't until the last 40 meters that I saw a shadow, creeping up on me.
What I should have done was lifted my knees and finished strong, but
instead I tightened up and started over striding my way to the finish
line. Most of the coaches that spoke with me afterward concluded that
I definitely ran on heavy and tired legs due to my previous night’s
400 meter anchor leg, where I had to split a 54sec and run down 3 other
athletes to get my team into the finals.
5) What meets do you have in mind following the state meet this summer?
During the summer I plan on doing several meets, some including Nike Outdoor
National in North Carolina and the Junior Nationals in Indiana. My goal is
to run fast enough in both of these meets to qualify for the US Junior teams
for both IAAF meet in Puerto Rico and the Junior Worlds in Beijing. In between
these major meets I will be doing All-Comers meets in my area to stay in shape.
6) What advice would you have for someone who is new to our sport and maybe
had their first season as a sprinter as a ninth or tenth grader?
For starters I would tell them that everything takes hard work. There
are many talented sprinters in track but in the end, it comes down to passion
determination
and hard work. Especially for a freshman, track and field is completely different
at this level. As a 14 year old, getting into blocks with some of the fastest
18 year olds in the country may be a little intimidating, but try not to let
it get to you. Every meet you run at, every event you compete in, do it to
the best of your ability. That’s all that really matters in the end,
right? Regardless of whether you win or loose, knowing you have done your best
is a reward in itself. Also, never ever ever take anything for granted. High
school track is four years. It seems like a long time but trust me, it goes
a lot faster than you think. In these four years, you will need to take the
time to get used to your body, you definitely need to manage your diet, respect
your coaches decisions, even if it means running a lot more 400s than you might
want to, (trust me, its for your own good) but most importantly in these four
years take the time to learn something about yourself. You might not win every
race...but that’s okay. Good sportsmanship is something we should all
strive for. Always wish good luck to those around you, and congratulate them
after the race. Never take any loss personally. Simply learn from it and try
harder the next time. Like I said before, high school track may be a little
intimidating, especially for the new comers...but take it from me...I remember
being that 14 year old girl terrified to get next to the worlds fastest 18
year old to run... but now I laugh when freshman tell me how scared they are
to race me... time flies a lot faster than I would ever have imagined.
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