By Kyle LoJacono
Zephyrhills girls track and field coach Jason Rouser thinks an injection of young talent is exactly what the team needed this year.
“The outlook is looking really good, especially with the young talent,” Rouser said. “We have some very good freshman on the team with Aaliyah McKenzie and Kara Young and they’ve added a lot to our 4×100 relay team and in their individual events. They’ve added a lot of depth to the team.”
Young competes in the 100-meter event, as well as the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams. She first discovered her speed while playing soccer.
“My mom said she first saw that I was fast when I played soccer in sixth grade,” said Young, who played on the Bulldogs junior varsity soccer team this year. “She said I always looked fast.”
Young has been successful in middle and high school since that day. She has not lost a 100-meter race in a school event since she started running at Stewart Middle in seventh grade.
While at Stewart, Young heard about Jamieshia Parker, who is now a senior at Zephyrhills. Parker was the Bulldogs all-around athlete last year, competing in the 100, 200, 4×100, 4×400 and long jump events, but tore her right anterior curciate ligament (ACL) in the Sunshine Athletic Conference meet at the end of the season.
“I ran to do a long jump, and when I landed I felt a twist and my knee bent in toward my other leg,” Parker said. “Then it snapped back outward and I fell. I tried to get up and I couldn’t. … I’ve never had anything like this before. This is the biggest for me.”
Young was disappointed when she heard of Parker’s injury.
“When I started here I was thinking I wanted to run with Jamieshia Parker and to learn from her,” Young said. “When I heard she had the knee injury I was upset, because I wanted to run with her. I’m happy she’s getting better.”
Parker is focusing on the 400 while getting her knee back strong this year.
“This being her last season as a senior she wants to contribute a great deal,” Rouser said. “She’s been doing it for three years and everyone asks about when she’s going to get back on the track in a meet. She’ll get back soon and she’s progressing really well. People ask is she going to be the same as she was, and I say no. She’ll be better.”
Another veteran member of the squad is junior Julia Hines, who competes in the 400, 4×100 and 4×400. Hines was part of the Bulldogs 4×400 team that reached the Class 3A regional meet last year, but has higher goals in 2011.
“I’m trying to go to states,” Hines said. “I want to place at regionals and go to states. I want to get a track scholarship and that would be a good way to get there.”
Hines said she has done more weightlifting this year to get stronger, but Young’s speed has also pushed her.
“I wasn’t too happy that she’s already beating me, but it’s pushing me because I want to be faster than her in all the races,” Hines said. “She has some sprints on me, but in the long distance I’ve got her.”
In the field events, the Bulldogs are going for their second straight state championship in adapted shot put. Last year, the first for adapted track and field in Florida, Heather Haynie won the title with a toss of 26 feet, 7.75 inches.
Haynie has since graduated, but a freshman Scarlett Lawhorne is hoping to pick up from there.
“I’ve learned a lot from Heather,” Lawhorne said. “We’ve worked together for about eight years. She’s given me some pointers that coaches couldn’t help me with.”
Lawhorne has been competing in Paralympic style events for most of her life and is happy to get the chance in high school.
“It’s cool because you get to come out here and prove people wrong,” Lawhorne said. “People say ‘how can you compete if you’re in a wheel chair.’ Then you show them you can do it and they’re amazed.”
Lawhorne’s best toss is 13 feet, 5.5 inches.
“It’s going to take lots and lots and lots of practice to get where Heather is,” Lawhorne said. “This year I just want to get to states. The girl I’m mainly competing against is really good. She threw about 13 feet last year in states. That is my goal is to beat her and throw past 13 feet.”
Rouser expects a lot from Lawhorne this year.
“Heather has laid that tradition for us, so we’re expecting Scarlett to do great things,” Rouser said.
Zephyrhills’ next meet is at home against Pasco on Tuesday, March 22 at 2 p.m.
