Land O’ Lakes High School senior Jake Poore added several titles to his track and field resume this past season: Conference champion. District champion. Regional champion. State qualifier and sixth-place finisher for Class 3A for the two-mile run.
But a late-season injury almost prevented it from happening.
(Courtesy of Tedd Thomas)
“I hyper-extended my knee, and that was five days before the district meet. I couldn’t even walk after the race,” Poore said. “The doctor was saying that I might not be able to run, and I was telling her, ‘I’m going up to the starting line no matter what because if I don’t, my season is over.’”
His knee improved, and he went on to win district and regional competitions and compete in his individual category as well as the 4-x-800 relay.
That Poore was able to recover so quickly is a testament to his work ethic and rigorous training regimen. This season he broke down his workouts into what he labels “easy,” “medium” and “hard” days.
A day of gym workouts with cross-training and maybe a light run is what Poore considers “easy.” They only get more difficult from there, with a warm-up, off-track runs, interval workouts with short rests, and another run and cool-down making up a “hard” day.
The idea was to make practice so challenging that actual competition seemed easier by comparison, he said. Only once every couple of weeks did he allow himself a day with absolutely nothing on his schedule, and Poore admitted his dedication to track had consequences outside the sport.
“I was working so hard,” he said. “Even on my easy days I was so tired and had to get my sleep in, and made sure I did my schoolwork whenever I had a chance. I lost some friends, I guess, because I couldn’t go hang out.”
But he said the results in competition made the sacrifice worth it.
Those results included a strong showing in state competition. Although he finished sixth, that ranking is deceiving due to the caliber of competition in Class 3A. If Poore had been in one of the other divisions, he would have been state champion.
And while the 4-x-800 team finished 15th, he was thrilled with his time of 1 minute, 57 seconds.
Another motivator for his successful year — and for the entire team, which enjoyed conference and district titles — was the memory of Bill Schmitz, a track coach at Land O’ Lakes High School, who died last year. Poore and his friends wore “We Run For Schmitz” T-shirts during the year, and followed through on team goals the coach set before he died.
As captain, Poore used the coach’s expectations to help motivate his teammates, and he would reference Schmitz during his regular prayers before meets.
He credits the coach with helping him improve his abilities and become a more successful athlete.
He wasn’t the best track runner earlier in his track career, Poore admits. But his hard work and dedication paid off, and he’ll leave Land O’ Lakes a conference, district and regional champion. But that’s not the end of his running career: He’ll attend the University of Tampa in the fall with an athletic scholarship, a new challenge in collegiate-level track, and a desire to reach the Olympic Games in 2016, held in Rio de Janeiro.
Away from meets, he’ll take a pre-med course load with a goal of becoming an anesthesiologist when he graduates. And since college doesn’t start until later this year, he’s looking forward to a long break from his regular regimen before his summer training — long by his standards, anyway.
“I have two weeks off, and then I start working out for college,” he said. “I’m going to get right back in it. It’s just another day at work for me.”
Published May 7, 2014
