AHS strikes gold at state track meet

By Tim Emmons
temmons@casscountynow.com

Gold medals are hard to come by and the road to achieve one is wrought with blood, sweat, tears and unforgettable circumstances.
Winning a gold medal is the most gratifying feeling a high school athlete can possess, or anyone for that matter; just ask any gold medal-winning Olympian.
There’s nothing wrong with a silver or bronze medal because that’s saying you’re the second or third best athlete/team in the state of Texas; which is a pretty big piece of real estate.
During the weekend of May 14, Atlanta’s relay track team and triple jump superstar TeShuna Sheppard traveled to the University of Texas in Austin, to compete in the UIL State Track and Field Meet.
When the dust had cleared, Atlanta lay claim to two medals -- a silver and the coveted gold.
For Sheppard this was her second state meet to be involved in.
As a freshman she bounced her way into the state meet where she finished fifth overall.
This year she earned first place in the triple jump at district, area and regionals.
Going into the state meet the talented junior was nearly two feet ahead of any other jumper in Class 4A.
Through a series of miscommunication on the officials’ end Sheppard was not able to take practice jumps, but still placed second overall with a leap of 38 feet, 2 1/4 inches and no scratches.
No gold medal stand has a clear-cut path, but Sheppard feels she could have done better.
Obtaining a silver medal would be rewarding for most, but the young jumper was disappointed to fall short.
“I was excited to be there again and although it was okay to get silver I’m disappointed,” Sheppard said. “I didn’t get to jump my best. If I would have jumped my best and still placed second it would be okay for me, but that wasn’t the case.”
When asked if her senior year was going to turn up a rewarding finish she simply said, “Third time’s a charm.”
She makes her jumps look effortless and can sail through the air with ease; that coupled with her passion and determination only sets the stage for a return tour to the state meet.
For the boys’, junior Trin Taylor, senior Tyrell Phillips, junior Kelton Young and senior Jeremy Smith, it was a “gold or bust” situation and “bust” wasn’t part of the equation.
After just missing a gold medal in the 4x100m relay with a time of 41.65, the quartet was not going to be denied a gold medal in the 4x200m relay.
Giving it all they had the speedy Rabbits placed first with a time of 1:27.50.
This amazing feat was the first relay gold that Atlanta had won since 2004, and a more impressive stat is that the team, with only four competitors, achieved state-runner up for the first time since 2008 and only the third time in its storied history.
Head Coach Nick Miller had this to say about the team’s accomplishment.
“After last year’s finish in the 4x100m relay, the guys told me they were coming back for gold,” Miller said. “When we placed second I was ecstatic. I mean how could I be mad when we finished second best out of 194, 4A schools? I was pleased because they ran their fastest time of the year and fastest in several years.”
“It says a lot for our region because we finished 1-2-3 and although I was excited and proud, I could see that the guys were a little disappointed,” Miller remarked.
In asking the guys it was confirmed.
“I was furious that we didn’t win the 4x100 but I knew we were the best and that we could win,” Young said. “Getting one last chance made me run harder and getting first place was a great accomplishment, and showed that our hard work finally paid off.”
“I was disappointed with our finish in the 4x100 but I stepped back and analyzed the situation and told myself I was going to give my all in the next race,” Phillips remarked. “In the next race I had faith we could win it all and had the mindset of doing my best and getting first place.”
“I feel blessed,” Phillips continued. “Not everyone can say they have a gold medal.”
“This is my first year in being able to make it to state so second place was great, but I can’t say I wasn’t a little disappointed in not getting gold at first,” Taylor said. “My mindset going into the second race was that we beat everyone coming in and we weren’t going to lose this one. I was going to give all I had for my team.”
“When Tyrell handed me the baton I saw that a Stafford runner was jumping out ahead of me and I said ‘no, I’m not going to let him get ahead of me’,” Taylor stated. “It brought tears to my eyes when they posted we had won. Words cannot describe how I felt only actions. It’s all about the team and we were able to leave there with a win and great memories.”
Smith never mentioned being disappointed, but the four-year veteran had high praise for his teammates and their accomplishments.
“Winning a gold medal gives me that accomplished feeling which shows that hard work does pay off,” Smith said. “Being number one in the state of Texas is a huge accomplishment, and getting runner-up with only four guys is awesome.”
“We set the bar high for athletes to come,” Smith mentioned.
Through it all there was no disappointment for the fearless leader of the squad.
“It hurt me to a point to see them down about finishing second, but I told them the same teams that we just ran against will be in the 4x200,” Miller said. “In the TV interview there was no misunderstanding when they told the reporter that they were going to win the next race.”
“It speaks volumes for our track team when you aren’t satisfied with silver,” Miller continued. “They weren’t being ungrateful; they were determined to show that they were the best. Not selfish but determined. Our guys didn’t point fingers at each other when they finished second; they set their focus on running their best and winning a gold medal in the next race.”
Weather delayed some of the races and pushed back start times, but Miller said that it didn’t hurt the team at all.
“In track you practice in every weather condition unless it’s lightning. That prepared us for anything we might encounter there in Austin,” Miller said. “There wasn’t going to be excuses when we pulled out of the parking lot to come home.”
“My last words to them before the gold medal race was that they were the best and if they gave it their all no one could beat them,” Miller said. “We never trailed in that race. Every guy ran with determination.”
The proud head coach also left some words of wisdom on the kids that they can carry with them forever and for those young Rabbits coming up the pipeline.
“State can be a vacation, an oooh and aaah event or a business trip,” Miller stated. “We are Atlanta and it’s always a business trip. We have a great track program in Atlanta and I’m honored to be part of it.”
John Candy’s character in the Disney movie Cool Runnings once said, “A gold medal is a wonderful thing; but if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.”
This is reminiscent of what Coach Miller wants to convey that it isn’t in the possession of material things or even success in the eyes of others that defines your life; the only way to really achieve happiness comes from understanding that the world cannot determine for you a definition of success or achievement.
Five state track titles, three state runner-ups, 12 regional titles and 26 district titles in 29 years, 22 straight from 1988-2009, gives Atlanta every bit of confidence that it can make it to state every year, but it’s the actions of the young athletes which will define their success.