Johnson performed well beyond her years
Oak Park freshman was a standout on the track
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers ON THE MOVE- Oak Park High's Tayler Johnson qualified for the CIF State Track and Field Championships as a freshman.

Some athletes have a difficult time adjusting to the competition level in high school sports during their freshman seasons. But for Oak Park High soon-to-be sophomore Tayler Johnson, taking the next step was an easy hurdle to overcome.

Johnson made quite a first impression in her inaugural season with the Eagles by breaking the school record for the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.63 seconds at Cerritos College in the CIFSouthern Section Divisional Finals.

She also broke the school record in the high jump earlier in the year at Westlake, with a leap of 5 feet, 7 inches.

"I was a little surprised I broke the record in the hurdles," Johnson said. "I thought the record was a lower time. We have our meetings on Mondays, after our meets the previous weekend, and the coaches tell us the records that fell. When Coach Smith told me I broke the hurdles record, I was shocked."

After Johnson broke the school record, Oak Park head coach Kevin Smith said it was a pleasure to see the freshman have so much success early in her career.

"I was really impressed with Tayler," Smith said. "She was out on the field competing in events for five hours straight. I'm a little surprised she is doing this well as only a freshman, but at the same time, you see her in practice and you can tell she is something really special."

Besides breaking the 100meter hurdles record in Norwalk, Johnson excelled that day by placing fifth in the 100-meter dash.

Johnson's favorite memory on the track this year came a month later at the CIF State Track and Field Championships in Sacramento. While there, Johnson tied for fifth in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 5 inches.

"At first I was really nervous when I got to the state meet," Johnson said. "Then I started looking around at the other athletes, and I told myself that I belonged."

Although Johnson loves competing in track, it's not her only sport. She also made the varsity soccer squad this year.

"I don't want to sound cocky, but I wasn't surprised that I made the varsity team," Johnson said.

"I didn't play much at first, but then the coach switched me from defense to forward after seeing how fast I could run. I was really excited when, about halfway through the season, I started for the first time."

Nine years ago, while playing soccer, the thought of competing in track was born.

"I was playing soccer when somebody came up to my dad and told him that I should also compete in track because I was so fast," Johnson said. "That was when I was 6 years old, and I've been running ever since."

Although Johnson couldn't run the hurdles until she was in seventh grade, she immediately took a liking to track. Two years later, she competed in the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Fla., winning the 100meter hurdles for her age division.

"That was the first time I realized I might be really good at track," Johnson said. "I was so young that I didn't really understand what was going on, but when I came home everyone was offering me congratulations. It kind of hit me right then."

Johnson has been to the Junior Olympics three other times, and after taking a year off in 2006, she will return in July.

Johnson will be doing something new this time by competing in the heptathlon. The heptathlon consists of seven events: the 200and 800-meter runs, 100-meter hurdles, long jump, high jump, javelin and shot put.

"My coaches said it would be a good idea if I tried (the heptathlon)," she said. "At first I was stressed out about competing in so many events, but Coach Smith has given me good advice on just concentrating on one event at a time in preparing for the Junior Olympics.

"I run in the hills every day to keep my endurance up, and I've also been trying to learn more about the events, such as the javelin and shot put, since I've never really done them before."

With three years left at Oak Park, Johnson has established a few goals she'd like to accomplish before graduating.

"I want to go to the Junior Nationals at least once," Johnson said. "It was held in Indianapolis this past year, and I think it would be such a great honor to go. I also want to get my hurdle times lower. Either a lower score of 14 seconds or a high 13-second score would be great."