By Jeff Brown, Shelbyville News Sports Editor
5/29/2008
The path that has led Sarah Snapp to the state track and field finals is one of her own choosing.
Snapp, like many other middle school students, showed up for the first day of track practice with no real notion what to do next. She was told by a coach to pick an event.
"Since I did gymnastics in middle school, I thought I could jump OK and (hurdling) looked pretty easy, so I tried it. I didn't know anything."
Three years later, Snapp won the 100-meter hurdles sectional title as a Shelbyville freshman. On Friday, Snapp will attempt to become a state champion in the same event that she now makes look pretty easy.
The 2008 sectional and regional champion has the fourth-fastest seed time (14.80 seconds) behind Fort Wayne Wayne's Chelsea Ross (14.31), who finished fourth at the state finals in 2007, North Central's Camille Edwards (14.67) and Hamilton Southeastern's Portia Bailey (14.74), who placed fifth at last year's state finals.
Only Ross has a faster time this season than Snapp's 14.40 from earlier this spring. State finals' seeding is based on regional times.
"It will be intense," Snapp said Wednesday morning on the very track at J.M. McKeand Stadium where she learned to run the hurdles. She also qualified for the state finals in the 300 hurdles, where she is seeded seventh.
Snapp will run in the third of three qualifying heats for the 100 hurdles championship. The top two finishers in each heat plus the next-fastest three times advance to the finals. There are only six sub-15-second hurdlers in the field - two in each heat - meaning Snapp should get to the finals.
From there, it's anybody's race.
"It will be weird," Snapp explained. "I have not had to run all out in a trials race this year. I will have to (Friday)."
The knock on the unheralded Shelbyville sprinter is experience. She false-started during the trials at last year's state finals, meaning she has never run a race at the Bloomington facility.
What many don't know is, Snapp already has state finals experience - just in a different sport. Snapp finished 17th in the all-around competition at the 2005 Gymnastics State Finals.
Nerves won't be a problem this time around, according to Snapp. Chasing down an opponent will be new, though. Snapp has not lost a 100 hurdles race this season.
"I really haven't had anyone in front of me," she said.
And while Snapp has run against most of the field's best runners in indoors races, she has never faced Ross.
No matter the outcome, Snapp's future is secure.
After an injury-plagued junior season, Snapp was feeling the pressure entering her last campaign. Her goal was to get accepted into the University of Cincinnati's track program.
After meeting Cincinnati's specified "time" in her first meet of the season, the program snubbed her for two other hurdlers. So Snapp turned to the computer looking for a new school.
Indiana State stepped up, invited her to the Terre Haute campus, then gave her a two-week period to make up her mind. Snapp jumped at the offer just before sectionals alleviating all the pressure on her to perform for her future.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself because I really wanted to go to Cincinnati," Snapp said. "It's all worked out really well. (Indiana State) is close enough to home. I'll be spending most of my time on the track. I love all the teammates. So I'm excited."
Snapp graduated Saturday leaving one more athletic endeavor left in her black and gold career. One marked by athletic excellence.
"It went by really fast," Snapp said of her days at Shelbyville. "I spaced out a lot pretty bad. I won't miss being at school at 7 a.m. and going to seven classes a day."
Before Snapp arrived at the high school, Andreas Brown held the program's hurdling records. And while Snapp has never met Brown, her name and times were a motivating factor in her career.
"When I came here, Andreas Brown's records were up there (on the record board)," Snapp said. "I don't know who she is, but I have an image of her. It's weird to think that's going to be me now."
No matter the outcome Friday, Snapp is the new model for hurdling success at Shelbyville.
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