By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Gotta go.
That saying means different things like, the less obvious meaning one, to many, "Got to go to the bathroom, now" or, the more obvious, "I must leave, now," if talking on the phone, doing texting, etc.

Those two words aptly explain one runner's mentality in one race of the 13 track and field events, total, involving four teams' athletes -- Mount Rainier, Tyee, Evergreen and Highline -- at the 2015 Highline Public Schools Jamboree Friday.

The Rams' Yamonee Rhodes, a player on the football team in the fall, runs track. He was running in the 200-meter dash at the jamboree, saying certain words, afterward, having taken first place -- words that cause one to stop and think.
"I just thought I had to go," said Rhodes, talking, after his race, which, when more information is given, tells everyone that Rhodes had no competition in his race, literally. He was the only one in the second heat of the 200, so he had no one to pass, no one to go catch, and beat, in his race.

So, why that kind of determination and motivation seen in Rhodes, on his face, and in his stride, during the 200?
"I had to make sure I had a good time. I want to practice my form as best I can," said Rhodes. "I want to do really well this season."

He just had to go out there and do his best. Rhodes was going for his best in the 200 race, pumping the arms, flailing the feet, forward, keeping the head pointed toward the front, still as he could, seeing what that kind of effort would bring.

Rhodes didn't mention his exact technique and what he was trying to do in the race, but, those things just mentioned lead to good form, as Rhodes is working on, he said.
Rhodes didn't care about winning, either. He cared about doing his best, even, if there would have been competitors in his race.

But, Rhodes won that race.
Rhodes clocked a 24.71 in the 200 for first place, beating the second-place runner's time by a little over half a second.
Rhodes' sprints' coach, Keith Walker, said what he thought of if Rhodes had a good chance to go to districts, or maybe even state, in the 200.

"No," said Walker. "We just put him in that race. He ran it hard, got first."

And, maybe what Walker said, there, puts things in an, even, better, sense for understanding for one hard-working runner, Rhodes, with goals, despite not perceived a great postseason-potential competitor.

And, here's the kick to it all, perhaps. This kind of thinking, "Gotta go," speaking of Rhodes' great mentality running the 200, is not said of exclusively of Rhodes. It's speaking of all athletes in track, or sports, for that matter, who are going to succeed. Whether they win the actual race is immaterial to them, because they are going to succeed by just giving it their best shot.

And therein lies the heart of all athletes, in any sport, who want to not only do their best at sports, but also at life. The idea of success coming from within, from listening to coaches' help, to show them guidelines and charts for developing success. That's the emotional, mental, physical, maybe even spiritual something that all athletes with a "Gotta go" mentality want to beat.
Pirates athlete A'Jenae Hardwell is one who didn't rise to first in either of her field events at the jamboree, but she does realize, now, she must rise to the challenge in her events.
Hardwell put the shot well off the heel of her hand, and she threw the discus, strongly, too. But, she didn't take first in either of her two events. She lost to one thrower, Evergreen's Caroline Tupa, in both events.
Now, to be certain, Tupa is very good at those two events. She was second putting the shot and third hurling the discus at the 2A state meet last May. So nearly none in 2A discus and shot put did better than Tupa.

So, Hardwell, who threw a strong throw, that would have, likely, beat lesser competition, took second with her 33 feet, eight and a half inch shot put. Tupa put the shot 39-1 3/4. In the discus, Tupa threw it 104-7, while Hardwell flung that object 80-8.

"Today was kind of rough," said Hardwell. "But it's going to get better."

It's already been good for Hardwell in the shot put, speaking, and, speaking of how good she threw last year in the lone star state.

"I threw a 39-4 in Texas, my pr (personal record)," said Hardwell.

What about Tupa?

"I saw her throw, and said, 'Man, she's good,'" said Hardwell. "I know, I have a lot of work to do. I know what I need to work on"

"Good start for her," said Paul Gerry, who is an assistant coach and works with the throwers for Highline.

Tyee had some good efforts, too, with its co-op team of runners, throwers and jumpers on a co-op with Evergreen. The two schools meets this season will be scored, individually, as well as team scores, but the two teams practice together.

For that program, the best finish came from Tyee runner Dylan McDonald, who won the 400 meter dash in 55.91. That win was the only one for the Totems, of girls and boys, with Alexis Sata second in the 1600 run, going a 6:00.75.

For Evergreen, several good performances--firsts--were turned in, with some sweeps, including, as already mentioned, Caroline Tupa, who swept the shot put and discus.

Tupa was vocal, too, shouting to two of her teammates, Matthew and Marques Chacon, twins, as they started their 1,600 race.

"C'mon, Matthew, c'mon, Marques," she cheered, at the start of the 1,600.

Who knows, maybe Marques heard Tupa's cheering and it gave him added push to beat a tough competitor in Austin Regier of the Rams.

Regier went to state last year for 4A, in track, as well as in cross country, this past fall, as did Marques and Matthew. Marques took ninth, Matthew 14th. But, good race, there, with those three in a pretty tight pack the first three laps. Regier led at 100 meters in the four-lap event, but Marques overtook Regier and went on to win, late. Marques won, with a 4:32.18 time, and Regier was second with a 4:35.89 time. Matthew, just, back of Regier, finished 4:39.95.

"Frank Fisher is my distance coach, and he thinks I am starting the season really well, telling me I have the capability to be a contender at state," said Regier.

Marques won the 3,200 race, too, for the Wolverines, and Ryan Carlstrom won the 800 in 2:17.52. Ryan Thol won the triple jump, a three leap and jump winner of 40-5 1/2. And Johnny Lee won the shot put with a 35-9 heave.

Still, for the Wolverines' girl side, Cecilia Vu did well in longer running events, getting firsts in the 800 in 2:40.28 and the 1,600 in 5:52.10.

"She will, probably, be one of the better milers in the league this time," said Chuck Cushman, head coach of the Evergreen/Tyee co-op team.

And, back to Highline, and, more of the learning process talked of, an assistant coach, Bob Wuotila, working with sprinters and hurdlers for the Pirates and was talking to Natalie Barnes, who just finished taking second running the 100 hurdles.

"Now, when you are running into those hurdles, you want to accelerate," said Wuotila. "Accelerate, accelerate, accelerate."

Barnes replied, "Thank you."

Wuotila spoke of her after she finished listening to his coaching help.

"She's coming along," said Wuotila. "It's her first year running the hurdles. We are only three weeks into the season. She just needs time to perfect her technique."

Barnes took second in the 100 hurdles, with a 20.78 time, for her Pirates' school of head coach Rex Post's team. And Barnes was just a little behind winner Solie Grantham of Mount Rainier, 19.94.

"I did decent," said Grantham, "I still have a lot more to do for the season."

What'S the goal in the 100 hurdles?

"16," said Grantham, a sophomore.

Grantham took two firsts on this jamboree day, winning the triple jump, too, for the Rams, with a 30-7 1/2 leap, with teammate Kenzie Gandy six inches off in second with a 30-1 effort.

Blount, for the Rams is happy about how everything is going this season.

"The team GPA is 1.2 points better than last year," said Blount. "So, ,that makes them more coachable."

And for the events?

"We're strong, getting there," he said. "Kids starting to come into their own. We got lots of depth. If everyone is working on technique, running hard, we should do well."

One runner, Aiden Basco, is a runner that Blount pointed out.

"Aiden is a sophomore sensation," said Blount. "He is No. 50 in time in the USA in the 300 hurdles, and he is the No. 4 sophomore in the country."

Basco ran well on this day, too, winning the 110 and 300 hurdles, getting firsts in both, with 15.54 and 39.60 times, respectively.
"A little tight, now, little tight in my hammies," said Basco, speaking of his hamstring muscle strained. "Like the third hurdle, I hit it with my trail leg, felt it in my hammy."

So, ice and be better?

"Yeah," said Basco.

And, for Highline, Malik White, a strong runner for that school in football, won the discus.

"I threw nine more meters than last year," said White, who threw farthest of all jamboree competitors, a 110-5 mark.

But, more work to do, for sure, White knows.

"Got to get quicker across the ring more," said White, speaking of the circle that discus throwers start in the middle of and coil out of in feet-stepping cadence before throwing the discus at the outer point of the circle. "I have to work on my technique."

Still others deserving mentions for giving a it a good go in the jamboree would be, for the Rams', Tyler Snow, winning the javelin with a 91-10 launch, and Bryant Welc, first, in the long jump, with a 17-10 3/4 leap.

And, for girls, the Rams' other firsts were Treonna Glover in the 400 in 1:12.69, Taylor Bradford in the 200 in 28.20, Casey Bauer in the 300 hurdles in 51.51, Ami Yoshino in the high jump going 4-4 over the bar, and Gandy in the long jump at 13-5.

For the Wolverines, for girls, Danae Austin won the 100 in 14.19 and Luanna Tupa handled the field in the javelin with a 63-5 throw.