 |
|
|
|
|
| HOME |
|
| SHOP |
|
| RACE INFO |
|
| RESULTS |
|
| EVENT TIMING |
|
| EVENT PROMO |
|
| PHOTOS |
|
| ASSOCIATES |
|
| CONTACT |
|
| SITE SEARCH |
|
|
|
| FREE EMAIL |
|
 |
 |
 |
 + Enlarge Photo
GREAT SCOTT! Q&A with Aloha HS's 1979 Hurdle Sensation... Ken Scott The numbers speak for themselves... 36.10. It's been 28 years since Aloha HS's Ken Scott broke the 300IH tape at 36.10a thus capping an incredible senior season that saw the Aloha hurdle star emerge from the shadow of former teammate Rourke Lowe to etch his name into the storied history of Oregon prep Track & Field. From a pulled hamstring to end his season as a junior to 4-time state champion as a senior, Ken Scott recounts his dream season and his run into the record books... Question: You ran for the great Aloha teams of the late 1970's and legendary Warrior's coach Ron Lowe. The 1978 team is ranked as the #6 all-time best dual meet team by Who's Who. Describe what is was like being a member of the Aloha T&F teams during their heyday. Ken Scott: Being a part of those Aloha teams, especially in 1978 and 1979 was a wonderful experience. I have so many great memories. We were a TEAM in the truest sense, very proud to represent our school and carry on the winning tradition. In 1978, after a few meets, I think we knew we had something special. We had so much depth and our athletes had a great dedication to the team, and to Coach Lowe. One of Aloha’s greatest duel meet wins came that year against Elden Keller’s Hillsboro team. They had gone 11 years without a duel meet loss. I don’t remember the score, but we won the meet. With that win, our confidence grew. We set out to win every duel meet, then district and state. We managed to pull it off. Of course none of this would have happened without Coach Lowe. A great coach, teacher and person who made you want to win for him. He loved kids. It didn’t matter what your talent level was, they were all winners in his eyes. He has had a huge influence on the way I coach today. Question: When one thinks of Aloha Track & Field, two of the first names that come to mind are Rourke Lowe (5-time state champion) and Ken Scott (all-time 300IH state best - 36.10a). Describe what it was like to run with and follow in Rourke Lowe's footsteps. KS: Running with Rourke made me a better hurdler. I never looked at it as a negative. What better way to improve yourself than to train and race with the best hurdler in the state. He’s a great guy who really took me under his wing that year and helped me a lot. Sure I got second in every meet, but I knew my time would come. It was funny because my senior year, with Rourke gone, everyone was wondering where I came from. People forget that I was a top hurdler in the state my junior year, but I was obviously over-shadowed by Rourke. Question: As you look back, what was the secret to Aloha's hurdle success? KS: There’s no secret really. We had some good athletes who had hurdle experience prior to high school. It was all about hard work and good coaching. Question: In one year you went from not being in any State Meet finals to being a 4-time state champion. How did that happen? KS: I think to answer this question I’ll go back a few years. I had hurdled since age 12, running for the Portland Track Club. I had some success in age group track, winning a couple of state AAU 70 yard low hurdle titles and 6th nationally in 1975. When I entered Aloha H.S., which was a 3 year school at the time, I figured that success would follow. However, my sophomore year was less than successful. The high hurdles were 6 inches higher, which I struggled with, and the 300 hurdles were difficult because I had never run a race over 200m. I was one of those runners who sat around all year until the first day of track, out of shape and not really too worried about it. I was a JV runner that year. All of that changed my junior year. First I grew from 5’-11” to 6’-3” in a year. Then during the winter, I started to train. I put in many miles and hit the weight room. When the season started I was in shape and my attitude had completely changed. I was ready to take it to the next level. My junior year I ran both hurdles and both relays for the varsity team. I was the second ranked 300 hurdler in the state that year (behind my teammate Rourke Lowe) and ranked in the top 10 for the high hurdles. Our 4x1 had the second best time, behind the awesome Sunset H.S. guys, and our mile relay had set a state record. All of the success was great. Then in the prelims for the high hurdles at the 1978 district meet, I strained a hamstring over the last hurdle. I went on to qualify for the finals in the 300 hurdles but after the meet, Coach Lowe suggested I drop out of the high hurdle finals to take care of my hamstring, since the injury was to my lead leg and I didn’t want to ruin my chances in the 300’s or the relays. I managed to qualify in the 300’s and both our relays qualified for state. In the week prior to state, I didn’t run at all, just rehab stuff. My hamstring was real sore. The state meet was held at Springfield H.S. that year, because the Hayward Field track had just been resurfaced, and the lines weren’t all down. It was cold and rainy on day 1 when I ran the opening leg of the 4x1. About 50m into the relay I pulled my hamstring again and ended up scratching from the meet. What a way to end the season. Aloha won the state championship that year, and I wasn’t a part of it. It felt horrible. From that moment, I dedicated myself to work even harder for my senior year. As soon as football season was over, a group of us started to train. John Anderson (state 400m champ 1979) was one of my training partners and we were both after some state championships, individually and as a team. We worked real hard that winter. During the 1979 season my times dropped more than I could have imagined. All of the hard work had paid off, and I went on to win 4 state championships and set the 300 IH record. Question: The 1978 Aloha Boy's team won the state title over South Eugene (38-36) thus becoming the only team to beat them at state during a 12 year run. In 1979 during your senior season, Aloha finished runnerup to the Axemen (54-51) for the state title. Describe what it was like to compete against the great South Eugene teams of the time. KS: South Eugene had some amazing teams and athletes during their string of championships. They had all of the bases covered with their depth. In 1978, Aloha was able to win the state championship because for once, we had more depth. However, in 1979, they had reloaded again and beat us by a few points. Jeff Hess won the 1500 and 3000, and John Robertson won the long jump. They scored the rest of their points with their depth in several other events. Our 51 points came from wins in both relays, both hurdles, the 400m and an 8th place finish in the pole vault. They had great coaching and always performed in the big meets. They actually would have beaten us by more if Randy Redditt hadn’t pulled a hamstring that season. He was a top 200m / 400m guy who also was a key member of their relays. Both he and Jeff Hess went on to have nice college careers at Arizona. I still bump in to Jeff once or twice a season. He’s doing a great job of carrying on the track tradition at South Eugene. Question: It's been 28 years since you set the all-time 300IH best (36.10a) at the 1979 State Meet. Did you think that you're record would last that long? KS: The record is something that I’m very proud of because I worked real hard for it. There were some great 300 hurdlers during the 80’s that went low 37’s and Bob Gray went high 36’s, so no, I didn’t think it would last this long. However, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t keep an eye on the 300 IH times each season. I can usually tell by mid-season if I’m safe or not. I’m sure someone will break it. I hope I can be there when it happens so I can shake their hand. Question: There is some discrepancy of the listing of your all-time state best time. Who's Who has it listed as 36.05a. I was under the impression that it was actually your State Meet winning time of 36.10a. Which is it? KS: The record is 36.10a. About a month ago I talked with a Who’s Who representative about the time. He said that in the 1979 Who’s Who had my time was listed as 36.1 in the hurdles section. Back then there wasn’t really a distinction between FAT and hand timing. In 1984 they started converting the marks, and the conversion for the 300 IH at the time was .19 seconds. They subtracted that from 36.1 and came up with 35.91a. That lasted until 2003 when they changed the conversion again and added .14 to 35.91, coming up with the current 36.05a. It is an error and should be changed next season. Question: What are your thoughts on the current 4A State Meet records being "retired" as opposed to being recognied as the new 6A meet records? KS: In my opinion, all 4A records should go with 6A, whether or not a school moved to 5A. The AAA records went with the 4A during the last reclassification, and I think the OSAA should follow that lead. I think it was understandable when they archived times when they changed from yards to metric, but there’s no change here. Question: You are now coaching the hurdles at McNary HS. When it come to the 300 hurdles, what are a couple of the most important training concepts that you stress to your athletes? KS: Obviously working hard in practice is very important. But, when it comes to hurdling, in my opinion one of the most important concepts is teaching the hurdlers how to switch lead legs and work hard on the “weak” lead leg so no matter what they can get over the hurdles fast. When they get good at switching, I look at their stride pattern between hurdles to make adjustments on the first 100m so they can hopefully get around the curve with a left lead leg. Sometimes that means switching the forward leg in the blocks. The main goal is to switch lead legs efficiently so there are no stutters or long reaches that kill momentum. We’ve all seen many races where a hurdler with a good lead stutters the last 1 or 2 hurdles and gets passed between the last hurdle and the tape. Question: Lastly, you ran 47.8h for 400 meters to rank #9 on the all-time 400 meters list (4A). Is that what it's going to take for someone to have a shot at running faster than 36.10a? Or, in your opinion, could a technically flawless hurdler with a little less speed make a run at that kind of time? KS: Yes, I think for someone to break 36 seconds in the 300IH, they would need to be able to run a low 48 second 400m. Sure technique plays a part, and I had pretty good technique. However, even being technically flawless won’t mean much if the other guy with pretty good form can run a 400m 2 seconds faster. It’s a tough race, and over the last 2 or 3 hurdles, the technique starts to go and the speed and strength take over. Ken Scott works for the State of Oregon and coaches hurdlers for McNary HS in Keizer, Oregon. |
|
|
