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Eric Capelle: One Final Hurdle
04.04.08
Having posted the fastest time in the 110HH prelims of the 2007 Oregon State T&F meet then Barlow junior Eric Capelle was
running the hurdle race of his life in the Final, leading defending state champ Tyler McBee of Beaverton (see photo left),
and looking forward to achieving his dream of a state title. In the blink of an eye those dreams were dashed as Capelle
clipped a hurdle and fell and #1 rival McBee continued on to capture his 3rd consecutive 110HH state title. Another fall later in
the day during the 300IH left Capelle in 8th place and far from the season best of 39.18a that he set while winning the MHC 300IH
title the week before.
Despite the mishaps in the Hurdles, Capelle did finish 3rd in the 100m (10.94a) and ran a strong relay leg as the Bruins ran 42.64a
to finish 2nd to Grant's winning time of 41.51a. As one would expect from a gifted athlete, Eric has taken his dissapointment
from the year before and used it as motivation for continued improvement of his focus during races & hurdling technique for 2008.
Based on his start of the 2008 T&F season, it seems as though the only major hurdle remaining is to capture that elusive title
in the 110 High Hurdles as he makes a run at becoming only the 2nd Oregon prep boy to break the 14 second barrier.
Question: You helped the Barlow 4x100 Relay (42.64a) to a close 2nd place finish behind Grant's winning time of
42.51a. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out very well for you in the hurdles. Describe your 2007 State Meet experiences,
what happened and what, if anything, you gained from the experience.
Capelle: Well the first couple days were great making it in the finals in all my events and even beating the
returning state champ in the High Hurdles. Unfortunately I stumbled in the Highs and was DQ'ed and I fell in the
Intermediates. On the good side our relay placed 2nd and I had a surprising finish of 3rd in the 100M. I learned a lot
from the 110HH race because when I was ahead I had so many thoughts going through my head like "I'm actually winning" and
you could say I just got ahead of myself and lost focus, so this year I have a lot more focus in every aspect of all my
races.
Question: You opened your 2008 season with some strong marks not far off from where you left off in 2007. What
things have you done during the pre-season to get ready for your senior year?
Eric Capelle: In the fall I played football so pretty much all summer I was lifting and doing a lot of conditioning
for that. In the winter I did some winter track stuff with some kids on the team but mainly all I really did was do a lot
of weightlifting so I think that helped a lot and I can tell that I'm a lot stronger upper and lower body.
Question: You certainly showed some major improvements in your 100m and 110HH times from your sophomore year to
your junior year. What were the things that you did that led to such major improvements in your speed in the 100m? And was
your improved speed the primary reason for your .6 drop in your 110HH times?
Capelle: Well I realized that a lot of kids graduated the year before so I had a good shot at winning state and I
guess I just started to crack down on myself working harder in practice and taking advantage of the coaches' knowledge. I
think the big reason my time dropped so much is my technique is a lot more crisp and smooth since that to me, is a huge
part of hurdling.
Question: You're an integral part of Barlow's T&F team not only in your main events (sprints, hurdles) but in the
4x100 Relay and Long Jump as well. With only being able to compete in 4 events per meet, how hard is it to decide which
events to compete in? Are there other events you'd like to try as well but just don't have the time?
Capelle: Some meets it's kind of hard, but it really depends on who the other team has. If another team has somebody
good in the 300IH I'll most likely run those or the same as another event so the coaches kind of play it by ear and we
usually don't make a decision till a few days before the meet. I've always wanted to pole vault but my coach won't let me.
Question: Your immediate goals for the 110 HH is to break the 14 second barrier and make a run at Bob Gray's
all-time state best of 13.73a. In your mind, what things have to happen for you to have a shot at these goals?
Capelle: It would be a great accomplishment if I broke the barrier but in order to do that I need to have a good
clean focused race with a lot of competition that will help push me. In my mind it needs to be the perfect race because
that's pretty fast.
Question: Because of your abilities in the sprints, hurdles and Long Jump, you have a real solid start to a
pretty decent Decathlon score. Have you ever considered doing the Decathlon or projected out what type of score you
could achieve?
Capelle: I have always thought about how I would do. I think I would do pretty well in most of the events and the
ones I would have trouble with are of course the throws. I hope sometime in college I could possibly try it and see how it
turns out.
Question: What are your future plans as far as competing in college? What inquiries have you received and what
would you like to study?
Capelle: As of right now I don't have a set plan but I've gotten a couple offers from local schools but I'm going to
wait it out and see if anything comes up towards the end of the season and hopefully my times have dropped a lot. I have
been looking at two options for studies, either going into sports therapy, or become an American history teacher.
Question: When it's all said and done, what are the things you are going to remember as being a part of the
Barlow T&F team and competing in high school? Any favorite memories?
Capelle: My high school career has definitely been very successful and I owe it all to the kids on the team my
coaches and my family. My most memorable memories have been the state meets hanging out with the kids in the hotel rooms
and of course breaking the meet record in the High's at the XO Invite as well as meeting all the different people around
the state that I talk to.
Question: Describe your working relationship with Coach Sherry Gustafson. What are some of the things that she has
done that have helped you as a competitor and a person?
Capelle: Sherry has been my coach for about 11 years now since I did the club track with USATF. I have a great
amount of respect for her because unlike a lot of hurdle coaches out there she knows what she's doing. She has helped me a
tremendous amount with hurdling because I was TERRIBLE, but she never gave up on me and always takes time out of her day
to help us train on week days or even weekends. In the summer when I was doing the Junior Olympics she came out and helped
me train as well. I definitely would not be where I am today without her.
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As expected Coach Gustafson had nothing but rave reviews when discussing her star hurdler and provided some valuable insights
into what makes Eric Capelle the quality competitor, teammate, and person that he has become.
Question: Sherry, Eric showed a great deal of improvement between his soph and junior seasons. Describe
some of the things that you (both Eric and yourself) were able to accomplish that allowed him to improve so much in the
110HH and 100m Dash.
Coach Sherry Gustafson: Eric had a hamstring injury early in his sophomore year. As a result he never met his full
potential. The winter before his junior year he made a decision to forgo wrestling and he participated in our winter track
program. This allowed him to prepare for the spring track season. Eric also worked with our sprint coach on his start
during his junior year. I believe that improving his start is one of the factors that took him to another level last year.
Question: Describe Eric's work ethic and his leadership qualities and what he adds to your team.
Coach Gustafson: Eric is an athlete that counts on his coaches to know what they're doing. He never questions why we're
doing something, he just does it. He works very hard and does not miss practices. I would not describe Eric as a vocal
leader, he leads by hard work and being a good example to his peers. Last week one of his fellow hurdlers told me that he
was glad that he gets to work with Eric because he learns so much just from watching him.
Question: If you were going to guess, where do you see Eric finishing his senior season in his
events. If Eric were to break the 14 second barrier in the 110HH, do you see it happening somewhere during the regular
season like the XO Invite or will we have to wait to see him at his best at the MHC District Meet and State Meet?
Coach Gustafson: It's always hard to estimate where an athlete might finish at the district or state meet, there are
just so many things that can happen. If Eric stays healthy I'm not sure if anyone can beat him in the 110HH. As for his
other events, we'll have to figure out what events he'll be competing in. More than likely he will run on our 4X100 relay
and in the 100. Eric, however can also be competitive at the district and state level in the 200, the 300IH and even
the long jump. Eric will also run on our 4X400 relay from time to time this season.
If Eric breaks the 14 second barrier in the 110HH it could be as early as the XO meet if the weather is good and he doesn't
have a head wind. I don't think that he needs a tail wind but I do think that warm weather would help.
Question: Any final comments?
Coach Gustafson: Eric is a fun athlete to coach, he responds well to coaching working hard towards perfection. He
comes to practices and meets focused and ready to take care of business.
Note: Eric Capelle currently leads all Oregon Boy hurdlers in the 110 HH with a time of 14.54c. He is also
ranked #4 at 100m (11.07a), #4 at 200m (22.34a), #16 in the LJ (21-5.5 which is just short of his pr of 21-6) and his Barlow
4x100 Relay team is ranked #3 (43.05a). He has yet to pole vault.
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