“For me it took a lot of hard work and dedication,” explains Kamille Mcgregor, the current 55 meter hurdle record holder for Weddington High School. “Even when I didn’t feel like doing it that day, in order to get better you must put in all your effort and never skip out on reps.”
Hurdles is an engaging sport filled with obstacles and hard work. You need to be flexible, fearless, have spatial awareness, and a good sense of timing. A hurdler who has mastered these skills is Edwin Moses, two-time world champion, a master at the intermediate hurdles. Another great example is Masai Russell, an upcoming hurdler and sprinter.
Hurdling as a sport originated in early 19th century England. Some of the first races were held at Eton College in 1837 and were about 100 yards long. Back then runners did not have set forms or techniques to follow. Today, hurdles are run in the Olympics and their forms have been specialized and perfected in order to minimize your time over the top.
Hurdles is a very rhythmic sport and every one of your steps can be counted and planned in advance. In high school track, there are three kinds of races you can run: the 55 meter hurdles, the 110/100 m hurdles and the 300 m hurdles. The basic jump over is the same for all of them.
Maintaining proper technique for hurdling requires a low body position, driving your lead leg upward and over the top, then snapping your trail leg down and forward as fast as possible. Throughout this process you want to make sure you land on the balls of your feet. But most importantly hurdles require consistency and determination.
Weddington High school has a small group of hurdlers on their track team led by a dedicated volunteer coach, Douglas Hinson. Here is his perspective on what it takes to be a great hurdler. “That’s a funny thing because everyone comes to an efficient good hurdle form by different means,”Hinson replies, “I really believe there are no limiting factors that can’t be trained. So to me the essential components of a good hurdler is a desire to hurdle and an ability to access a deep self-awareness”
Hinson also explained how desire helps drive you forward when you reach new learning curves while self-awareness gives one the ability to pay attention to small things that we could change to become even better.
“For me coaching hurdles is a great opportunity to share a skill,” says Hinson, “When we commit ourselves to the craft of an art that demands so much from us that we can’t even take it all in with one try and have to come back over and over recommitting to mastering the movement and moment that we are hurdling in – so much is revealed about who you are.”
