CAMAS — To understand Megan Kelley’s dedication, you have to get past the notion that there is a track and field season, as if there are just a few months out of the year to compete.
“Track is not a sport. It’s a lifestyle,” said Kelley, a senior from Camas with dreams of top finishes in four events at the Class 3A state meet at the end of the month.
She’s competing in four only because she is not allowed to compete in five.
With Kelley, there is no end of the season, just early preparation for the next competition. There is no end of track practice on a particular day, either.
“Even after practice, me and my dad will still talk about statistics, and how I can get better results,” Megan said, giving credit to Stuart Kelley for his help all these years.
Megan Kelley has gone from participating in Hershey’s track and field meets for youth to one of the top all-around athletes in the state of Washington. A year ago, she made it to the state meet in four events, then made the finals in three.
This year, she is making a change to the lineup but still envisions a run at four events.
The first step toward state comes this week with the 3A district meet at McKenzie Stadium. On Wednesday, Kelley won the 100 meters and the 400 meters. Today, she will compete in the 200.
To give an idea of her strengths as an athlete, Kelley is ranked second in the state among 3A athletes in the long jump after finishing fourth last season — and she is not be competing in the event this month.
“I’m not consistent in it this year,” she said. “So you just try new things and see if it clicks.”
Kelley took advantage of her head coach’s trip to Boston earlier this season. With Alisa Wise running the world famous marathon, Kelley decided to try that something new.
“I hadn’t run the 100 in a while, and I wondered what my time would be,” Kelley said. “I did it, and it was shockingly (fast).”
She sent a text message to her coach, asking if she could focus on the 100 for the rest of the campaign. Wise was not so sure.
“Consistency is the key,” Wise said, recalling that she asked Kelley to give it another try or two to really get a glimpse of her potential.
“Then the next time I did it, my time went down again,” Kelley said. “I started thinking maybe this is something I should start doing now.”
Kelley’s top time this season of 12.24 seconds is tied for first in the state in her classification.
More than that, her coach said she is smiling, having a blast with the new event.
Wise said Kelley is great at the long jump, but that discipline was becoming frustrating for her.
The strong time in the 100 should not be surprising, though. Kelley is ranked first in the 400 and third in the 200. She also is a member of Camas’ 1,600 relay team, ranked No. 3 in the state.
“It feels great to be ranked that high, but it also feels good that all your hard work is being put in the proper place,” Kelley said.
By that, she is talking about the advantages of her sport, er, lifestyle. In track and field, rankings are not determined by a vote from the media or a coaches poll. For a sprinter, the clock has the only vote.
“You work hard and you earn your spots,” Kelley said.
Her abilities have attracted the attention of college programs. Kelley is headed to Boise State.
“It had that at-home feeling when I checked out the campus,” she said. “You won’t get bored easy. It’s a fun little city.”
Coaches there have told her they want her to compete in the 200 and 400 in college.
That works for Kelley. The 200 is her favorite event this season.
“I’ve been getting a lot stronger,” she said. “I’ve been finishing stronger at the end, which was my weakness last year.”
Here comes that lifestyle explanation again. Kelley did not take anything for granted. Placing in the top four in three events at state in 2010 was not a guarantee of future success.
So for her senior project, she organized a one-person endurance challenge with what she called a “sprint triathlon.” She swam a half-mile, rode a bicycle for 14 miles, then ran a 5-kilometer course.
She did this after the first week of track and field practice and after training for four months. For her project, she kept a journal of her training regimen.
Looking back, she said all of that effort has led to where she stands now, with an opportunity to shine at state.
“I thought it gave me a strong base for the season,” Kelley said. “I’ve been working out harder, in the weight room, swimming, biking, running, a lot of stuff.”
Wise said attitudes such as Kelley’s make it a joy to coach.
“I love those kinds of athletes,” Wise said. “You’re not coaching them all the time. They’re bringing something to you. They are an example. They lead by example.”
The regular season gave Kelley the opportunity to hone her skills one last time for the Papermakers. Now, it’s go time.
It’s time for Megan Kelley to get pumped up, by listening to techno music, perhaps Benny Benassi. And she will have her teammates to push her, too.
“My friends are a big part of motivation,” she said. “They’re always there. We’re a big family. We’re always there for each other.”
Kelley hopes to celebrate a lot of great moments with her track and field family.
“I would really love to win my events. I think I can do it,” she said. “At the same time, I care a lot about ending with a P.R. (personal record). Go out with a bang. If I have a P.R., if I was giving it my all and still lost, I’d still feel accomplished.”
That’s part of her lifestyle, too, living up to her expectations.
