Prairie senior Valerie Schmidt, who is our All-Region girls track athlete of the year, is photographed at The Columbian on Tuesday morning, June 5, 2018. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
Between fear of faceplants and following in family footsteps, Valerie Schmidt’s initial reasoning to avoid becoming a hurdler was valid.
For starters, the idea terrified her.
“I was scared of the hurdles,” she said.
Second, “I didn’t want to be like everyone else in my family.” Her older brothers Taylor, Michael and Josiah all hurdled for Prairie. “And I still am.”
That’s what happens when dad, Frank Schmidt, is an assistant coach at Prairie, and coaching an event that happens to be what Valerie Schmidt’s excelled in the past three years as the Falcons’ top hurdler.
Now here she is. Schmidt, The Columbian’s All-Region girls track and field athlete of the year, leaves as one of the program’s best all-time in both hurdle races: 100 and 300 meter hurdles.
This after making the transition from 400 meters midway through her freshman year.
Listen to Schmidt talk, and she already has coach-speak in her when describing what can make a perfect race happen. She said her father talks frequently how the best races and times feel effortless.
“The fastest you’ll run,” she said, “is when you’re relaxed.”
And that’s how she got to be a two-event bi-district champion and running the best times of her career the week before state at bi-districts. She ran her first sub-15-second time in a 100-meter hurdles race she described as perfect clocking in at 14.95 seconds. She also ran a personal-best 45.49 in the 300 hurdles to win both races.
“I was really focused and had a ton of adrenaline,” Schmidt said. “It was coursing through my body.”
Schmidt remained a busy bee over the two-day meet, competing in four individual events. She reached the podium (top 8 finishes) in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles and tying a personal-best height in the high jump (4 feet, 10 inches). She also set a personal-best long jump mark.
That’s a small taste of her future in track and field, too. Schmidt is planning to be a small-college heptathlete and gearing up with summer training. Older brother, Michael, is a decathlete at Corban University in Salem.
At May’s 3A state meet, she reached the podium twice, placing fourth in the 100 hurdles and eighth in the 300s.
Knowing how some athlete’s prep careers don’t end how they plan, Schmidt is pleased how it all turned out.
After following in the family’s hurdling footsteps.
“You can’t escape it,” Schmidt said.
Morning Briefing Newsletter
Get a rundown of the latest local and regional news every Mon-Fri morning.
Support local journalism
Your tax-deductible donation to The Columbian’s Community Funded Journalism program will contribute to better local reporting on key issues, including homelessness, housing, transportation and the environment. Reporters will focus on narrative, investigative and data-driven storytelling.
Local journalism needs your help. It’s an essential part of a healthy community and a healthy democracy.
