Cross Country / District Championships -- In Dad's Footsteps
JONATHAN GIBSON'S FATHER, GREG, LEFT SOME HUGE FOOTPRINTS IN THE STATE DISTANCE-RUNNING RECORD BOOK. BUT HIS SON HAS MADE HIS OWN MARK AT WOODINVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, AND EVEN BETTERED SOME OF DAD'S MARKS.
Jonathan Gibson was a 5-foot-10 freshman, somewhere around 130 pounds and lost in the crowd of bigger, better runners.
He tripped in a ditch early in the race and fell, a rough start to his first boys cross-country district meet. After 600 yards, Gibson was 87th of 89 runners and fighting shock that had him near tears.
Dad offered steadying words.
"He was telling me to focus," said Gibson, now a Woodinville High School senior.
Greg Gibson is a Washington track legend, a runner who set a state record for 880 yards in 1972, a record that was converted to the 800-meter equivalent and wasn't broken until 1997. Gibson was the 11th person to run an indoor mile in less than 4 minutes, and the first University of Washington runner to do so.
He was among the nation's elite high-school runners when he graduated from Connell High in 1972. His legacy was tough to follow.
"There can be a tremendous amount of pressure on a kid who looks in the record books and still sees his dad's name," Greg said.
It is pressure that Jonathan has viewed as a challenge, fuel that helped him win the KingCo 4A district-meet title as a junior last season. He will defend the title tomorrow at Lincoln Park at 3:15 p.m.
Jonathan began looking at his dad's high-school times as early as his freshman year at Marysville-Pilchuck High. They were benchmarks he took with him when his family moved to Woodinville his sophomore year.
"It's kind of conceited, but I've always wanted to be better than him," Jonathan said. "But I think every little boy wants to be better than their dad."
Gibson has accomplished the goal in two high-school events, the 3,200 meters and 1,600 meters. The 800 remains Dad's domain. Greg Gibson has three of the top seven times in state history. His best time in the 880 yards converted to 1:50.4 in the 800.
But Greg Gibson didn't steer Jonathan toward running. He encouraged Jonathan to keep playing baseball after his freshman year. Gibson was a right-handed pitcher, and there was a makeshift mound in the family's backyard and a net for a backstop.
"We used to play catch like every father and son, the whole All-American thing," Jonathan said.
Younger sister Amy chose soccer over cross country, a decision supported by her parents.
"Distance running is not her bag, and that's great," Greg said.
But running was Jonathan's favorite sport since junior high, a passion that manifests itself in his ability to recall exact times and places from meets he ran in two or three years ago.
"He's meticulous, which is what you want in a runner," Coach Bill McClement said. "He understands when to rest and when to run harder."
Gibson hopes for a top-12 finish at state Nov. 6, but he has learned to dilute some of the pressure. He was calm at the start line for the 3,200 at the Class 4A state track meet in Tacoma last spring.
"It was the first time I wasn't nervous before a meet," Gibson said.
His coach and father don't tell him about future workouts or race plans to keep him from worrying too much.
"They just want me to relax and enjoy running," Jonathan said.
Gibson plans to run in college, joining Chris Ledford, Brandon Roche, Rick Johnson and Shawn Murphy, a recent roll call of Woodinville runners.
Like Ledford and Roche before him, Gibson is poised to get better with age.
"We don't want their best years used up here at Woodinville High School," McClement said.
No longer the skin-and-bones freshman lost in the crowd, Gibson probably will lead the pack at tomorrow's district meet.
He has grown into a leader, a senior who took five minutes to talk with Leota ninth-grader Jason Nydegger at the Northshore junior-high cross-country championships yesterday at Bothell High School.
"He told me to keep relaxed, don't tense up," Nydegger said.
Steadying words, the kind Gibson heard from his father three years ago.
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KINGCO 4A. SEA-KING 3A
When, where: Tomorrow, Lincoln Park, Seattle.
Distance: 3.1 miles.
At stake: Top two teams, top 10 individuals advance to state meet in Pasco Nov. 6.
Girls varsity (2:45 p.m.).
Last year's winners - Woodinville (37 points); Kelsey Metcalfe, Woodinville (19:29.8).
Frontrunners - Metcalfe has suffered from shin splints, but will run. Eastlake sophomore Susannah Shaw is mentioned as a favorite given Metcalfe's injury, but list of contenders goes seven deep: Carol Roll and Tina Mertz of Redmond, Brynn Utela of Inglemoor, Carrie and Kim Gibson of Lake Washington and Sarah Hardee of Bothell.
Boys varsity (3:15 p.m.).
Last year's winners - Woodinville (36 points); Jonathan Gibson, Woodinville (15:52.5).
Frontrunners - Defending champ Gibson was undefeated in league and is a clear favorite to repeat. If Gibson stumbles, Woodinville's Adam McCann, Franklin's Jacob Magraw-Mickelson, Lake Washington's Jon Carwin and Juanita's Jason Porter are leading contenders in next tier of runners.
When, where: Tomorrow, Lower Woodland Park, Seattle.
Distance: 3.1 miles.
At stake: Top six teams, top 30 individuals advance to state meet in Pasco Nov. 6.
Girls varsity (2:30 p.m.).
Last year's winners - Newport (44 points); Rose Wetzel, Blanchet (18:04.3).
Frontrunners - Seattle Prep's Megan Johnson (second at state last year) and Newport's Jodee Adams-Moore (fifth) are the top returning 3A runners from last year's state meet. Mount Rainier's Kathy Rice, Lakeside's Jessie Wells and Blanchet's Rose Wetzel are also strong. Wetzel is defending district champion. Top-ranked Newport is defending state champ and favored to repeat. Blanchet, Seattle Prep, Issaquah and Lakeside are four of the next six teams in rankings. This district might be as tough as any in state. Mount Rainier should battle Skyline for sixth team berth to state.
Boys varsity (3:15 p.m.).
Last year's winners - Lakeside (94 points); Mike Kamm, Interlake (15:32.4).
Frontrunners - Getting out of this district will be tough, considering that five of top six ranked 3A teams in state are competing. Metro champ Seattle Prep and KingCo 3A champ Bellevue are favorites along with top-ranked Lakeside, but O'Dea, Blanchet and Interlake are factors, and Issaquah and Nathan Hale could contend for sixth berth to state. Individual contenders headlined by three league champs: Lakeside's Peter Furia (Metro), Bellevue's Ricky Brackett (KingCo 3A) and Lindbergh's Habtamu Aregaw (Seamount). Other potential top-10 finishers: Lakeside's Fraser Kitchell; Interlake's Henry Luiten and Chris Judge; O'Dea's Sam Burns and Ariy-el Boynton; Skyline's Justin Ireland; Kennedy's Dan McLean; Highline's Kevin Engelhardt; Seattle Prep's Benjamin Carter Gaven and Dan Shickich; Cedarcrest's James Conrick.