Anthony Laborin wants to win
Anthony Laborin has a simple formula for success.
“When I try my best, good things happen,” the East Valley High School sprinter said. “It’s simple as that.”
Laborin has been trying his best a lot during his senior track season.
“Oh, man, I have been looking forward to this season,” he said, his words bursting forth in a sprint of their own. “I separated my shoulder in football, so I wasn’t able to workout until winter, but once I could, I was out here every day, running and lifting to make myself stronger.”
Laborin’s drive was born at last year’s state track meet in Pasco – where he placed sixth in the Class 3A 200-meter final.
“It was so cool to be on that track for the state meet,” he said. “It’s a great atmosphere. I saw guys walking around wearing a couple first-place medals – I want to do that. I don’t want to go back for more sixth-place medals. I want to win championships.”
Laborin runs the 100, 200 and 400 for the Knights and runs both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Until last week, that is.
“He pulled his hamstring when the photographer was here to take his picture,” East Valley boys track coach Dave McCarty said, referring to the accompanying photo. “He tweaked it. We held him out of the Mead meet and I’m not sure if we’ll run him in the last Greater Spokane League meet, either. I don’t want to run him if there’s a chance it could keep him from running at districts next week and keep him from getting to state.”
East Valley faces Central Valley, Lewis and Clark and host Mead today for the GSL boys championship.
“When I felt it go, my first thought was ‘that’s it, I’m done,’ ” Laborin said. “But it’s not that bad. I just have to make sure I stretch really well before I work out and take it a little easy.”
The hamstring muscle, running up the back of the thigh, is a sprinter’s nightmare.
A balky hamstring takes its biggest toll on a sprinter coming out of the starting blocks. Coaches frequently refer to it as “exploding” out of the blocks.
“I still want to run the 100,” he said. “It will be easier to get loose to run it as the weather gets warmed up. When we have a warm, sunny day out here on the track, you feel like you can do anything.”
McCarty wants to be careful.
“We haven’t run him in the mile (4x400) relay at all, we’ve been saving him,” McCarty said. “He ran a 50.7 (second 400 meters) down at Pasco, which is outstanding. He’s run 22.3 in the 200 and 11.0 in the 100, and those times aren’t anything to sneeze at, either.”
The 11.0-second 100 time came in the Mooberry Relays at Rogers High School. Laborin finished third behind Aston Gant of Pullman in a three-way photo finish.
“They did some figuring at the finish line, and they figured they couldn’t all finish with the same time,” McCarty said. “So they gave the winner 10.8, the kid who was second 10.9 and Anthony 11.0.”
“Something like that always happens to me at Rogers,” Laborin said, his anger rising at the memory. “I should have gotten a 10.8. I ran a 10.8. Not getting credit for that means I don’t get credit for that time in state rankings.”
Laborin said he plans to skip the 4x400 at state in favor of running the individual 400.
“I love running the 4x400 relay,” he said, “especially in a big meet like state. The crowd gets into it and there’s a buzz. Your adrenalin gets going, and I feel a buzz in my fingers.
“The cool thing is that I get that same buzz running the open 400.”
Depending on who you talk to, running the 400 meters is unlike any other race in a high school track meet. It’s longer than a sprint and too short to be considered a distance race.
“I run the 400 different from the other guys run it, I guess,” Laborin said. “I don’t mind if guys pass me in the first 200 meters. I’m still going to run my 22-something-second opening 200. But I pass them again in the final 200. I love that feeling coming off the final turn and flying toward the finish line.”