Scout’s on her game

Scout Snodgrass had an energy drink in one hand and the knowledge that it had been a month since she’d even thought about running.

But there she listened and watched as her mother tried to get her entered into a track meet…the very next day.

That began a whirlwind month of June that led to next week’s culmination at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Greensboro, N.C.

Scout, who will be a junior at Kingfisher High School this fall, qualified for the national meet in two events: the 400 meter dash and the 800 meter run.

The daughter of Mark and Angie Snodgrass, she’ll compete against some of the nation’s best runners as she tries to earn All-American status in one of the premier track and field event’s for the country’s youth.

And it almost didn’t happen.

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“I was not ready to run at all,” admitted Scout as she looked back on early June as Angie Snodgrass attempted to get her entered into the AAU District Qualifier to be held June 7-8 in Texarkana.

That was the very last meet in which Snodgrass could compete in to begin the process of qualifying for nationals.

The last time Scout competed, she was running the anchor leg of the mile relay for KHS at the Class 4A state meet on May 4.

When she crossed the finish line in that race, it broke a 48-year-old school record.

It was the end of a productive meet for Snodgrass, one that started the day before with a silver medal in the 3,200 meter relay.

She was the anchor leg in that race, one in which she and her teammates broke a school record they’d set earlier in the week. Prior to that, it had stood for 22 years.

In between, Scout took fourth place in both the 400 and the 800, setting personal records in both events.

Four events. Four medals.

Then came time for Scout to rest.

As summer approached, Scout decided to channel her focus solely on running.

She’d compete in cross country in the fall of her junior year and track in the spring, giving up basketball in between.

“Having all that time to practice in between will help me improve a lot,” said Scout. “I’ll be in much better track shape once the season starts and hopefully will just continue to get better.”

But Scout knew she wanted to compete over the summer and wanted to test herself against the best.

That didn’t exactly happen in the district qualifier, she said.

“It was a small meet,” she said.

But it was necessary to compete in that meet to qualify for the Regional Qualifier two weeks later.

Scout won both the 400 and 800 in the 17-18 yearold female division, the latter despite running a slow pace to finish in 2:43.42.

“There were only three of us in the race and I knew I was getting in,” she said. “And I had to run the 200 right after, so I was trying to save my legs.”

Scout finished eighth in the 200, a race she’s not accustomed to running, which was still good enough to get her into the regional.

That regional qualifier began June 19 in Centerton, Ark., near Bentonville.

In between the district and regional, Scout began to work with Eric Hudgens, who runs Personal Best Athletes.

“He’s been great,” Angie said of Hudgens. “He’s already helped her so much.”

Based in the Tulsa area and a professor at Oral Roberts University, Hudgens understands the almost sadistic side of running.

He said it takes a “sick, twisted person to appreciate something (running) that everyone else feels is punishment.”

Scout, he said, has that quality on top of her God-given abilities.

“Scout has a lot of genetic and physiological buildup to be a great runner,” Hudgens said. “She also has this intrinsic motivation and enthusiasm.”

Scout has a bubbly personality that lights up a room. Hudgens calls it a “a lot of energy and joy in life.”

But, he adds, she’s able to combine it with “this inner drive and willingness to work.”

That’s something that sets Scout apart, Hudgens said.

There’s an ugly side of running, whether in cross country and track. Whether working to be in shape or just pushing yourself to be great, it oftentimes drives a person to the point of vomiting, something Scout herself admits to doing.

Hudgens says Scout’s personal makeup is special in those times.

“Instead of easing up or moving away from it, Scout is trying to move through that and keep pushing herself,” Hudgens said.

That’s because - he added - Scout has grasped something about herself.

“She’s coming to a place where she realizes ‘I’m made for this,’” he said.

At the regional qualifier - one much more difficult than the district - Scout took second in the 800, third in the 400 and ninth in the 200.

The top five placers in each event from the regional qualify for the Junior Olympics, meaning Scout earned her spot in the 400 and 800.

The prelims for the 400 are next Friday, Aug. 2.

Admittedly, Scout’s chances of reaching the finals (top eight) are slim.

“It’s so competitive,” she said. “I would have to run the race of my life and shave about four seconds off my PR to do it.”

Scout ran a 59.57 at the regional in that event and is currently ranked 75th out of the 100 qualifiers. Most of the top 20 runs 55 seconds or faster.

But the 800 has the potential for more. Scout ran a 2:22.28 in the regional (21 seconds faster than the district) and is ranked ninth nationally in that event.

However, both she and Hudgens realize, there’s potential for more.

In taking fourth at state, Scout ran the event in 2:18.21, a full four seconds faster than the regional qualifier last month. That time would likely qualify her for the finals (top eight) and earn her All-American status.

She admits that she wasn’t at her fastest at the qualifier and is continuing to improve and build toward what is her best.

“I’m getting close now,” she said.

Her now former KHS track coach Kerri Lafferty, who recently took the same position at Dover, is confident Scout can make a splash.

“Scout is one of the hardest- working runners I have had the privilege to coach,” Lafferty said. “She has untapped potential now that she is focusing on running and will only get better.”

Scout works both with Hudgens and new KHS track coach Stefan Seifried, who provides her daily workouts.

Those workouts have included “300 repeats” in which she runs for 300 meters at a 45-second pace, walks 100 meters, then runs the 300 meters again. That process is repeated eight times.

“Those are not fun,” Scout said. “It’s definitely a throw-up day.”

There have been other “not so fun” workouts, but now she’s working on sprint work as she leads up to her trip to North Carolina.

“It keeps my legs used to speed work, but it doesn’t wear me out before I go compete,” Scout said.

“All of it has helped, but it definitely hasn’t been easy.”

With a lot of track ahead of her, Hudgens wants Scout to appreciate the experience of the Junior Olympics in laying out his expectations for her.

“I want her to be present throughout the whole meet in a way to enjoy the experience and grow from it,” he said. “Stay healthy while pushing the body toward its potential.”

Scout said she would certainly appreciate the chance to “make the podium” in the 800. The prelims for that race are Monday, July 29. If she makes the finals, those will be two days later.

But, she added, her main goal “is to just PR in both events.”

“It’s so competitive there,” she said, noting she’s not putting a high premium on placing. “But I do feel like I’m getting in my best shape.”

Bigger picture, Scout has her eyes set on the school records in the 400 and 800, both held by Brittania (Long) Schroeder for more than 20 years.

Lafferty expects even more beyond that.

“I have no doubt that if she continues on this path, she absolutely has the opportunity to run in college,” Lafferty said.

“I expect great things from her in the coming years.”