Lauryn Williams has passion back for track

EUGENE, Ore. — Tired and burned out of track, sprinter Lauryn Williams went searching for thrills of adventure over victory.

To rekindle her waning passion, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist tried sky diving and snow skiing along with retracing her family's roots with a trip to Trinidad.

The rush of those experiences snapped Williams out of her rut and got her head back into the sprint game.

Stepping away from the sport is no longer a consideration for the 27-year-old Williams, who's entered in the 100 and 200 at the U.S. championships this weekend.

She's all in as she sets her sights on making the team for the 2012 London Olympics.

First, though, she had to make sure the drive still remained, which is why she dabbled in thrill-seeking activities during breaks last season in a year that featured no major meets.

"I took a step back from track, to give myself a chance to miss it, to miss competing," Williams said in a recent phone interview.

She enjoyed sky diving, but for someone so used to speed, the experience wasn't all she was expecting.

"The guy pushes you out of that plane, you can't breathe for a second and you're going down. That's it," she said. "(The rush) lasts like 10 seconds."

That's about the same amount of time it takes Williams to motor down the track in the 100. Her best time in the 100 is 10.88, a mark she sent in 2005.

She knows that's far from good enough to keep up with the field these days. Fellow American Carmelita Jeter has turned in the fastest time of this era, clocking 10.64 seconds in 2009. Only the late Florence Griffith-Joyner has run faster (10.49).

Not only that but the balance of power on the women's side has considerably shifted over the last three seasons, with the Jamaicans becoming the ones to beat.

"The 100 is very stacked, really a deep event right now," Williams said. "So when you think you've worked hard enough, you've got to work even harder."

And incorporate some wrinkles into the workout regimen. That's what led Williams to take up the hurdles, a way to increase her acceleration and power as she hops, skips and walks over the obstacles.

"If I see one more hurdle, I'm going to rename myself Lolo Jones," the diminutive Williams said, chuckling at the reference to the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials champion.

But don't expect an event switch.

"There are no hurdles in my future!" she said.

In her break from track, Williams took a trip to Trinidad to visit where her father was from. It's been a tough stretch for Williams since losing her dad, David Williams, to leukemia nearly three years ago.

Gone with her father went all those pep talks. He had a way to take her mind off her worries.

The Trinidad trip was quite therapeutic as Williams cooked meals and chatted with a side of her family she's getting to know better.

"It gave me my insight into my dad, tied it all together for me," she said.

Williams also tried snow skiing in New Hampshire, played friendly games of flag football and went on an extended expedition to Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama.

Through all her experiences, Williams revived her passion.

"It's no secret I've got talent inside of me," the former University of Miami standout said. "But if you're not going to put the hard work and training behind the talent, you might be a mediocre athlete at best, not a good athlete at all."


(seattletimes.com)