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Kevin Godfrey of Douglas High School won the Junior Olympic Northwest Regional decathlon title at Willamette University recently. Godfrey is going to be a junior at Douglas in the fall.
WINSTON -- Going to the Junior Olympic National Track and Field meet isn't a high priority right now for Kevin Godfrey. Making sure he keeps getting better is.
"I really don't think nationals will really benefit me until my senior year," the junior-to-be at Douglas High School said. "That's when I'll be at the top of the next age group."
Being at the top is a familiar spot lately for Godfrey, who made a pretty big impression at the Pacific Northwest Junior Olympic Track and Field meet at Willamette University in Salem. Godfrey, a state meet qualifier for his first two years in high school, came away from the JO meet with a first-place finish in the intermediate boys decathlon to automatically qualify for next week's Junior Olympic National Meet in Baltimore.
The win was the second decathlon victory in three meets this summer for Godfrey, whose other victory in the event came just a week earlier at the state meet at Willamette University. It's also the biggest victory so far for Godfrey, whose previous best was a fifth-place finish in the pole vault at last spring's 3A State Championships in Eugene.
But Godfrey, knowing the expenses it would take to get to the national meet, opted to stick with some previously-made plans. He's in Eugene attending an annual track camp at the University of Oregon, and he's hoping the pointers he gets there will help him maintain his progress.
"Of course, going to nationals would benefit me now if I did it," Godfrey said. "But the camp is also going to benefit me by learning from college coaches and college athletes."
It was Godfrey, however, who taught everyone a lesson during the July 6-7 regional meet. He finished the 10-event decathlon with a winning score of 5,076, holding off a comeback effort by Sweet Home High School's Dakotah Keys on the final event of the competition. Keys was second with a score of 5,040.
Godfrey's performances in the sprint events helped him set the pace. He ran a time of 12.12 seconds in the 100 meters and a 54.38 in the 400 before setting a personal best in the javelin (117 feet) and outleaping the field in the pole vault with a height of 12-5 (his best mark is 13-9).
It was the last event of the meet, however, that made the biggest difference for Godfrey. He needed only to stay within 100 feet of Keys during the 1,500 meters and, after Keys won the race in 4:57, Godfrey finished just five seconds behind to seal the win.
That came after Godfrey shook off the pain he felt in his left leg as the meet wore on. And by the time the 1,500 came around, Godfrey and his coach, Larry Dobson, considered walking out of the competition to prevent further injury.
"His leg was bothering him the whole time we were there," Dobson said. "I was surprised he even finished it. His whole knee was swollen for half of the first day and all of the second day and, to be honest, I though we were going to call it quits before the 1,500.
"That's when I asked him, 'Do you want to walk off or do you want to let one of these other kids go to nationals?'" Dobson continued. "That's when he said to me, 'I want to win the race,' and ... that's when his will to win took over."
Godfrey will take that will to win to a different level next year, moving from the intermediate age group to the young men category. And he's hoping that this win will serve as a stepping stone for track meets still to come.
"I'm hoping that I can stay healthy and a college will be looking for a decathlete," Godfrey said. "You don't get that many people who want to do it, because only seven people were at this last meet. Competing in 10 events, it's definitely an advantage."
* You can reach sports reporter Jon Mitchell by e-mail at jmitchell@newsreview.info, or by phone at 957-4219.
"I really don't think nationals will really benefit me until my senior year," the junior-to-be at Douglas High School said. "That's when I'll be at the top of the next age group."
Being at the top is a familiar spot lately for Godfrey, who made a pretty big impression at the Pacific Northwest Junior Olympic Track and Field meet at Willamette University in Salem. Godfrey, a state meet qualifier for his first two years in high school, came away from the JO meet with a first-place finish in the intermediate boys decathlon to automatically qualify for next week's Junior Olympic National Meet in Baltimore.
The win was the second decathlon victory in three meets this summer for Godfrey, whose other victory in the event came just a week earlier at the state meet at Willamette University. It's also the biggest victory so far for Godfrey, whose previous best was a fifth-place finish in the pole vault at last spring's 3A State Championships in Eugene.
But Godfrey, knowing the expenses it would take to get to the national meet, opted to stick with some previously-made plans. He's in Eugene attending an annual track camp at the University of Oregon, and he's hoping the pointers he gets there will help him maintain his progress.
"Of course, going to nationals would benefit me now if I did it," Godfrey said. "But the camp is also going to benefit me by learning from college coaches and college athletes."
It was Godfrey, however, who taught everyone a lesson during the July 6-7 regional meet. He finished the 10-event decathlon with a winning score of 5,076, holding off a comeback effort by Sweet Home High School's Dakotah Keys on the final event of the competition. Keys was second with a score of 5,040.
Godfrey's performances in the sprint events helped him set the pace. He ran a time of 12.12 seconds in the 100 meters and a 54.38 in the 400 before setting a personal best in the javelin (117 feet) and outleaping the field in the pole vault with a height of 12-5 (his best mark is 13-9).
It was the last event of the meet, however, that made the biggest difference for Godfrey. He needed only to stay within 100 feet of Keys during the 1,500 meters and, after Keys won the race in 4:57, Godfrey finished just five seconds behind to seal the win.
That came after Godfrey shook off the pain he felt in his left leg as the meet wore on. And by the time the 1,500 came around, Godfrey and his coach, Larry Dobson, considered walking out of the competition to prevent further injury.
"His leg was bothering him the whole time we were there," Dobson said. "I was surprised he even finished it. His whole knee was swollen for half of the first day and all of the second day and, to be honest, I though we were going to call it quits before the 1,500.
"That's when I asked him, 'Do you want to walk off or do you want to let one of these other kids go to nationals?'" Dobson continued. "That's when he said to me, 'I want to win the race,' and ... that's when his will to win took over."
Godfrey will take that will to win to a different level next year, moving from the intermediate age group to the young men category. And he's hoping that this win will serve as a stepping stone for track meets still to come.
"I'm hoping that I can stay healthy and a college will be looking for a decathlete," Godfrey said. "You don't get that many people who want to do it, because only seven people were at this last meet. Competing in 10 events, it's definitely an advantage."
* You can reach sports reporter Jon Mitchell by e-mail at jmitchell@newsreview.info, or by phone at 957-4219.
