By Isaac Gibson
Sammy Watson was overcome by her experience in Oregon.
The high school junior from Henrietta, New York, broke the tape in the girls elite 400-meter dash in 53.21 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic Friday night in front of the biggest crowd she has ever seen at a track meet.
Watson was well aware of Pre’s legacy at Oregon when she arrived. “This meet is so prestigious, I mean Steve Prefontaine, he’s so big, I still can’t believe I’m here,” she said. “It was so crazy, I kept looking up at everyone in the stands, and I just wanted to make Pre proud.”
The Prefontaine Classic hosted a boys and girls 400-meter race, where some of the best talent in the country flew to Portland to spend a few days in an elite running camp at the Nike campus.
“The camp was so much fun – I couldn’t believe I was here, I kept taking pictures of everything,” Watson said. “It was so beautiful, the Nike campus, the Michael Johnson track in the woods – I didn’t want to leave.”
It was a strange experience for most of the young athletes, especially for Georgia freshman Sterling Lester.
“It was … really just weird,” she said. “We never practice, we always just run against each other – it was unusual.”
However, Watson had a different opinion. “It was so much fun — everyone at the camp was so nice,” she said. “I thought they would be mean because we all run the same event, so we want to beat each other.”
It was a memorable experience for Watson, one that could affect her opinion when it comes to making a college decision next year.
“I really am thinking of coming here,” she said. “Everybody here at the camp is from Georgia and Texas, so they think it’s freezing cold. But I’m like sweating at the starting line thinking, ‘I should live here it’s just so perfect!’”
She even chimed in at the end, “It is just so cool being here – I love the color, green is my favorite color.”
