Lake Forest Academy standout has stellar performance at nationals

Updated: August 11, 2011 2:02PM

Taylor Click didn’t get caught up in the fast pace. Instead, the middle-distance ace bided his time and waited to make a big push at the end.

Click, who will be a senior at Lake Forest Academy, walked away with a fourth-place medal in the recent USATF Junior Nationals in the 800-meter run. Competing at Wichita State University, Click reached the finish in 1:55.54.

“The race went out really fast,” said Click, who runs for the Waukegan Invaders. “I was in the middle of the pack, and I waited to the end to make my move. A lot of guys fell off because they went out too fast.”

Click blew past several runners in the final lap to achieve his goal.

“I just wanted to place in the top eight,” Click said. “I was real happy with fourth place.”

The 1:55.54 effort was the second-fastest in Click’s career (he ran 1:54.37 in the USA Youth Nationals in Myrtle Beach earlier this summer). The time is impressive, considering the race-time temperature in Wichita was 113 degrees.

“They (meet officials) said it was 120 on the track,” Click related. “I just tried to stay out of the sun as much as possible.”

Click also leaned on his superior fitness level to beat the elements.

“Taylor is a practice guy,” said Invaders coach Ken Almond. “It’s easy to get him going.”

A simple desire to improve drives Click whenever it’s time to practice.

“It’s the best time to get better,” Click said. “My coach always has good training drills for me.”

The influence of Almond cannot be understated.

“Coach (Almond) is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had,” Click said. “He knows exactly how to train for each event.”

When next spring rolls around, Click will soak in the guidance of Lake Forest Academy coaches Melvin Allen and Kevin Versen.

“They both know the sport very well,” said Click of his coaches at LFA.

After spending two years at Lake Forest High School, Click transferred to LF Academy. He’s found a home at the private school — and has discovered a new distance.

“I used to be a 400 guy,” he said. “But my coach (Almond) told me to move up to the 800.”

The switch was not met with resistance, which is typical of how Click handles any coaching he receives.

“Taylor is a coach’s type of kid,” said Almond of his willingness to soak in advice. “He’s still learning how to race, and he’s getting better every time.”

The proof: Click finished 12th in the 800 in the USATF Junior Nationals in 2010 before zooming up to fourth in 2011.

Bank on Click being one of the fittest runners on the track. He spent last week at a soccer camp in Santa Clara, Calif., and will be part of the Caxys’ soccer team this fall.

He figures to hang up his soccer cleats for good when winter rolls around.

“I like track better,” Click said. “I just like to compete.”

The oval could be his ticket to a college education. Click hopes that track will open the door to some of the top academic schools in the country.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.