Wheeler's Gilles hoping for better ending

Updated: April 25, 2011 6:22AM

Wheeler's Taylor Gilles pictured herself on the awards stand at last year's IHSAA Girls State Track Meet. Placing among the top runners at state in the 100-meter hurdles was something she had prepared, trained and yearned for.

Unfortunately for the Bearcats' star, she never had the opportunity to smile for the camera.

After slipping on her own block in the prelims, Gilles never made it to the finals -- missing by .05 seconds. She ended up placing 10th overall.

"The IHSAA gives you the option of using your own block, or one of their blocks, but we decided to use our own block," said Wheeler coach, Rhonda Anderson, who is also Gilles' mother.

"In practice, our block fell just fine, but when the race started, Taylor's adrenaline, or power on the blocks, had to be greater than in practice, and it slipped. As a result, she got off to a bad start. Her touch down time in that race was the worst she had in the hurdles the entire year. Her actual time to the first hurdle was a couple of tenths slower than when she normally gets to the first hurdle. It was all due to the block start."

Even though she was healthy, and her training and workouts leading up to the state meet were unmatched, Gilles never had the chance to reach one of her goals.

"At the time, it was really devastating, because I really wanted to be on the (awards stand)," she said. "It really served as motivation for me, because I'm just going to prove I can run faster. I'm definitely determined to place this time. My goal is to place in the top five to top three. During the season this year, my goal is to keep knocking my time down as much as I can."

Already this year, Gilles has won the AAU Northern Indoor National Championship at Illinois Wesleyan University in February, and the 55-meter hurdles title in the small school division of the Hoosier State Relays, held at Purdue last month. Outdoors, Gilles went 14.9 in a meet against Lowell this spring.

If she can remain healthy and keep improving, she should be able to close her prep career in memorable fashion.

"It would be great, since last year I really didn't get the chance," Gilles said. "Just being on the podium this year would be a great accomplishment and better than last year."

Anderson said Gilles is determined to erase the memories associated with last year's race.

"Taylor is really on a mission this year," she said. "I haven't had to motivate her to train hard. Her work ethic is better than it's ever been. I've been monitoring the workouts very closely. She's faster and she's stronger right now than she was last season. Her training has been going very well."

Gilles, who also competes in the 100 dash and runs the lead leg on Wheeler's 400 relay team, signed with Indiana State in February, after trips to Tennessee State, Grand Valley State, Indiana Tech, and two unofficial visits to Purdue.

Gilles, who plans a career in nursing as an anesthetist, has a 4.02 grade point average in honors classes and ranks in the top 10 percent of her class.

She was initially recruited by coach John Gartland two years ago when she was a sophomore. Gartland coached a long line of former Lew Wallace sprinters at ISU who competed for Anderson, when she led the school to three consecutive state titles.

The Bearcats' phenom is looking forward to working under John McNichols, ISU's hurdles coach, along with Angie Martin, the women's head coach.

"Indiana State was the best choice for me," Gilles said. "It was close to home, and I really didn't want to go too far away. The coaches there are great. I think they can take me to the next level."

Anderson has seen her daughter make big strides in the past few years.

"From ninth grade to now, there's a world of difference in her attitude," said Anderson, a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team.

"There's never any convincing or coercing her to train harder, because she wants to. This is what you always like to see, and hope to see, as a coach. She's come to understand that there's a direct correlation between the way you train and your performance on the track."

"In the past year, Taylor's trained harder than she ever has in her life. She's determined to run faster. We both know she's a better hurdler than what happened at last year's state meet. It's one thing to get beat, but it's another thing to get beat and know you had a better race in you -- and Taylor was physically and mentally prepared to have her best race that day."

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