LaPorte’s Coburn seeking perfection

Updated: May 18, 2011 10:53PM

For six years now, Skyler Coburn has been on a quest.

Since he started running hurdles as a lark as a seventh-grader, the LaPorte senior has been working toward the perfect race. In it, he glides over the barriers with no wasted motion, neither clipping them nor wasting time by clearing them by more than necessary.

Coburn is a lot closer to his goal now as he prepares for today’s Portage Sectional than he was when he started.

“I was undefeated all through seventh grade, eighth grade I kept it up,” he said. “(But) my form was awful in middle school. I (just) had speed between the hurdles. That’s been my biggest issue — my form slows me down.”

It’s hard to tell that from his results, however. Coburn took 16th at state as a sophomore in the 300 hurdles and was a sectional and regional runner-up last season before finishing eighth at state with a time of 39.08 seconds. That finish could have been even better, LaPorte co-coach Bob James believes, but for some misfortune.

“There were two guys ahead of him by .01 and he had to jump over a guy who fell in his lane,” James said.

Now the bar is higher, especially after Coburn won the Duneland Athletic Conference title in the 300 hurdles last week with a school-record time of 38.79.

“Some people think I have a chance to win (state),” said Coburn, who is ranked third in the state in the event according to IndianaRunner.com. “I know if I run a perfect race, it’ll probably work out.”

But he’s his own toughest critic and results notwithstanding, doesn’t believe he’s been close to perfect yet.

“Last year I worked on my form quite a bit, getting my lead leg down quicker,” Coburn said. “Every meet, every practice, I can tell what I’m doing wrong. ... I get done, shaking my head knowing what I did wrong. Sometimes I can tell I’m going to screw up.”

Be that as it may, Coburn has done well for hmself and for the Slicers in general. He’s signed a Division I letter of intent with Miami (Ohio) and is eager for the challenge of college, where the longest race is 400 meters and the hurdles are higher. Well, eager and a little nervous at the same time.

“I get done running the 300 hurdles and I’m exhausted,” Coburn said. “I’m going to be running 100 more meters and with higher hurdles. I’m anxious to see how tiring it’s going to be and it’s scary at the same time.”

Not that Coburn shies away from hard work.

“The kid trains like an animal,” James said.

That blue-collar mentality should serve him well at Miami, which he sees as a perfect fit. “I loved the campus and the coaches are really nice,” he said.

What Coburn and his classmates have accomplished at LaPorte is pretty nice as well.

“My freshman year and even part of my sophomore year, football was my main sport,” he said. “Freshman year we lost almost every (track) meet. Last year when we beat Merrillville, that was the turning point. I realized we were a real good team.”

And he’s a pretty good hurdler, even if in his own mind he’s not yet perfect.

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