Trinity Wilson looks to right two wrongs at Arcadia Invitational

WHAT: 44th Arcadia Invitational

WHEN: Friday-Saturday

WHERE: Arcadia (Calif.) High School

SCHEDULE: Friday starts - Decathlon (9 a.m.), Heptathlon (10:30 a.m.), night relays and field events (4:30 p.m.); Saturday starts - Open (9:30 a.m.); Invitational - field events (3:40 p.m.), running (5:25 p.m.).



HEADLINERS: Boys - Marquis Dendy (long jump, triple jump), Gunnar Nixon (decathlon), Demontay McClain and Ronald Darby (sprints), Demetrius Lindo and Jonathan Cabral (hurdles); Girls - Akawkaw Ndipagbor (400), Trinity Wilson (100 hurdles), Hannah Cunliffe (sprints), Ciarra Brewer (triple jump).

HISTORY: 24 national records set; 125 future U.S. Olympians competed.

WEBSITE: Click here.

NATIONAL LEADERS: Boys. Girls. Trinity Wilson was beside herself.

Literally.

While the 100-meter hurdle medal winners giggled and congratulated each other standing near the victory stand at 2010 state championships in Clovis, the St. Mary's (Berkeley) standout sat stoically on a nearby bench, stewing and holding her second-place ribbon.

"I couldn't even look at it," Wilson said of the ribbon. "I had the second-place lettering flipped over. I just stared t the white back portion."



The eight-time youth national hurdles record-holder led from the opening gun to the last hurdle but was edged at the line by current Stanford freshman Kori Carter 13.33 seconds to 13.35, the two fastest all-condition times in the country last season.

"I could taste it," Wilson said after the race. "I thought I was going to win the whole way. It was a great race and a great time, but it still hurts."

And almost a year later, it still hurts.

It's painful largely because Wilson, a powerfully built 5-foot-9 junior, returns back to the prestigious and 44th annual Arcadia Invitational on Saturday.

It was there last year that in an almost identical race to the state finals, Wilson blew out of the gates, looked great, but was passed at the line by Carter.

Wilson thought she learned her lesson then – to never let up and attack the hurdles no matter how far ahead – but then had to re-learn it on the biggest high school stage.



They were Wilson's only losses of an otherwise impeccable sophomore season.

"Twice I had it taken away from me at the very end," Wilson said. "It was devastating. Don't get me wrong. Kori did a great job and I respect her and she deserved to win. But I can never let that happen again. Never."

{PAGEBREAK} At 16 – then 15 – Wilson is certainly allowed to make mistakes. But she's been so flawless since learning her craft at age 11 that errors – mental or physical – are jarring.

Her best times in the 100 hurdles are 13.35 wind-aided and 13.49 legal. She's also gone 11.86 in the open 100 and 24.80 in the 200.

She set world age-group 100 hurdle records at age 13 and 14 and national records in the event also as a freshman and sophomore.

"She has a bunch of indoor national records as well," her club coach Curtis Taylor said.
 
Taylor, who has coached most of the Bay Area's top female hurdlers and sprinters, thinks the losses last year should prove beneficial.



"She's learning to focus on all her races and for the entire race," he said. "That just comes with growth. Part of the problem is she's accomplished so much in her life, she just expects to win.

"But people forget that because she's so good at what she does and she looks much older than she really is, that Trinity just turned 16-year-old."

And as a full-fledged teen, Wilson is allowed to be at times a full-blown paradox.

"I can definitely be a complicated person sometimes," she said with a laugh.

Asked about her top college choices, and Wilson noted North Carolina and Duke because they have the "nicest uniforms," she said.

Wilson appeared to be only half-kidding.



"She's really been all over the map with her college plans," Taylor said. "I think it's a bit overwhelming for her at this point."

{PAGEBREAK} At the same time, Wilson is quite focused on what she wants to do with her life, besides run for the USA in the Olympics.

"I want to be the female Diddy (Sean Combs)," she said. "I want to get into numerous business ventures, but all of them dedicated to helping children and teen-agers. I want kids to know that they can do so many positive things with their life."

The most positive athletic role model she aspires to be is of all people is Croatian high jumper and record holder Blanka Vlasic.

"I like and admire how she handles pressure," Wilson said. "She handles herself with so much composure and so much confidence, yet she always has a smile on her face. I like that."

And Taylor likes everything about how Wilson works.



"She's definitely physically talented and gifted but more than that Trinity never misses a practice," he said. "She works extremely hard. She has everything you need to compete at a high level. She's just a really, really good kid and she wants to be great."

Like the other former state champions and hurdlers his coached – KeNyia Richardson and Julian Purvis – Wilson has great feet and technique. "She shuffles really, really well," Taylor said. "She's so powerful and balanced."

After recording the nation's best 60-meter indoor mark in Feb., Wilson has competed in just one outdoor meet, falling at the finish line while winning at Stanford in a state-best 14.03 time.

The weather – like it is forecasted at Arcadia – was wet and Wilson edged Hercules senior Chalese Davis (14.12). She'll likely face Davis and other of the top state's best including Rancho Cucamonga sophomore Jodie Munford and Fairfield junior Daje Pugh.

Wilson said she rarely, if ever, goes on line to check out her competitors and leaders lists.

"I can't worry about all that or get caught up in the hype," Wilson said. "Rain or shine, I'll be ready to go."