Running track wasn’t always on Kareem Crawford’s to-do list. The Curtis senior played just soccer and junior varsity lacrosse his first two years at the school and never really thought about setting foot on the track. But the Warriors’ spring coach Donald Pierce felt it would be to Crawford’s benefit to try.
“I was much faster than anyone on the soccer team and stronger,” Crawford said.
Added Pierce: “I saw him play soccer and I saw how fast his feet were. I thought that could maybe translate into the hurdles.”
Crawford’s career didn’t start well as he was hurt and needed to improve academically during indoor season a year ago. Since then, after plenty of hard work in the classroom and on the track later, he has become one of the premier hurdlers in the state. Crawford currently holds the state’s best outdoor times in the 110 meters hurdles (14.04) and the 400 with a mark of 53.67, winning both at the PSAL city championships Sunday at Icahn Stadium.
“This is the best he has been,” Pierce said. “He looked very smooth over the hurdles.”
He finished sixth in the 55 hurdles at the indoor state championship meet last March and won the PSAL city championship in the event with a time of 7.45, beating three of Sheepshead Bay’s top hurdlers. Pierce said he originally planned to train him as a 400 meter hurdler, but Crawford immediately took to the event and ran the 55 in a time of 7.84 in his first indoor meet. It was a far cry from where Crawford was last spring.
“At this time last year I sucked,” he said. “I remember when I first ran outdoors all the Sheepshead kids beat me.”
Following that outdoor season last year he went to work on his new craft and his academics. Training for track was something he found harder than this other sports, especially when he had not yet found a love for it. There were 10 a.m. practices and long distance runs, things Crawford was not fond of.
“I practiced more,” Crawford said. “I focused more. I wasn’t that focused last year on track. Last year I really didn’t like track.”
He started to realize he had a future in the sport. He was still a forward and a goalkeeper on the soccer team this year, but has given up lacrosse, where he played midfield. Recently, he committed to run track at Coppin State.
Crawford led the Warriors to the PSAL Staten Island indoor crown and a second-place finish outdoors. His next goals are to run sub-14.0 and win at the state outdoor championships at Vestal HS this weekend. It’s certainly possible with Crawford calmly running close to that time last weekend in the gusty winds.
“It was smooth from the start, just working my way into my rhythm,” he said.
Overall he seems to have found it.