BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
AUSTIN — As Valery Tobias paraded onto the track Saturday at Mike A. Myers Stadium to make her debut at the UIL State Track and Field Championships, she surveyed the stands and saw the swarm of fans in the bleachers. The crowd of nearly 12,000 was by far the most she’s ever competed in front of.
But the Edinburg IDEA Quest freshman had bigger things to ponder than the number of eyes watching her participate in the Class 3A 800-meter run.
“I was focused on the race more than anything,” Tobias said. “I was just seeing myself running through the race. I guess when they fired the (starting) gun, I didn’t feel anything anymore.”
By race’s end, her feelings returned in the form of jubilation. Tobias won the silver medal with a time of 2 minutes, 15.21 seconds, setting a new personal record in the process. Her previous PR was 2:18.14.
“I was so proud of myself,” she said. “I was so thankful to those athletes and my competitors. They made me better.”
Tobias entered the event tied for the best seed time with Chloe Zeisman of Holiday (2:19.12). During the race’s first 400 meters, the IDEA distance runner held firm in fourth place.
“The first 200, I was running against the wind,” she said. “In the second 200, I wanted to use the wind with me. I wanted to go. I was just holding with that front group as fast as I could. I felt like I wanted to move. I needed to make a stand.”
Tobias would remain in fourth the majority of the race. She says the second and final lap was about positioning herself in order to make a move when the time was right. During the race’s final 200-meters, the top-three runners began to pull away before Tobias found the speed she needed.
“Halfway through the second turn, I started my kick there.” she said. “I told myself, ‘I can do this.’ So at the end I was trying to run as fast as I could, like it was my last race ever. It was all about who wanted it the most. I was just running for my life.”
Tobias passed Bret Leight Nance (Blanco) and Zeisman on the outside during the race’s final 100 meters, securing a podium finish.
“She did everything the way we planned to,” coach Robbie Cruz said. “I wish she would have kicked in a little bit sooner. 10 meters sooner, and she would have gotten (first). She usually gathers herself and then kicks in, but she did good.”
Tobias later competed in the 3A 400-meter dash, placing sixth with a time of 59.31, less than one second away from her personal best of 58.43. Tobias, a cross country athlete, isn’t accustomed to middle-distance races and say she viewed the 400 as a race she does, “for fun.”
“I’m going to look back on this as an experience,” Tobias said. “I really enjoyed all this. It was a better experience for me to learn more about myself and the other competitors. When I was in junior high, I used to cry before races. Now, it’s just like any race, just with the word, ‘state’ in front of it. I think it taught me how to control my thoughts mentally.”
As if coming within .53 seconds of gold as a freshman isn’t remarkable enough, consider the conditions with which Blazers track team practice. The school’s gym is merely a trailer full of hand-me-down weights. Since the team doesn’t have it’s own track, they use the one at UTPA. When they aren’t able to run on borrowed turf, they simply run laps around the school and its surrounding neighborhoods. The Blazers team is small, just 13 strong, because the budget allows for 15 jerseys.
Despite the less than ideal facilities, Tobias and teammate Jillian Terry competed on the state’s highest level. Terry competed in the 3A girls high jump, but failed to medal.
“The kids are putting in the hard work with this program,” Cruz said. “They didn’t see themselves making it to state. We had all three relay teams advance to regionals. The kids are working hard, and we’re excited about next year. I hope to bring more back (to state).”