LUCKEY – Kyle Smithey’s goal this weekend is simple.
Win a state championship.
The Elmwood High School senior is one of the favorites to win the 300 hurdles during
the state track and field meet this weekend at Ohio State University’s Jesse
Owens Stadium.
Smithey finished sixth in the state last season and posted the third-fastest time of
the 16 state qualifiers during last week’s regional meets.
He ran 38.88 at the Tiffin regional, just one one-hundreths of a second behind
champion Toledo Christian senior Rowan Shaw.
The fastest regional time was posted by Gahanna Columbus Academy sophomore Jack Lint,
who ran 38.25. Shaw and Lint also are returning state qualifiers from last
season, finishing third and fifth, respectively.
"A state championship would be incredible," Smithey said Wednesday prior to
practice at Eastwood High School.
Elmwood’s ancient cinder track was torn up earlier this spring and is being replaced
by an all-weather track which surrounds the football field. As a result, Elmwood
held most of its workouts on its football practice field, at Van Buren High
School and at Bowling Green State University.
"I feel good and I’m starting to peak," Smithey said. "Going into
state, I’m confident I can throw out one of my best times. If I run my best,
I’ll give myself a chance."
Smithey, whose personal best is 38.6, believes it’ll take 38.2 or 38.3 to win state.

The semifinals are Friday, with the top two finishers in each semifinal and next five
fastest times overall advancing to Saturday’s finals. Shaw and Smithey are in
the same heat.
The top eight finishers in the finals earn All-Ohio honors and stand on the podium.

"It takes one good race and, hopefully, that will happen this weekend,"
Elmwood coach Eric Poffenbaugh said. "If he does, he can finish really high
on the podium."
But the 300 hurdles aren’t his only events. He also qualified for state in the 110
hurdles and the 800 relay.
Smithey qualified in the 110 hurdles by finishing third in the regional with a time
of 15.05, easily lowering his previous best of 15.3.
He also advanced to state in the 110s last year, but failed to make the finals. Rowan
and Lint also will run the 110s.
"I knew it’d be really tough in the 110s to get back to state, but I didn’t want
to be the kid who made it his junior year and didn’t make it as a senior,"
Smithey said. "I pushed myself as hard as I could at regionals to make sure
I got out."
Smithey’s regional time was the 10th-fastest of the state qualifiers with seven
breaking the 15-second mark.
"I want to make the finals, but there are some ready good times," Smithey
said. "Not making the finals last year was disappointing and I want to run
the finals in both races."
Smithey believes the experience he gained at state last year will help him.
"It’ll knock out the nerves," said Smithey, whose brother, Curtis, was an
All-Ohio sprinter. Curtis finished second in the state in the 400 in 2008 after
a fifth-place finish in 2007.
"I know the atmosphere," Kyle Smithey said. "There’s definitely a
calmness to me this year because I’ve been there."
Friday morning’s semifinals will be busy for Smithey. He’ll run the 110 hurdles at
10:10, the relay at 10:40 and the 300 hurdles at 11:30.
"I’ll have a lot going on, but I’m in good shape and I feel good," Smithey
said. "It won’t be a factor."
Smithey’s success, like that of his teammates, is even more impressive, because they
don’t have a home track.
"It’s so hard to work on that specific event with the timing of the hurdles
without a track at home," Poffenbaugh said. "His times have suffered
in the 110s, but he’s still worked hard, and so has the entire team. I’m very
proud of them."
The new track surrounds the football field. New bleachers for the football stadium
already are in place.
The Royals’ success is even more impressive because they don’t have a home track.
"We’re really proud of what we’ve done, given the circumstances," Smithey
said. "(Not having a track) gives us an extra drive to prove that even
though we don’t have a track, we’re still able to perform. As athletes, it shows
how we can still focus and concentrate on being successful. The new track will
be great for the younger runners. Hopefully, it’ll help build our program and
get more people out for the team, both boys and girls."
Smithey, a standout golfer during the fall, will run collegiately at Findlay. He has
a 3.9 grade-point average.