Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
JAMAL THALJIKenny Roberts graduates today, but first he'll showcase his talent for colleges.
WESLEY CHAPEL - Kenny "Junior" Roberts should be at graduation tonight, dressed in cap and gown, receiving his diploma right after brother Chris walks across the stage to take his.
But Roberts can't wait that long.
His future starts now.
Today, in fact, as Roberts travels to Jacksonville to compete in the two-day flrunners.com Decathlon/Heptathlon championship at Bolles High School.
There, he hopes to impress college coaches and improve his chances of earning a scholarship.
"He's had phone conversations with Florida A&M and they're very interested in him doing the decathlon," coach Brian Colding said. "He just wants to go up there this weekend and try it, see what he can do with it.
"I think, and he thinks, he can do quite well. He's just a jack of all trades when it comes to track and field, and this is a chance for him to showcase himself on center stage."
The decathlon was discontinued nine years ago in Florida. Gulf coach Dean Lofton tried to keep it alive at his school, hosting a small unofficial meet every year at W.D. "Des" Little Stadium.
The event has found new life in the first flrunners.com meet, with entrants from all over Florida.
Colding is taking three of his most versatile athletes, Roberts, junior Travis Ugarte and sophomore Aaron Dickler.
"What I've tried to do is take three guys who I really feel are diversified in the disciplines of all the different events," Colding said. "We've worked on some of the events they're weak on, and hopefully maximized the ones they're good at."
To do that, Colding enlisted River Ridge boys track coach Erik Hermansen, a decathlete in college. Hermansen came to Wesley Chapel's track Tuesday to help the athletes with the discus and shot put. Wednesday Colding brought his athletes to Hermansen, who oversaw their workouts on River Ridge's pole vault pit. Thursday Colding drilled them in the hurdles at Wesley Chapel.
The past two seasons Roberts has mastered the hurdles, but in his four-year career the Sunshine Athletic Conference runner of the year has competed in virtually every event. When he heard about the flrunners.com meet, he was eager to participate - until he found out the date.
That made his decision more complicated. After all, the family was going to see both brothers graduate.
"It wasn't hard for me at all," he said. "I was worried about what everybody else would think. But when everybody else thought about it was a real good idea. It's my future and what I might be doing later in life."
Mom Princess Cowart gave her blessing, and that was that.
"I won't be missing anything," he said. "It's just a tradition."
Chris will walk on at FAMU as a linebacker. Kenny wants to join him as a decathlete. All he needs is a qualifying SAT score (he has come close, but being blind in one eye he must take a special version) and an offer from a college track program.
Colding said Roberts brings a lot to the decathlon.
"He can run the 100, he's thrown the shot over 47 feet, he's thrown the discus over 120, he can pole vault 10 feet," the coach said. "He's got to long jump, and he's jumped before in the high 18s, low 19s. We know what he can do in the 400 and he holds the school record, two minutes flat, in the 800."
There are only a few weaknesses: the high jump and pole vault, and the javelin, which no one in Florida competes in during the season because it is a nonsanctioned event. So Colding improvised, unscrewing a broomstick.
"The one disadvantage I think I have is in the javelin," Roberts said. "All the other events I've done good in. The only thing that that worries me is the javelin.
"But I'm just going to go out there and have fun."