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Rain forces Rolf Steier to wait a day before finishing in 4:14.13.
By FRANK PASTOR
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 21, 2001
TAMPA -- Rolf Steier was 45 minutes away from the biggest race of his life when the sky fell. Or, seemingly, everything in it.
Steier, 17, who will be a senior at Berkeley Prep this fall, had just begun warming up for the 7:30 p.m. start of the mile run at the adidas Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday when the clouds darkened. Lightning shot across the sky and rain pelted the North Carolina State track in Raleigh. Steier spent the rest of the night under a tent. "When it first started, I was a little relieved," Steier said. "But I didn't realize it would be the whole day. We were sitting in our tent for 2 1/2 hours."
Steier had little time to shake off the rust when his race was moved to 9 a.m. the next day.
Running in the fastest heat, Steier finished in 4 minutes, 14.13 seconds, placing sixth in his heat and ninth overall at what serves as the national championship meet for high school athletes.
"I was basically trying to do as well as I could," Steier said. "I was trying to get in the top six." Steier, a six-time state champion in track and cross country, said he prefers running at night, when he is more awake. "It's hard to focus on being ready to run at a certain time and then having it pushed back," he said, although Steier refused to use the postponement as an excuse.
Overall, Steier finished less than five seconds behind winner Nick Schneider (4:09.42) of Victoria, Minn., and a little more than a second behind sixth-place finisher Robert Smitson (4:12.92) of Carmel, Ind. However, he did place ahead of David Vidal of Kalispell, Mont., and Adam Perkins of Liberty, Mo., two of the nation's top runners.
He also was one of four underclassmen to finish in the top 10, giving him added confidence for next year's meet.
"It's pretty likely one of my goals will be to either win or do very well," he said.
Steier met the meet's qualifying standards this past season, which he capped with state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. He qualified for the national meet in the mile and 2 mile but chose to focus on the mile after learning he would be placed in the fastest of four heats.
He placed 16th in the 2 mile at last year's meet.
Next month, Steier will run in an even bigger event.
He will represent the United States in the 1,500 at the Under-17 World Championships in Hungary. He qualified for the meet, which is part of the World Youth Games, at a qualifying meet last summer in Decatur, Ill.
AGE: 17
ACADEMICS: 3.9 grade point average
ACTIVITIES: National Honor Society, track and field, cross country
INTERESTS: Plays guitar
FAVORITE FOOD: "I'm pretty open to a lot of stuff."
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Ed
FUTURE: Hopes to attend college ("I'm not focusing on anything in particular just yet.")