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Photo by Larry Caruso
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Belleville's James Erickson represented Saline's Spirit of Pre Track Club at the Adidas Outdoor Championships in North Carolina.
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One opportunity didn't come through for James Erickson. But did it ever create another.
Erickson finished in seventh place in the 1,600-meter run in 4 minutes, 19 seconds at the Midwest Meet of Champions two weekends ago in Delaware, Ohio.
The top six scored points for their team, so Erickson wasn't able to contribute in that way. His time, though, qualified him for the mile run at the Adidas Outdoor Championships on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C.
Representing the Saline-based Spirit of Pre Track Club, Erickson finished second out of nine runners in his heat at 4:18. Mile times are about two seconds slower than 1,600 times.
He was in the second of three heats, which were seeded by time. He was in seventh place with 300 meters to go before taking off.
"It was a great way to end my (prep) career," Erickson said. "I had a really great kick in the end. I passed the whole field and chased the guy in first.
"It was a great little competitive field."
The trip also gave Erickson some other opportunities. He was able to spend a fair amount of time talking to his future University of Virginia head coaches, Jason Dunn in cross country and Randy Bungard in track. He also was able to see his Spirit of Pre teammates earn two relay national titles. All of the relay runners prepped at Saline High.
"It's been great running with them," Erickson said. "I'm really glad I had an opportunity, and they took me under their wing."
And, the most fun thing of all was when he and his teammates made a side trip on the way home to go white-water rafting on the famed New River in West Virginia.
"It was such a blast," Erickson said.
At the Midwest meet, Erickson was pleased with his performance, even though he wasn't in the top six.
"I had a really great experience," he said. "I had a lot of fun in the race. I made a daring move and I was happy with it. At the half-mile (800 meters), I went out at 2:07. I moved into second place. I put in a hard (third) lap, a 62-second quarter (400). We got to the bell lap and gave it my all.
"The third lap shouldn't have been as hard. Other than that, I had no disappointments with race."
Erickson said he became a smarter runner that day.
"He was in fourth with 100 yards to go, but the pack closed up on him," Belleville Coach David Medley said. "He ran a good race. The pack went out slow, and he and another guy took it out."
Indiana's team won the meet with 184 points, Michigan was second with 148 and Ohio third with 125. For the girls, Ohio had 162, Indiana 157 and Michigan 136. Both Michigan teams were sponsored by the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association.
The two meets closed one chapter of Erickson's athletic career, but another's about to open at the University of Virginia.
"It's sad, but at the same time, it's exciting," he said.
In addition to Virginia, Erickson visited Princeton University and drew interest from the University of Michigan. He said he chose Virginia because it's an up-and-coming program and because it's a strong academic school. Erickson, Belleville's salutatorian with a 4.331 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale, said he'll probably study pre-medicine, but hasn't chosen an area within that discipline.
His financial aid package will total about $27,000 a year, or nearly a full ride.
"He's heading to the right place," Medley said.
As Erickson developed as a runner, he chose concentrate on it and made the tough decision to give up wrestling and baseball.
"It's hard to let go of any sport, but baseball was the hardest to leave," he said. "That was my first love. There were a lot of emotions attached. Wrestling was a little bit easier.
"So many great opportunities were coming up."
Erickson earned 11 letters in four sports at Belleville. He earned four in cross country, getting to the state meet every year, and three in wrestling. He was a two-time state tournament qualifier, but didn't wrestle as a senior. He lettered in baseball in his first two years, and lettered in track in the final two.
Medley said that Erickson was so much more than an accomplished runner. He also was a leader among the athletes.
"He knew exactly what to say and was sincere, and the kids respected him," Medley said. "He was always looking to help the other kids grow a little bit."
Erickson had Medley as an art teacher, and was able to show his talent in several disciplines, including painting, drawing and sculpture.
"He could do anything," Medley said. "He was a Renaissance man."
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