On A Fast Track
State champion on an Island by himself
(Editor's Note: This is the first of five in a series spotlighting the finalists for News-Times Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.)
LaMario Island, one of Arkansas' top high school hurdlers, only competed in two full track seasons at El Dorado. As a senior, he was crowned 5A state champion in the 100 hurdles.
He had an incredible two-year career considering he didn't make the track team at Barton Middle School.
At Barton, I only tried out for one event. I tried the sprints,” said Island. “Looking at track, it looked like the sprints were the most interesting so I always wanted to be a sprinter. But, I ended up not being fast enough and he felt like he didn't need me.”
Island didn't identify the track coach who cut him from the team. He actually said it was probably justified.
“I mean, I feel like it was fair just because I wasn't open to trying anything else,” he explained. “But, I do feel the coach should've been like, ‘Well, maybe you should try something else,' instead of just letting me cut it off right there.”
Island didn't try out the next year, instead turning his attention to tennis. He joined the Wildcats' tennis team in the 10th grade.
“I wanted to play a sport. I always wanted to play a sport since Barton. That's why I tried out for the track team,” he said. “With tennis, I wanted to bring more black representation into the sport. I didn't see any black people on the tennis team so I was just like, let me do it.”
In that case, why not swimming? “I can swim but … it's the uniforms.”
O.K., so it took Island awhile to find his sport. That wasn't an issue academically. The finalist for News
Times Male Scholar Athlete of the Year finished with a 4.1481 grade point average.
Island plans to run track at the University of Central Arkansas and study nursing.
“I got a preferred walkon offer. I'm going to take it. He said I could, potentially, get a scholarship my sophomore year,” he said.
Like the Wildcats' tennis team, Island said he'd like to diversify the nursing industry.
“You don't see a lot of black male nurses. I just feel like, why not make the change now?”
Of course, that's not the primary reason for selecting a career.
“I like anatomy and stuff. I took anatomy this year. I like learning about the body, learning about how things inside of myself work. It's like nobody would ever think so much stuff goes on inside the body. I just find it interesting,” said Island, who is an Arkansas Scholar and recipient of the UCA Distinguished Scholarship.
“My initial interest actually came from getting physicals. That sounds weird. But I see how nice they are and how comfortable I feel around nurses, getting shots and all this other stuff. It's not an easy task but it's not the same thing every day. I don't like repetitiveness. I just want something where I can have a different thing to do every day.”
Also, “My grandmother has cancer. She started this organization at CARTI called ‘chemo angels.' She provides blankets and snacks for the cancer patients. I feel like if she can do something so small but have such a big impact, I can do something as well to help.”
Island said black representation and eradicating racist stereotypes are important to him. He thinks about that a lot.
“It's very important to me,” he said. “Things are getting crazy. At first being younger, I really didn't understand what was going on. But as I grew older and I realized, we're actually not getting treated like we're supposed to. It's not as equal as it's supposed to be. I was like, maybe I should try to step into these waters and try to show that we are capable of doing just as well as everybody else. We don't all fall into the stereotypes of what being black is.”
Island's tennis career ended up being a lot more than just black-and-white. After playing doubles his first year, he worked his way up the rankings.
“My first year, I was on varsity but I wasn't one of the top six. I wouldn't play at every match. I would play certain matches when they had extra people,” he said. “Actually, my senior year was my first time being in the top six. I started off playing doubles this year but I ended up playing singles halfway through the season. By the end of the season, I was the first singles.”
But, Island's initial sport was supposed to be track. He was discovered by El Dorado's track coaches while doing strength and conditioning with the tennis team. He joined the track team as a sophomore during the COVIDshortened season.
“I'm definitely more proud of my track career. Tennis was more of like, I made it to the top by default, instead of my actual skill-wise,” he said. “But, track I actually did after school and out of practice practices, trying to get better, trying to be the best track star I could be. I ended up being a champion.”
Island ran a 15.10 to win the 100 hurdles at the state meet. He was third in the 300 hurdles with a time of 40.78. He also placed seventh in the triple jump. At the Meet of Champions, he finished sixth in the 100 hurdles and seventh in the 300 hurdles.
It was a spectacular season considering he was an alternate for the state meet as a junior.
“He started at 16-something in the 110 hurdles and eventually went 15.1, knocked down a second. He knocked down three seconds in the 300 hurdles,” said El Dorado track coach DeAnthony Curtis. “While he's doing that, he's still maintaining a 4.1 GPA. That's impressive. He's a great kid. I hate to see that young man leave. I hate to see him leave.”
Island said he doesn't consider himself a natural athlete. He credits his success as a hurdler to technique more than speed.
“I definitely had to work to become the athlete I became. It took a lot of dedication, a lot of hard work. I think I made it,” said Island.
“If I'm being honest, last year I didn't expect this.
I did not expect a championship ring. I didn't expect to be a 110-meter hurdle champion. I just wanted to be better this year. I excelled beyond my expectations. I can't ask for anything else.”
As an athlete, Island probably hasn't scratched the surface of his potential. Just think about the waste of talent it would've been if he had given up on track after being told he wasn't good enough.
Soft-spoken and humble, Island lists his grandmother as the inspiration.
“Despite her illness, she just always knows she can do something. She always believed in me,” he said. “Even when I would tell her, ‘I don't think I can do this.' She'd say, ‘Just go do it. You got it.' She was always one who, despite adversity, she would still put in the time and the work to do what she felt needed to be done. And, she got it done every single time. I just feel like, if she can do it, I can do it.”