Brooks: Dodson Quick With Decisions (On His Feet, Too)

BOULDER - Two things you come to realize very quickly about Jeremy Dodson: He isn't into distance running or making time-consuming decisions. Were it not for acting on whims, Dodson might never get anything done, although that might be changing.

He decided to attend the University of Arkansas on a whim . . . same for him recently applying to law school at the University of Colorado. The Arkansas decision didn't work out, but he picked up a life lesson or two while trying to make sense of "Woo, pig, sooey" during his year in the Ozarks. As for CU law school and perhaps becoming a sports agent, if he wants to make that work he's certainly capable - but that's TBD.

"That (becoming a sports agent) has crossed my mind every once in a while," the soft-spoken Dodson said. "But my mind's changed a lot since high school. I was going to be a doctor, a lawyer, a businessman, a professional video game player . . . it's been all up in the air. Hopefully, after this year, something comes to mind that I like."

He's too bright to be adrift for long, but for now, he's concentrating on wrapping up a memorable CU track career that he and his coach, Drew Morano, believe can propel him into professional racing. The Buffaloes track and field team competes Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Big 12 Conference meet in Columbia, Mo., with Dodson running in league competition for the final time and chasing his first individual championship.

DODSON'S PATH TO BOULDER was circuitous, taking him from Denver's George Washington High School, through Fayetteville, Ark., and back home again. Recruited by a lengthy list of colleges after a stellar sprinting career at G-Dub, Dodson's spin of the where-to-go-to-college wheel landed on Arkansas.

Truly, not much more than that went into his decision.

"Coming out of high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do," Dodson said. "I really didn't know if I wanted to go to college. I kind of just signed with anybody. Arkansas sounded good, so I signed with them.

"You've got to live for the moment. You can always plan for the future, but it seems like something always happens . . . live in the present."

That's a mostly sound philosophy. A little research, however, can pay off. How much did he know about the Hogs, their history and the Southeastern Conference? Here's your first clue: "Honestly I didn't where (Arkansas) was. I was like, 'Is there a beach in Arkansas?' I found that out real quick. But it was great to step out on my own a little bit."

On the plus side, he got acquainted with world-class sprinters Tyson Gay and Wallace Spearman, and he now looks at Gay as a mentor and close friend. On the minus side, he wasn't happy in what he called "a very different world . . . I had to get out of there somehow."

His initial plan involved transferring to either Texas A&M or UCLA, two of the schools in hot pursuit of him in high school. But Arkansas didn't release him until a week before classes started in 2007. As a visitor or competitor in high school, he had been on CU's campus countless times. He liked its diversity and came to this conclusion: "CU has a good distance program, let's see if they have a good sprint program. I walked on down here - and I've never regretted any step along the way. I felt like I was supposed to come here after everything that I had gone through."

If Dodson's second choice in colleges wasn't that much more thoroughly researched than his first, he's still made the most of it. He was graduated last weekend with a degree in sociology and economics, with a certificate in neuroscience. He has been a member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll. "People say it was amazing; I say give anybody five years and they can do anything," he said with a laugh. "I'm just taking advantage of the situation."

AND THAT'S WHAT HE HOPES to do on the track this weekend and beyond. Dodson was steered into sprinting when a high school football career went awry - a twice-broken left arm qualifies as going awry - and he still wanted to utilize his speed as a former quarterback/receiver. That he and his four brothers (two are older, the two younger ones - Quinton Dodson, A.J. Whitaker -are CU teammates and run with him on the 4x100 relay team) used to view running "as punishment" in their other sports didn't deter him from shifting his focus to track.

"I'm a little guy (5-foot-11) in a big man's world," he said. "I would have gotten smashed up out there (in football). Football and basketball were fulfilling, but track is always going to be at the top of the list."

Indeed, the move to track was a near-perfect fit: He became the 2005 Colorado state champion in the 100 (best time: 10.41 seconds), 200 (20.41) and 400 (46.91) meters, setting state records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Record-setting performances have continued at CU; he owns the school records in both the indoor (20.88) and outdoor (20.37) 200 meters. In the 100 meters, he has run two of the school's top 10 times.

Morano's challenge for Dodson this weekend is to break the 200-meter track record at Audrey J. Walton Stadium in Columbia. Competing for Baylor in 2000, Brandon Couts, a former CU assistant coach, ran a 20.48 on the Walton track.

"I think that's our goal this weekend - go ahead and get that record, get the (Big 12) championship," Morano said. "He's got himself in a position to win a Big 12 title in the 200 and score very well - if not win it - in the 100. He's had limited races so far, but he's really shown signs of greatness in those races he's run. I think he could have a big breakout meet if the weather is right and he runs a very good time. He could be standing atop the podium.

"Right now, his training is geared toward the NCAA championships and the USA outdoor championships. But I think we've got him in good enough shape now that he can take down the competition in the Big 12 - which is very strong. But I like our chances right now."

Dodson's chief competitors in the 200 meters figure to be a pair of Texas A&M sprinters - Curtis Mitchell and Gerald Phiri - and Baylor's Trey Harts. "If you win the Big 12, you're more than likely going to win the nationals," Dodson said. "So you can look at this as the first step toward winning nationals."

FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS, Dodson believes he's currently more suited to the 200 than either the 100 or 400 meters. His starting burst isn't as explosive "as most of these football players" in the 100 meters and he laughingly calls the 400 meters "a distance race," adding, "Distance was never on my mind - never . . . I don't think I was made to be a distance runner, and I don't think I was equipped to be a short sprinter.

"I wasn't as impressive as most of these football players (in starting explosively). But when I get to top speed, that's where my gift is."

Yet what encourages both Dodson and Morano about Dodson's recent performances is the strength he's now exhibiting. Said Morano: "Right now, he's really running off of strength. His speed - we're just now tapping into that. Speed is something I like to tap into a little bit later to help the body last a little longer.

"He ran the second-fastest time he's every run in the 200 off of strength. We trained him hard this fall and winter. He's trained through a lot of big meets. I've only been coaching him for a year and been around him for that long, but this is the strongest I've seen him as a runner."

Dodson agreed: "It's a way different change for me; I used to just get out and run and try to hit my top speed. But I do feel more confident about my speed now . . . and that's because of my strength."

Dodson hopes to be running well into next month. Following this weekend's conference meet are the NCAA Regionals (May 28-29, Austin, Texas), the NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 9-12, Eugene, Ore.) and the USATF Outdoor Championships (June 23-27, Des Moines, Iowa).

Morano believes the 200 could be Dodson's ticket to the next level: "I think he's going to be down in the 20:20 or 20:10 range (in the 200) by the end of the year at least. And I think that can get him a professional contract."

In the 100, where Dodson consistently runs a 10.4, Morano concedes, "We're going to need to get a lot faster there . . . he's capable of a 10.2, but a 10.2 is not going to get him a whole lot."

For purposes of career enhancement, the race that Dodson doesn't really dream of running - the 400 meters - looms large. Morano, though, wants him to realize the long-term benefit: "In the future he's going to have to start training for the 400 and become a 200/400 runner if he wants to be successful at the professional level. He knows that, but it's a big shock to the system."

Reminded that his pupil considers the 400 "a distance race," Morano laughed and said, "He's going to have to change that mindset."

That could be a very good thing. Jeremy Dodson's history shows that change is something he doesn't fear - not even a little.

Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU