There was a time when Juanita Macon thought she`d rather shake for the pom pon squad. Now, the South Shore senior wants to shake and bake for the school`s track team.
Macon will run on all four relay teams–the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter and the 800 medley–in the girls` state track meet in Charleston this weekend. Running relays is a job for the unsung heroines of the track world, and that`s the way Macon likes it.
”Relays are more interesting than individual races,” she says. ”When you`re running as part of a team, it really gets to you. You feel more involved.”
Macon figures to get even more involved this year. South Shore coach Glen Johnson plans on making some changes in his relays for the state meet.
Lisa Chess, who helped the 400- and 800-meter squads place first in the state qualifying meet Saturday, is likely to be pulled out of those events and rested just for the 100 and 200 meters.
The reasons are apparent. Chess has the state`s best times this year in both sprints–11.8 and 23.9 seconds–set Saturday when the Tars won their seventh consecutive sectional title in Chicago. The latter time is also the second-fastest ever in Illinois.
”If I do that,” says Johnson, referring to his strategy, ”that`s going to put even more emphasis on the other runners in the relays. They`re going to have to do it without Chess.”
In addition, East St. Louis Lincoln looks like a cinch to win the state meet, and outside of Chess, South Shore could get few, if any points. Even a third-place trophy may be out of the picture.
Macon claims she always likes to be involved, but would rather not step into the limelight. That`s the reason she tried out for, and won, a place on the school`s pom pon squad while ”just a scared freshie,” as she puts it.
”I wanted her to come out for track as a sophomore,” recalls Johnson.
”I really had to talk her into trying out for the team. I had to talk a long time. I saw she had speed and some kind of form.
Macon wasn`t sure track was her style. ”I had a lot of negative feeling about it,” she says. ”It just wasn`t me.”
”That`s because she`s the kind of person who has to be sure,” says Johnson. ”It was really a big fight with her at first.”
”I didn`t know many of the kids and one day I happened to run around the track with them,” says Macon. ”Coach Johnson tried to get me to come out for track, but I didn`t want to. But after a while, I just began coming out to practice.”
As a junior, Macon was put on the relay teams and liked the style and teamwork involved in passing the baton. Of all the relays, she claims the 1,600 ”is my heart. That`s the one I love the most.”
One reason is the chance for some revenge against the rest of the state. Last year, South Shore`s 1,600 squad, with Macon running, barely missed getting into the state finals. ”This year, I want to be ready for the state. I want to show everyone we`re good enough,” she said.
That will take a little doing. South Shore finished second to Dunbar Saturday, running a 4:05.5 to Dunbar`s 4:01.6. South Shore also barely qualified in the medley relay–an event it has dominated the past four years. It`s 1:52.4 was a poor fourth in the event.
If Chess is pulled out of the relays, the Tars` other potential individual point-winners are Willa Hawkins in the shot put and whatever the 400 and 800 relays pick up.
”Sometimes you go for points and a trophy and sometimes you have to do other things, maybe building for next year in this year`s state meet,” said Johnson.
Macon is also building for the future. She`s weighing scholarship offers from Eastern Illinois, Central Michigan and Tarkio, a small school in Missouri. But she may check things out to see if she can also be on the pom pon squad in her spare time.
