Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
WASHINGTON C.H. — Just before every race, Miami Trace senior Macy Creamer whispers a familiar saying to herself.
“Fast. Fast. Fast. Everything I do is fast.”
“I’m not a very superstitious person, but I do go through the same warm-ups before every meet while listening to music if I can,” Creamer says. “Before I run, I always take a deep breath and think to myself’ ‘Fast, fast, fast. Everything I do is fast.’ That’s what my coach always tells me.”
CREDIT: Chris Hoppes/Record Herald
Creamer’s coach, Brent Noes, hits the nail on the head.
Last spring, Creamer qualified for the OHSAA Track and Field State Championships in the 300-meter hurdles — her specialty event. There, she finished the race in 46.19 seconds, good enough for an 11th place finish but not a time that catapulted her into the event’s finals.
This year, she’ll be back in Columbus looking for retribution … and not just in the hurdles.
Creamer, who’s will run track at Ashland University, will be competing in three events at this weekend’s state meet, two individually and one with three other teammates. The senior has qualified to participate in the 300 hurdles, the 100-meter dash and the 4×100-meter relay.
“I’m really excited for the 4×100 because in my opinion, it’s so much more fun to run at this level with a team rather than individually. We’ve already broken our school record a few times but we are hoping to get it again this weekend,” Creamer said. “As for the 100, I’m looking forward to just going out and running my best race. I have only ran the open 100 a few times this year and was not expecting to make it this far. But I’m excited to see what I can do. The 300-meter hurdles, I believe, is my best event. I’m happy to be able to do it again this year.”
At last week’s Division II regional meet, Creamer placed fourth in the 100 dash at 12.87 seconds, an unexpected success considering her seed time was 13.03. She then took fourth in the 300 hurdles, finishing in 46.75 seconds, 0.24 seconds better than her seed.
While she’s certainly proud of both finishes, she may have enjoyed qualifying with her teammates — Lilly Litteral, Isabella Vanover and Alyssa Butler — in the 4×100 relay the most.
That group finished second in the event, crossing the finish line in 51 seconds flat.
“I’m extremely proud to be a part of our 4×100 team. This is the first time in a really long time the girls track team at my school has had a relay advance to the state meet,” Creamer said. “I’m super proud of our girls and how hard we have worked to get here. I love our group because we are always positive towards each other and encourage each other. The key to a good relay is working as a team and I think we do that pretty well. “
While this weekend’s events will be a ton of fun for Creamer, they also represent the end of her high school career … a bittersweet ending to a brilliant four-year run.
During that stretch, Creamer has built lifelong friendships and has met some of the most important people in her life.
That will be her motivation heading into her final high school meet.
“This is such a surreal time for me with this being my last opportunity to run as a Panther. I’m incredibly thankful for the school and community that I’m a part of because they have done nothing but support and encourage me,” Creamer said. “I have had some of the best coaches an athlete could ask for, one of them being my dad. My teammates have always been encouraging and have pushed me to be my best. I wouldn’t trade any of those people for the world. I hope to represent them well this weekend.”