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Kamiakin girls track coach Cheryl Schauble summed up what it takes to be a successful hurdler.
"You need a courageous sprinter," she said.
This season, the Mid-Columbia is replete with girls who fit that bill -- starting with the Braves' own Olivia Johnston, a senior who will hurdle for Eastern Washington University next year.
In all, there are seven area girls among the top 18 in the state in the 100-meter hurdles and four in the top 15 in the 300 hurdles.
"This is just a very good year for hurdling," said Kamiakin hurdles coach Joyce Donais.
It's been a strong past couple of years in the region, a factor in the development of this year's crop.
At Richland, it's been a progression from Caroline Hedel (now at WSU) to senior Galia Deitz (a three-time state qualifier in the 100 hurdles) to sophomore Martha Sanford (like Deitz, in the top 15 in both hurdles events in the state rankings) and to freshman Melanie Valdez.
"I tell them they all get to spend their time getting beat up on by the upperclassmen," said Bombers hurdles coach Leo Slack. "But I also share with them that they will never get beat in a meet like they do at practice every day."
Johnston is the latest in a string of Kamiakin hurdlers that includes state champions Lindsey Johnson and Michaela Haggett.
A two-time state finalist in the 300 hurdles (second in 2006, third last year), Johnston developed a big-time case of senioritis to start this season.
"My work ethic wasn't what it had been," Johnston said. "I liked to have someone like Kyle (Schauble) or Michaela in front of me. It was a different experience for me, being the team leader."
Johnston saw the light the week of the Pasco Invite, and she went to Donais and apologized for her early-season lethargy.
"I promised her I will give 100 percent and take a leadership role," Johnston said.
Not coincidentally, Johnston went on to win the Pasco Invite 300 hurdles race -- her first major victory in almost two years.
Since then, she's also picked up the 100 hurdles and steadily improved her time to 15.34 seconds, the winning time in last Friday's CBL 3A district meet and No. 11 in the state.
"I'm real stoked about my 100 hurdles," Johnston said. "It helps running against Chelsea (Bourque of Southridge). My times keep dropping, and hopefully by the end of the year it could be something I do at Eastern."
Johnston had run the 100s as an eighth-grader and qualified for the Junior Olympic regional championships in 2004, finishing second.
But soon into her freshman year, she dropped them from her repertoire and concentrated solely on the 300s and relays.
"I think it's been a process of maturing as an athlete," said Johnston, who qualified for this weekend's Eastern Regionals in Richland in both hurdles races, the 100 and 200. "I didn't have a lot of confidence, and I was not having fun because of that. I had the attitude of 'anything I can do to get out of running this.'
"This postseason, I'm enjoying track a lot more. Now I can see the appeal of the 100 hurdles. You have the rush of the sprint and the technique of the hurdles. It's one of the funnest things to do."
While Johnston was trying to avoid the high hurdles, Deitz kept finding ways to avoid running the 300s.
"My freshman year, I had the biggest fall at the end of a race," she said. "So my sophomore year, I did the 800 just to get out of running the 300s."
Deitz was a decent 800 runner, even qualifying for state in the event. But looking back, she said, "It was not the best choice. The 300s don't seem so hard now. You just have to learn to love them."
Deitz finished second in the 300 hurdles at the 4A state meet last spring and fourth in the highs. A 4.0 student and class valedictorian, she'll study biochemistry at Brown University and also run the hurdles at the Providence, R.I., school.
"Galia has done a good job being the big sister around here this year," Slack said. "When I'm busy working with the high jumpers, she is like my second coach."
And she's been a mentor for Sanford, who has the potential to break the school records Hedel set last year.
"Mechanically, she's not as good as Galia, but Martha's speed is incredible," Slack said. "She's come a long way in her trial by fire. If she does it, she'll have earned it."
