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RICHLAND -- Steven Piippo's first experience with track and field came as an eighth-grader at Chief Joseph Middle School.
"I experimented a lot and did just about everything," Piippo said. "I did track mainly for the social aspect."
A year from now, Piippo's track career will come full circle. The Richland senior will compete for Boise State University as a decathlete, doing just about everything a track athlete can do.
But this time, it won't be just to hang out with his friends. Piippo is taking his track gig seriously, giving up his other two sports (football and basketball) to focus full-time on his newfound passion.
"I like the challenge of it," Piippo said. "You can't just outsprint me, but you've got to outjump me, out-throw me. You've got to be a well-rounded athlete.
"And you need mental toughness to make it through the whole day. When you're tired and sore, you've still got to get through your events."
While Piippo looks ahead toward next year, he's still got unfinished business this season with the Bombers. A state qualifier in the 100 and 200 meters as a junior, he wants to better his finishes when Star Track moves to Tacoma next month from its recent home at Edgar Brown Stadium.
"I want some hardware," said Piippo, who will run the 100 and 200 at Saturday's 48th annual Pasco Invite. "I made it to state last year. This year, I want to be on the podium and win some medals."
Piippo was mostly a jumper his first two track seasons, and it was while triple jumping as a sophomore that he suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee. "I just landed in the sand and 'Boom!' " he said.
He was unaware of the severity of the injury and competed for more than a month before deciding to get an MRI that showed the full extent of the damage. He had surgery in early May, and -- pushed by his brother Scott -- he was in the gym rehabbing as soon as doctors cleared him.
"My doctors told me I'd be out nine months, but I was ready to go in five months in time for basketball season," he said.
It was during the next track season that his coaches put him on the 4x100 relay and entered him in some league sprint races. When he won a few, the coaches had him begin working out with the sprinters.
By the end of the season, he was among the best sprinters on the eastside. He was the only CBL 4A runner to advance to state in the 100 and 200, and also helped the 4x400 relay team qualify.
But then-Bombers assistant coach Leo Slack already had planted the decathlon seed in Piippo's mind. The former WSU decathlete told Piippo, "You remind me a lot of me when I was in high school (at Kennewick). You should look into the decathlon."
And so this summer, Piippo attended WSU's track camp and checked out the grueling two-day, 10-event gauntlet that includes three throws, a pole vault and a concluding 1,500-meter run. "And I just decided this is what I want to do," he said.
So long, then, to football, which he played his first two years at Richland. And after turning out for basketball, he quit a few weeks into the season to concentrate on track workouts.
He's worked with Dean Moore, the father of former Richland throwers Kevin and Ryan Moore, to learn some throwing technique, and he's even dabbled in the pole vault with Bombers coach Rich Crigler. His goal, even more than doing well at state, is to win the state multievents championships the following week in Lake Stevens.
"This year is not fun time," Piippo said. "It's tough. After my running workouts, I'm in the weight room every day, and I usually don't get out of here until 7:30 p.m. I haven't worked out so hard in my life."
It's showed as Piippo has dropped about 10 pounds since the winter to about 215 on his 6-foot-3 frame (his goal is to get to 200 pounds), and he's already bettered his 2008 best in the 200 (he's run 22.62 seconds this year) and is close to his career-best in the 100.
"I've noticed he's approaching his events like a decathlete," said Richland coach Jim Qualheim. "As a decathlete, you've got to compete against the book. Every event, it's all about the points. He's not dwelling on having to beat everybody but just on improving his times.
"That's how he's looking at Pasco, as an opportunity to go up against some great athletes and see if he can't improve his times and to get better in certain events. He's just been a pleasure to coach. I think he'll surprise some people in the decathlon next year."
