CATHERINE JUN/ Daily Bruin Kyle Erickson
has a starring role on the track team as a runner in the difficult
400m hurdles.
By Glen Worthington
Daily Bruin Contributor
Sophomore Kyle Erickson has come a long way in more ways than
one.
UCLA’s top 400-meter hurdler, he competes this week in the
NCAA Championships at the University of Oregon, but sometimes the
road itself is more interesting than the destination.
Erickson hails from Elmhurst, Ill., but for college he moved out
west to pursue track and field glory.
Last year, as a true freshman, he placed sixth at the Pac-10
championships. Sixth in the Pac-10s is nothing to look down upon,
but Erickson was not satisfied. He knew he was capable of better.
So after last year, he made changes to reach his goals.
“Everyone knows Kyle has made a 180-degree turn on himself
and his commitment to track and field,” said men’s
sprint coach John Smith.
“That’s why he is running so well. Kyle was the
party animal before. Now Kyle is the workhorse,” Smith said.
“His reputation exemplifies what he’s done on the
track.”
Erickson changed his diet, his sleeping patterns and even his
social life to live up to his potential.
“Last year forced me to set my priorities straight,”
he said. “It forced me to realize what my main interest is at
this point in my life, and that’s track. I know I can party
anytime I want down the road. This is the time of my life to do
this type of thing with track, so I’m going to take advantage
of it.”
The changes paid off. Early in the season Erickson proved
himself to be a powerful force in hurdles. His time of 50.54
seconds ““ a one and a half second leap over last
season’s best ““ led the conference until the Pac-10
Championships, when it was bested by one hundredth of a second.
But Erickson is far from finished.
“I think I can definitely go down to the 49s,” he
said. “It’s just a matter of getting a successful race
in, a clean race: one that lacks mistakes like falling over a
hurdle or being disqualified. It’s just a matter of time
before I can get that race in.”
In his last two meets, Erickson faced adversity. Well on his way
to a first-place finish and possibly a new lifetime best in a meet
against USC, Erickson fell on the final hurdle. At the Pac-10
Championships afterward, Erickson was disqualified for a trail leg
violation in his preliminary heat.
“The 400m hurdles is a very, very difficult race,”
Smith said. “It’s a race in which the mistakes you make
are the ones that make you strong. And Kyle is very resilient. He
doesn’t let things bother him.”
How does Erickson rebound from such disheartening results?
“You have to analyze your mistakes and figure out exactly
what you did wrong,” he said. “Knowing what you did
wrong can help keep your confidence level up. I convince myself
that if I could do that right, if I could fix those things,
I’m as good as anybody out there.”
No matter what happens at the NCAAs, nothing can take away
Erickson’s stellar season. As Smith puts it, last year
Erickson was sitting at home, and this year he is going to the
NCAAs. That’s an accomplishment in itself.
“I have challenged him and made him make changes,”
Smith said. “He makes himself available to coach. Every
athlete has to give the coach permission to coach him, and he gave
me permission. He has done the things that were asked
him.”
Erickson had nothing but praise for Smith, who has coached
numerous Olympic medal-winners, including Maurice Greene and former
Bruin Ato Bolden.
“He’s so knowledgeable and I love listening to what
he says,” Erickson said. “I take what he says and I
find what works for me and what doesn’t work for me. I
appreciate having the privilege to run for somebody like
him.”
Erickson has an awesome mentor here at UCLA, but he had another
great one back home. His father was a NCAA champion in the 400m in
1973 (incidentally, Smith was the 1972 champion). Erickson cites
his family’s support and his father’s shadow as a big
reason why he is excelling at UCLA.
“I compare myself to my father a lot, kind of following in
his footsteps,” Erickson said. “I’ve actually
done better than what he did as a sophomore in college and
I’m really proud of that. He’s a role model for me and
he’s one of my heroes.
“He was kind of surprised that I actually chose the
hurdles back in high school,” Erickson continued. “He
had confidence in me, but he really didn’t think I would
enjoy them and that I would excel. But I proved him wrong
there.”
Originally from Carbondale, Ill., Erickson transferred to York
High School in Elmhurst, Ill. to compete in a better league. He
spent his high school years living with his aunt and uncle ““
a three- to four-hour drive from home.
But he believes he would never have reached this level
otherwise, crediting his high school coach, athletic director, and
his parents for the opportunity.
“When I look back on it, that was a pretty big thing that
I did,” Erickson said. “I moved away from a town I had
lived in all my life, gave up all my friends to move into this
place. I went through it and I’m glad I did. It was tough but
I owe a lot to that experience.”
Despite the distance, his parents traveled to all his high
school meets. They also attended the USC meet, the Pac-10s and will
be at the NCAAs this year.
Erickson leads a challenging but successful life. And he’s
pretty happy about where he has ended up.
“I love being a Bruin,” he said. “I love UCLA.
I love living here in Los Angeles. Coming from Illinois it’s
a lot different. Coming this far from home for college can
sometimes be a bad experience, but it hasn’t been for me.
It’s been a good experience.”
Erickson always keeps his goals in front of him. Such was the
case when he decided to venture west for college.
“I chose UCLA, first of all, because of the weather. You
can’t run track in 40- or 50-degree weather. That was a
factor. John Smith was a factor. He’s one of the best coaches
in the world, especially in my event. I wanted to take advantage of
that. And, you know, the girls. The girls out here are great. You
got the beach around the corner and some nice clubs downtown. So
those are three reasons,” Erickson said.
Erickson has sacrificed a lot to be where he is today, but
obviously not his fun-loving spirit. He is one of the top athletes
in the nation, but still has time for enjoying the college life.
That’s what sports are all about: sacrifice, success and
fun.