STARKVILLE — Tavaris Tate says he doesn”t study opponents.
No matter what track meet he competes in, each track is different, everyone is fast, and someone in the race won”t have their ”A” game.
To Tate, there are too many variables to study every move of national rivals like Southern California”s Joey Hughes and the University of Alabama”s Kirani James.
Childhood friend and University of Mississippi freshman sprinter Dante Oliver, who will race Tate for the first time at a college meet Saturday at the Southeastern Conference vs. Big Ten Challenge in Starkville, gets the same treatment.
When asked Wednesday if he”d heard of Oliver”s success this spring — he won the 400 at the Arkansas Indoors and took second at the Rhodes College Open to start outdoors — Tate said he was proud of Oliver”s success but hadn”t kept up with him much.
“That”s the thing: We”re both from SEC schools,” said Tate, who earned All-America honors last season. “He”s from Ole Miss, so yeah, that rivalry plays into it, too.
“He”s looked at like a pro runner or anybody else when I”m on the track; I”m out to beat them and they”re out to beat me. We know each other like brothers, but you”re not my friend on the track.”
Oliver and Tate share a strong bond. Oliver calls Tate”s grandmother, Hannah, ”grandma” and both have worked under Tavaris” father, Russell, who has trained Tavaris his entire life.
Oliver”s last official race against Tavaris came in the 2009 Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A state meet, where Tavaris won the race for Starkville High with a time of 45.71 seconds. Oliver, a member of the Columbus Falcons, took fifth at nearly five seconds slower.
Oliver has never focused on catching Tavaris, as he has had significantly more training working with his father.
But his humble nature is starting to mix with confidence he has gained since receiving Southeastern Conference-level training at Ole Miss.
“I”m happy we can take this on into college and meet again on the track, on the battle field I guess you can say,” Oliver said. “I still support him in everything we do. I was watching him when he had that meet on TV when he pulled up with the hamstring. I was just as concerned as anybody else. I hope he feels better. I”m happy to be on the same track with him.”
Tavaris and Oliver will be in the same preliminary heat of the uniquely-scored SEC vs. Big Ten meet, which will take the top four finishers in each event from SEC and Big Ten teams to build an eight-person final.
Tate, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 400, hasn”t run since injuring his hamstring at the USA Indoors on Feb. 27. He has practiced since then but has been held out of competition. He”ll make his return to the track in the open 400 and 4×400 relay, MSU track coach Steve Dudley said.
Tate is a household name and a strong candidate to make the United States Olympic squad for the 2012 games in London.
Oliver is more of a late-bloomer, and he”s just fine with that. He endured a rough indoor season learning how to run on shorter, banked tracks, which required knowledge of when to switch lanes. He had a string of disqualifications despite his marked improvement. He has even more learning ahead running the 4×100 and 4×200, as handoffs and pace will be different from the 400 and 4×400.
Oliver”s personal record in the 400 as a Rebel is 47.57 seconds. His high school best was 47.05.
Ole Miss coach Joe Walker anticipates Oliver posting better times and having a greater comfort level in the outdoor season.
“I think he”s made the adjustment really quickly for a freshman,” Walker said. “He had a fine indoor season. The best is yet to come with him. He got knocked down and had some bad breaks indoors a time or two. Outdoor, there”s just more experience young runners have on a traditional track.
“The biggest adjustment he”s had to make is every race you run is like the state championship. In high school, you”ve got to outrun two people at the most. It”s just a mental adjustment.”
Walker said Oliver”s confidence in his speed has grown since he stepped on campus, which is why he plans to run Oliver in the 400 and the 4×400 and 4×100 relays Saturday.
“I anticipate him running in the 46s consistently and flirting with high 45s soon (in the 400),” Walker said.
Tate said he and Oliver last spoke at length when they were both home, and the major topics about track revolved around staying calm before the race. Tate helped Oliver alleviate some of the pre-race anxiety that can affect reaction time out of the blocks.
Improving confidence, despite his success this spring, is an ongoing process for Oliver.
While beating Tate or finishing with a new personal record this weekend would help, the biggest boost for Oliver comes from his coach.
“I would say he has a lot of faith in me,” Oliver said. “Early in the year, he put me in the 200 and I made a pretty good time (21.56) and that was the best time I had ran. If I ran that last year at state I could have won.
“A lot of times I underestimate myself a lot. It”s nice to have coaches who believe in you and will put you out there.”
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