Clarke sprinter overcomes adversity

By Ben Brooks - sports@nvdaily.com

BERRYVILLE -- The only thing, it seems, that can slow Clarke County's Andrea Gaither these days is a surgeon's scalpel.

The 16-year-old sprinter, who helped lead the Eagles to a second straight girls Group A state track championship last month, recently underwent surgery on her troublesome left foot that caused her off-and-on pain throughout the season.

"They said I can't walk on it for three or four weeks," Gaither said. "I don't know how I'm going to do it. I'm so used to doing something."

Gaither did plenty this spring, injured foot or not. Nearly unbeatable on the track, Gaither won the state title in the 100-meter dash (12.26 seconds), finished as state runner-up in the 200 (25.94), and participated in Clarke's third-place 400 relay team (4:15.89). By amassing 19 1/2 points, the talented sophomore earned The Northern Virginia Daily's 2009 Female Track Athlete of the Year award.

Gaither, who suffers from flat feet, said the pain gradually became worse as the season went along. By the time the state meet at Radford University came, however, nothing was going to stand in her way of competing.

"I was taking all the medicine I could find," said Gaither, who added she got precious little sleep the night before the state meet. "I couldn't have anything affect me on that day."

Clearly, nothing did. Gaither saved her best for last. Her winning 100-meter time not only beat the rest of the field that day, it also broke a long-standing school record, as did her time in the 200.

"I knew she was hurting," Eagles coach Andre Kidrick said. "But I was never concerned that she wasn't going to compete. She's a warrior. She's going to do whatever it takes to help the team."

What made breaking Clarke's school records even more special was that the owner of those 1989 marks was Gaither's mother, LaJuan Curry, an assistant on the Eagles' track team this year.

Curry is both Gaither's most ardent supporter and toughest critic, sometimes making for an interesting family dynamic. At the beginning of the season, a straight-faced Gaither said that Curry was still learning the delicate boundaries between being a coach and mother.

"She still is," Gaither said after the season.

Curry, who still owns the school's long jump record, admits to pushing her daughter but insists it's just because she knows that she has the ability and wants to bring out her best.
"I think she runs so fast just to shut me up," Curry said.

Gaither showed a glimpse of what might come this season with sixth- and seventh-place state finishes in the 200 and 100, respectively, at last year's state meet. Even though just a freshman, Gaither said she cried tears of disappointment afterward.

"That just wasn't where I thought I should be," Gaither said. "This year I was just hoping to do better. And then, when I kept on winning, I didn't want to get overconfident. I just tried to stay humble."

To say that Kidrick and the other Clarke County coaches expected Gaither to win one state title and nearly another would be an overstatement. However, Kidrick did know she was a special talent with a bright future.

"She was just learning the ropes," Kidrick said. "She was still learning how to run."
One thing Kidrick never worried about was Gaither putting in the time necessary to improve.

"She's constantly working, either on the track or in the weight room," he said. "She wants to be the best and help her team be the best."

"I really wanted to win," Gaither said. "It makes you push yourself more to accomplish your goal."

Still, winning an individual title wouldn't have meant nearly as much without a team championship to accompany it.

"I like team wins better," Gaither said. "It's not so much about me as it is about we. It's something I can share with the seniors who are graduating."