Ewing hurdler clears all barriers

'Ewing High School senior Kamryn Austin has stereotypes to thank for his success.

As stereotypes about being a teenager, being an athlete and his upbringing as the child of a single mother surround Austin, they drive Ewing High's top hurdler to be the exception.

Whether it's as simple as taking a role in the school play or as extreme as giving up a sport he played for his first three years of high school, his desire to prove convention wrong has led him to achievements even he finds remarkable.

After finishing a surprising fourth place in 55-meter hurdles at last February's New Jersey Meet of Champions, Austin is in position to claim the state championship in the 55-meter hurdles this winter and the state title in the 110-meter hurdles this spring.

"I think I go against a lot of stereotypes," Austin said. "Most of the time there's those stereotypes that single parents aren't going to be successful. I feel like I've done a good job to go against that. That drives me."

While Austin said his mother, Raquel Hill, inspires him to fight those stereotypes, his thinking has spilled into other areas of his life.

He passes on such teenage proclivities as staying out late and a fancy-free diet, opting to rest plenty, drink lots of water and cut out unhealthy foods.

When his track coaches told him training with the cross country team would improve his hurdling, he gave up his spot on the football team after three years of service and joined the less popular cross country squad.

He eschews the jock mold by appearing as Uncle Henry in Ewing High's production of The Wizard of Oz, by spending his spare time advising young children, by caring about his performance in class.

As Austin analyzes his life, he realizes his different approach to life means he has different limits. And he wonders exactly how far those limits go.

"The better you do, the more you want to do better," Austin said. "You want to see how far you can go. It's interesting to see what limits you can reach. Just keep pushing."

Austin said he's having fun pushing for his dreams of winning state high hurdle titles and attending Georgetown University. The track coaching staff at Georgetown has contacted him about joining the team, Austin said.

But as is Austin's way, he isn't the ordinary dreaming teenager.

In the next breath, he transitions to talking about how he can't plan the future, how the only way he can claim the state title is by savoring workouts like the 2,300 meters in sprints he did on one January day and then going home and doing push-ups and sit-ups, how the only way to even go to college is to prove he belongs there by doing well in school and filling his free time with activities.

It is Austin's ability to keep focus while excelling that has his coaches convinced he'll achieve his goals.

"Great things lie ahead as long as he keeps his head," said Danny Johnson, sprint and hurdle coach for Ewing High's track team. "He knows he's good, but he doesn't walk around cocky."

It could be because although Austin ranks among the favorites to win the event at the Meet of Champions on Feb. 23 in Toms River, he still remembers when he wasn't all that good.

He picked up track as a bored 6th grader that thought he wasn't good enough to play basketball. When a coach forced him to try the hurdles, Austin fell numerous times. It took three years of practice to develop the correct form, Austin said.

So maybe there is one cliché Austin takes stock in after all – the insatiable competitor.

"It's like nothing's ever good enough," Johnson said. "He's never complacent. He's a leader."

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