Joe Stoudt: Determination Through The L’s

by Sanura McGill

Joseph Staudt, a 21 year old 110 meter hurdler at Bowdoin College (located in Brunswick, Maine), he competes in the Division III NESCAC conference. His current 110 meter PR is 14.63, but he hopes to break 14.50 by the end of the season.

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Getting in contact with Joe was not easy. First, I reached out to all three of Bowdoin’s Track and Field coaches, and asked if they had a hurdler I could interview. After sending a few emails, one of his coaches responded to me, and mentioned Joseph Staudt as an ideal team member for me to interview. The coach explained to me that he would need to speak with the director of athletic communications in order make sure that it was acceptable for me to interview one their athletes. Finally, days later, the director of athletic communications sent me an email confirming Joe’s consent to being interviewed. I was given Staudt’s email, and subsequently I reached out for an interview.

In Joe’s emails, he was kind, quick to reply, and very flexible with his time. But I wondered why his coaches specifically chose him for me to interview. From what I had heard around campus, there were three or four other male hurdlers at Bowdoin — what made his coaches feel that Joseph Staudt was the one I was to interview? I kept this question in mind as I went to meet with him.

With laptop in hand, I sat on a couch and waited for Joe in the empty lobby of my dorm building. Towering over most students, standing at 6’3” and 200 pounds, he casually walked in and located me. We greeted each other in the most friendly way two people whose only interactions have been over a set of three emails can be, and I began diving into the questions.

Staudt, currently a junior at Bowdoin College, began hurdling in 5th grade in his hometown of North Andover, MA, located about 30 minutes from Boston. Because I grew up with a hurdle coach for a father, I know that beginning a hurdling career in elementary school is not that common. So, I was not surprised to learn that Joe too had a father involved in the hurdles, which lead to his early exposure to the sport; his father had previously run the hurdles at the Naval Academy College, so he encouraged Joe to get involved in a number of youth programs and clubs for hurdlers. With this father situation in common, I was curious to learn about his personal experience with having a father who loved the hurdles. So, I asked him if it was his father’s passion for the sport that encouraged him to be so active in the sport. He explained to me that his father was not at all pushy, but that his father had an inspiring love for the hurdles that made him excited to participate in the hurdles and to grow as an athlete.

Personally, my father never pushed me into the sport either, and I ultimately became the most unathletic, makeup-obsessed girl among almost anyone I know — but I can relate to the inspiring, almost poetic influence of hurdles in his life; even if I never participated in the event myself. The symbolism of the sport is quite powerful in childhood — a time full of growth and challenges to overcome. This calm sense of inspiration seemed to pass down to Joe, and radiated from him, and made me want to learn more about how he grew into the person he is today. I began to understand why his coaches chose for me to interview him.

Our similar fathers became a focal point of our ability to relate to each other, and he began telling me more about his childhood. One thing he noted were some of the difficulties of having to practice during the cold New England winters. As a youth, he could not practice outside for the entirety of the winter, so he had to learn to adjust to practicing for outdoor races in smaller, indoor track lengths. The frigid, dreary conditions made it difficult to warm up properly or to even feel enough motivated to practice. But, these conditions did prepare him well for the frozen Tundra that is Bowdoin college — an advantage he has against students who have grown accustomed to training in warmer climates.

Still, a warmer setting is rather appealing to most — so, I had to ask him: Why Bowdoin? Why choose one of the few locations colder than where he grew up? According to Joe, it was all about the team dynamic and support system. Growing up, the immense support and encouragement of his teammates and coaches, in addition to his and his father’s love for the sport, is what allowed him to remain genuinely dedicated to becoming the best hurdler he could be. He even goes as far as to say that if he had not had such support resources, he would probably not have even bothered to take the sport seriously. So, regardless of the unappealing cold, it was feeling most supported by and connected to the people when just visiting at Bowdoin that made him choose to attend.

Adorably, Joe’s face lit up as he started talking about his relationship with his coaches. Even when visiting Bowdoin as a rising high school senior from North Andover High School over a summer vacation, Joe shares that his connection with the team’s Head Coach, Coach Slovenski, was immediate. The two were quickly able to joke around like old pals, whilst maintaining a serious dedication to honing his skills. Having that relationship before even leaving high school added a sense of security that other schools did not necessarily provide for Joe.

Then, he referred to the College’s  resident hurdle coach, Coach Ruddi, as “the homie” (she responded the fastest to my emails, so I can second this claim). As Joe said, she is immensely kind, but also incredibly focused. Together, they often videotape his practice sessions and analyze his reps after workouts.

Interestingly, it was this moment that made me wonder if some of these analytical skills spilled into other areas of Joe’s life. When asked his major, he responded, “math and government.” Like track, math never came easily to Joe. Instead, he enjoys the challenge that both endeavors offer. Both require the same sort of determination, analytical thinking, and critical thinking, whether it comes to solving a math problem or proof or when deconstructing a rep on film. To Joe, the two sort of feed off each other and allow him to strengthen his abilities in each respective field.

“What about government?” I asked him.

“I need a job after this,” he replied.

Well, that was all too relatable.

While Joe ultimately does not intend on becoming a professional hurdler, he does want to remain involved in track after college, whether as an assistant high school coach or simply as a fan of the sport — he does not know yet.  So, it was very important to him to enter a college space where people around him would share his love and dedication for track, but would not prevent him from also setting a significant amount of focus on his schoolwork and career objectives. Consequently, track becomes less about achieving numbers and records, and more about the larger lessons gained.

The most significant lesson relates back to the analytical skills he has developed during his repetitions: the importance of determination. In a world full of wildly successful people, it can be nice to be able to remind oneself that natural ability is not the sole key to success. Track has allowed Joe to go through life with proof that determination can indeed yield results; also, the confidence that it provides is invaluable. This is the kind of lesson Joe intends to pass onto his younger peers; “I wish to leave a legacy of humble excellence in character,” he said.

When asked if he has ever fallen down during practice or a meet, Joe laughed and said, “Everybody’s takes L’s, but ya gotta get back up.”

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