The following essay, “The Way of the Warrior,” was written by 23-year-old Keare Smith, a native of Raleigh, NC currently living in New York City. Dating all the way back to his early childhood, Smith has competed in track and field. As an 11-year-old in 2002, he was an AAU and USATF national champion in the 80 meter hurdles. He would later go on to win the North Carolina state championship in the 300 meter hurdles as a senior at Southeast Raleigh High School.
From 2009-2011 Smith competed for the Virginia Tech track and field program. Although he didn’t reach the level of success he had known as a youth athlete, Smith’s passion for the hurdles still remains as strong as ever. He is back training again and plans to return to competition in 2015.
In the following essay – the first of a three-part series – Smith compares the art of hurdling to the art of sword fighting, based on his reading of the classic text, The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. Along the way, Smith provides an in-depth discussion of his own personal journey as a lifelong hurdler, and of how this journey has led him to embody the warrior spirit.
The Way Of The Warrior: A Samurai Warrior’s Approach To The Art Of Hurdling (Part 1)
by Keare Smith
“The truth is that strength lies in the interior of the warrior: in his heart, his mind, and his spirit.” -Miyamoto Musashi
“It’s Morphin’ Time!” Like most young men in the 18-25 year old age bracket, I felt that the Power Rangers of the popular television show were the most awesome warriors of our childhood. Most young boys in the 1990s were all about the power rangers. I was no exception. I loved any and everything power rangers. I had to have all the toys, morphers, and whatever other gadgets the money hungry corporate leaders could convince me I needed through their endless advertisements.
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Every Halloween I had to be a power ranger. And with the costume came the power ranger moves. I would emulate every kick and jab I saw my power ranger heroes use on their enemies. I loved the fact that these guys were the ultimate warriors and used karate to kick down all of their foes. I’m pretty sure my childhood interest in the power rangers led to my current appreciation and interest in the samurai warrior.
One of my co-workers takes Muay Thai classes a few times a week. He and I always converse about his classes and topics regarding the teachings of the martial arts. Not too long ago an idea came to me while at work. I wondered about the connection between martial arts and hurdling. I immediately told Jeff and he pointed me in the right direction by offering some good books about the samurai warriors of Japan. He first recommended Miyamoto Musashi’s book of strategy called The Book Of Five Rings.
In this text Musashi teaches the art of strategy in combat based on swordsmanship. In the introduction it states that Miyamoto Musashi was the greatest swordsman Japan has ever had. At first I was incredulous. I found it highly unlikely that the best swordsman ever would feel inclined to write his teachings in a book. As I began and learned more about his teachings and modalities, I understood why this statement was true and why he needed to pass on his teachings. The more deeply I delved into his teachings and the more I grasped his way of strategy, the more I saw a parallel between the art of the warrior and the art of hurdling. In this article I’d like to outline some components of the book and how they relate to the hurdler.
***
“The development of warrior consciousness is an ongoing thing. Each experience continually leads to new challenges.” -M.M
It is a known fact that the act of hurdling is not easy. There are way too many “funny” viral videos of people giving their all to the act of hurdling only to be laughed at because of some mishaps and falls. What the folks looking from the outside in do not see is that the art of hurdling is all about growth. One bad race is a learning experience, winning is a learning experience, a personal best is a learning experience. Every aspect of hurdling is a continual growth and learning process. Like the warrior, the hurdler knows there is always something to work on, there is always something to strive for. The development of the hurdler consciousness is an ongoing thing, just like the development of the warrior consciousness is an ongoing thing.
I began my hurdling journey in 2001, as an 11-year old running youth track for the Junior Striders Track Club in Raleigh, NC. I quickly learned that I should attack the hurdles, and it would be safe to say that I have always approached the hurdles like a warrior. Due to this approach, my athleticism, and my work ethic, I was able to master the hurdles and take my ability to an extremely high level in a little over a year. In 2002 I earned the title of best 80 meter hurdler in the US. I even beat current Washington Redskins starting quarterback Robert Griffin III in the process.
The race against Griffin at the AAU Junior Olympics had all the characteristics of an underdog story. He was the big powerful kid from Texas, while I was the small skinny kid from NC. Despite the fact that just a week earlier I was crowned champion in the 80 meter hurdles at the USATF National Championships, Robert was the favorite to win. This would be our first time meeting on a starting line, and according to those who knew of him, I did not stand a chance. What they did not know was that I was a warrior, and a warrior embraces challenges. I was able to completely ignore all of the negative chatter and focus on the 8 hurdles in front of me. Here are the official results from that race:
Boys 80 Meter Hurdles Midget
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NATIONAL: N 11.83 1997 Kenny Lambe, Hilton Head, SC
Name Year Team Finals Wind
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Finals
1 Smith, Keare 90 Garner, NC 11.89 1.1
2 McDonald, Andre 90 Kansas City, IL 12.55 1.1
3 Easley, Rumeel 90 Charlotte, NC 12.86 1.1
4 Griffin, Robert 90 Copperas Cove, TX 12.97 1.1
5 Wainwright, Frank 90 Brookhaven, PA 12.99 1.1
6 Brinkley, Matthew 90 Glen Burnie, MD 13.26 1.1
— Harvey, Darron 90 Kansas City, PA DQ 1.1
— Brown, Desi 90 Knoxville, TN DQ 1.1
My dad and I had a conversation regarding this particular race a few years ago. He revealed to me that, leading up to this race, he felt really nervous for me. He reminded me that I looked at him and assured him there was nothing to worry about. “It’s just like practice.”
I believed in myself when the odds were against me. I calmed his nerves and made him very proud of me. At age 12, mature beyond my years, my inner warrior was making its presence known.
***
“To study the sword you study war, weapons, and men… there can be no let up to your study, regardless of the path you choose, even though you may have mastered a particular level. You must search constantly for still more understanding of your chosen art.” -M.M
Throughout my years of hurdling I have experienced many ups and downs. After that great 2002 season, I slipped under the radar until my senior year at Southeast Raleigh High School in 2008. That year I earned a track and field scholarship to Virginia Tech. Not only did I finish ranked among the top five in the nation indoors in the 55m hurdles, but I surprised myself by winning the 300 meter hurdles at the North Carolina 4A State Championship. But that season I took a hard fall in what felt like the greatest race of my life.
I’ll never forget the feeling that swept over me during that race. I was competing at The Armory in New York. This place, one of the top indoor facilities in the US, is known for its very fast mondo track surface. Prior to this race I was spending a great deal of time on implementing a quicker lead arm swing. All my hard work paid off. I was able to cruise through the prelims and I felt comfortable with my new lead arm technique. Going into the finals I knew it would be a close race between my teammate and at the time US number one Wayne Davis II. I embraced the challenge. The warrior was back.
As soon as the gun fired I took off. I separated myself from my competitors within the first few steps. Prior to this race I was having issues with hurdle one. I would burst out of the blocks but immediately slow myself down by hitting hurdle one. That was not the case in this race. In addition to the amazing block start I cleared hurdle one with no problem. After hurdle one I was leading the race and moving faster than I’ve ever felt before. Hurdle two and three felt unbelievable. It is hard to explain; basically the hurdles attacked me. I felt like I was on auto-pilot. Everything felt so natural. I just had to hurdle. It was such a great feeling. But I was not prepared for the high speeds I had reached. I shuffled as quickly as I could between hurdle three and four but it wasn’t enough. As I was approaching hurdle four I knew I was way too close. I began my hurdle motion but it was already too late. My shin drove straight into the crossbar and I fell to the ground. I quickly got back up and finished the race.
You would expect me to feel hurt and disappointed after that race, but I was thrilled. I had felt great joy during that race. And I knew that joy was why I called myself a hurdler – the excitement the hurdles brought me when I performed at that level.
Here I am competing in a preliminary round at Indoor High School Nationals in 2008
As far as college track goes, besides the 3rd place finish at the ACC Championships freshman year, my whole career at Virginia Tech was disappointing. In the book, Musashi always uses the phrase “destroy the enemy,” and “think of cutting the enemy down.” Hurdlers aren’t out for blood when we step on the starting line, but the last time I competed I felt like my coach would destroy me if I did not cross that line in the top three. I’ll never forget the pressure I felt at Virginia Tech. As soon as I stepped foot in Blacksburg the business of track and field began. Although the practices were more intense, I lacked confidence in my ability to hurdle over the new 42-inch barriers. The head coach was not trying to hear that shit. I was expected to win the ACC indoor championships as a freshman (that didn’t happen).
During my time there I knew I had the talent, but I lacked the proper preparation. We sprinted way too much. I’m a hurdler, so I desired to focus less on attempting to get faster and to put more time into doing what I loved – hurdling. My cries for more hurdle days, more drills, etc. were never taken seriously. College track was a business and I was treated like an expendable asset, not a developing person.
After my Virginia Tech career ended in 2011, I decided to take care of matters outside of track. I had been on a continuous grind for almost 10 years. I was burned out, and the college track and field lifestyle had worn me down. Also, track had taken an emotional toll on me. I decided it was time to focus on personal growth and gain a deeper understanding of life. It was time for me to answer all the questions I had and focus my attention on something other than athletics.
In spite of all of the downs and hard times I’ve experienced throughout my journey, I remain on the same warrior’s path of attaining a deeper understanding of myself and the art of hurdling. In fact, I have learned that the journey is never-ending.
During this time off, I have had a lot of time to reflect on my three-year track career at Virginia Tech. I accept and understand why it did not pan out the way I would have liked. Although I have not competed in any track and field competition since then, I am still heading down the path of developing my hurdler consciousness. I’ve learned about my fears and insecurities and I am confident in my ability to compete at the highest level of track and field.
I plan on making a comeback. The day will come when I lace up my spikes and the warrior that has lain dormant these past few years will be unleashed. It wasn’t until recently that Coach McGill pointed out to me that although I haven’t been competing these past few years, I have never left the path of a hurdler. I have always been on the same path of developing my own hurdler consciousness.
Although the current challenges I have had to face (which I will discuss in next month’s issue) have nothing to do with racing or running a certain time, I still am on a hurdler’s path. I am just in a different phase of the development of my own hurdler consciousness, which is in fact an ongoing thing that constantly leads to new challenges. Which is why I love hurdling. Which is why we all love hurdling.
Check out next month’s issue for part two of this series. I’ll be digging deeper into the connection between the hurdler and samurai warrior.
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