Jeremy Dodson is one of the best Colorado high school sprinters ever. For his talents at George Washington High School, he earned a scholarship in 2005 to Arkansas, one of the nation’s top track programs. But he was compelled to come back. Now at CU, Dodson is helping breathe life into a Buffs sprinting program that has always taken a back seat to its distance-running counterpart. On Wednesday, two days before the start of the Big 12 outdoor track and field championships in Boulder, Dodson chatted with Denver Post staff writer Chris Dempsey.
Q: Why come back to Colorado from Arkansas?
A: It was a culmination of a lot of things — family, support, coaches. It was a lot of things going on. But I’m glad I made the jump.
Q: But Arkansas is arguably the premier track program.
A: Yeah, the No. 1 school.
Q: How big a difference is Colorado from Arkansas?
A: You would think it’s a big difference. But when it comes to talent, there’s not much difference at all. We have superior athletes as well. We just don’t really put them out there, as Arkansas does. I like it here.
Q: So you’re glad to be back?
A: You can say that.
Q: I found your “Lost Footage Finally Found” high school 100- meter race video from All-City Stadium on YouTube today.
A: (laughs) I don’t know who put that on, but hey, I’ll take it. I think that was regionals in high school my senior year. Of course it’s prelims, because I’m in Lane 8. I made a bet with somebody, because the clock is always screwed up on that board. I said, ‘I bet you I could go 9.90 on that board.’ But I went 10.10. But the next day I ran 9.90 on the board. Of course, it’s not 9.90, but hey, the crowd doesn’t know that.
Q: What was your best day on the track?
A: I would say the last high school state meet (in 2005), because that’s when I set the state meet record. That was a good day, but I kind of slowed up in each of the events. So I never really went fast enough.
Q: You slowed down? You set two state records (in the 100 and 200 meters) that day.
A: I didn’t want to be cocky. I knew the person I was supposed to beat, the favorite. Since he was getting beat, I didn’t want to, like, put it on him even more. So I guess I kinda felt sorry for him.
Q: I was there at that meet.
A: Were you? I was trying to be the first one to win the 100, 200 and the 400. So I guess I did that.
Q: You’re super fast. You ever thought about getting gold shoes?
A: (laughs) Yeah, right. Not me.
Q: Are the Olympics part of your plans?
A: It is. But you gotta look at reality at the same time. My events are the 200 and the 400, and for the U.S., that’s pretty stacked. My goal is to at least make it to the trials. If I make the relay pool, that’s even great. But the next Olympics, I’m going to train hard for that.
Q: You won a CU athletic award for triumph in the face of adversity. What was the adversity?
A: I had a daughter. She was the main reason I transferred here. I didn’t want to raise her in Arkansas. And then she died that Christmas. It was really hard at first. But the track community really helped me out, helped get my mind off of it. I was pretty honored by (winning the award). I didn’t know the student-athlete body really looked at me like that.
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
The big five
The most influential track athletes in Dodson’s life:
1. U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay
2. U.S. sprinter Wallace Spearmon
3. Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell
4. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt
5. Entire CU track team
