TACOMA — Her ballet dance background providing the base for a successful high school career in both hurdles events and sprints, Port Angeles senior Faerin Tait will close out her high school career at the Class 2A state championships this weekend, looking for podium positions in four events, the maximum amount of events allowed an athlete.
The Air Force Academy-appointee has less than a month until she leaves for basic training, but she said there’s still more left to accomplish.
“I’m excited to have qualified in all four events, excited to be the Olympic League’s Girls Track Athlete of the Year,” Tait said. “At state I know I’ll take a deep breath and be appreciative of the moment and I know I have so much left to give for my final races. “I’d love to see myself jump into the finals of one of my events, but I’m thankful for my teammates and excited to compete at state.”
Started running
With COVID canceling ballet practices, Tait, who had never played organized sports before high school, added running and eventually hurdling to her busy schedule — one that included serving as handler while showing her family’s purebreed German pinscher Rookie at area and national American Kennel Club dog shows, maintaining a perfect grade point average in school with a lengthy list of achievements, honors, volunteer service, farm work and memberships.
“I needed something to do and my mom ran, so I started running cross country and made a lot of improvements my first year and I was encouraged to run track. The coaches were like, ‘you dance, you should try hurdling, you have that type of coordination.’”
Port Angeles track coach Casey McDonald doubles as the secretary to the superintendent and worked with Tait athletically as well as in her role this school year as the Port Angeles High School’s student representative on the Port Angeles School Board.
“I’ve never coached an athlete with the level of drive and determination as Faerin,” McDonald said.
“A lot of athletes we coach are born with athletic ability and a lot of things don’t come easy but they have inherent abilities to succeed in track. And Faerin, everything she has achieved is due to her work ethic. She’s the first in to the gym, last to leave practice, she joined track clubs in Seattle over the offseason and received extra coaching for her hurdle events from one of the better hurdles coaches in the state. She lifted weights with the football team to get stronger.”
Putting in the time
With a later athletic start, Tait knew she had to dedicate more time than others to her craft.
“I have had to make up times from the kids who have been practicing for years, but I got so much encouragement from my coaches and support from my mom taking me to Seattle for practices and meets.”
Tait subscribes to the idea that it takes a person 10,000 hours to become an expert in a skill or field, expressed in Malcom Gladwell’s book Outliers.
“I think that’s 100-percent true, so I’d watch YouTube videos over and over looking at the best hurdlers in the state and seeing their techniques,” she said. “During the winter I would go to lift with the football team, just me and a bunch of boys, and it definitely made an impact in making me stronger and faster.
“And the running community, is full of great people who are always pushing to reach that next level of competitiveness and expanding your comfort zone.”
Tait was accepted into the Air Force Academy and Stanford, receiving letters of nomination supporting her application from then-Rep. Derek Kilmer, U.S. Senator Patty Murray and President Joe Biden.
She’s aiming at becoming a doctor to the stars, literally.
“I want to become a flight surgeon, so I plan to major in biology and minor in aerospace physiology and pre-med with plans to attend medical school,” Tait said.
“My goal is to become a flight surgeon for NASA, or the Space Force.
“The flight surgeon is responsible for a flight crews’ health, so they are providing a whole bunch of physicals and examining any injuries or illnesses in the air. They are usually the first person a crew sees after landing and they make sure everybody flying is safe and healthy.”
Don’t count her out
Tait broke her own personal record times in three of her events this spring. Her times are in and around the top-10 and she’s hoping to break through as she did at state in earning a sixth-place finish in the 100 hurdles in 2024.
“The times you run are more impressive than what place you finish,” Tait said. “The best thing when you are a young athlete is to realize comparison kills the joy. There’s always somebody stronger and better, not beat this person but focus on ‘How did I improve myself?’ That’s the healthy way to stay in the sport.”
McDonald said he wouldn’t be surprised if Tait placed in her events.
“State is a whole different game, you get to rest in between your events,” McDonald said. “At districts or the league meet, she might compete in two or even three events in a day. Faerin is all business as soon as she gets on the track. I know that I would never bet against her.
“She will be one of those athletes that I remember forever. She’s made a lasting impact on everyone that has coached or competed with her.”
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@ peninsuladailynews.com.
Port Angeles’ Faerin Tait, front, runs in the hurdles during the Olympic League Championships at North Mason High School. Tait will compete in the maximum of four events at the Class 2A State Track & Field Championship this weekend.
