Tay Seals is – almost always – the smallest athlete in the pack.
The Clear Creek Amana junior measures 5-foot-9 – according to the Clippers’ football roster – and his mother, Jamie Bowman, didn’t know if that would set him back in sports when he entered high school.
She witnessed his outsized abilities in eighth grade, when Seals won seemingly every sprint and hurdle event he entered.
The obstacles for the 110-meter hurdles measure 39 inches high – nine inches taller than in the junior high race. That’s over half of her son’s height, and Bowman didn’t know if Seals could keep up with his rangy rivals.
Well, he did more than just keep up.
He became one of the top hurdlers in the state. And he proved that, once again, by winning a second-straight state title in the 110-meter hurdles on Saturday, May 23.
“I can’t explain the feeling,” Seals said when asked about the emotions he experienced after crossing the finish line. “It’s euphoric. There’s nothing better (than) crossing the finish line in first place, throwing your hands up, and then going to see your mom in the stands, give her a hug.”
He crossed the finish line in 13.73 seconds, over half a second faster than the next-closest competitor.
Seals allowed himself to celebrate – looking up at the clock on a screen situated above the final row of spectators on the south side of Drake Stadium – before he turned around and found his mother in the front row.
The pair embraced for longer than Seals’ entire race lasted, and he made his way to the podium to celebrate another state title.
His success is not accidental; it hasn’t come easy – even though Seals makes it look that way. There is a lot of work go into his effortless-looking strides, his ability to keep up with 6-foot-4 competitors, and his winning mindset.
“He is the most dedicated person,” Bowman told the Des Moines Register. “He studies wind speed. He pulls up the tracks and learns everything there. He takes my phone and times his splits. He times his teammates’ splits. It’s eat, sleep, breathe track.”
Even with all the research, Seals is not immune to mistakes.
It’s the hurdles, and anything can happen, after all.
Three weeks ago, Seals entered Drake Relays with the top time statewide in the 110-meter hurdles. He would compete against the top hurdlers from all four of Iowa’s classes, including Ankeny’s Hayden Carlson – who won the Class 4A state title and ran a new Iowa all-time best of 13.82 on Saturday.
When the starting gun fired at Drake Relays, Seals remained in step with Carlson. Seals stayed with him until the final hurdle, which the CCA junior clipped, and he tumbled to the ground. He got up and finished the race, but it was far from what he’d hoped would happen.
“He was like, ‘I know exactly what I did, mom,’” Bowman recalled. “He’s like, ‘I was trying to go fast, I was trying to break that record, and I need to slow down.’ He was crying; I was crying. And then he got back in there.”
That moment was just another obstacle in Seals’ way, something he needed to clear to come out on top.
He didn’t bring those emotions into the state track meet, but he did use his seventh-place finish at Drake Relays as a learning lesson.
“Obviously, you guys saw my slip-up at Drake Relays,” Seals said. “I was not going to let it happen again. So I told myself, ‘All you’ve got to do is finish this race, kid, and you’re a two-time state champion in this event.’
“I know I could have won that race (at Drake Relays). But mistakes happen…there’s always going to be something, and what really matters is that you get back on the horse. You don’t let that stop you.”
He didn’t let one clipped hurdle get in his way, and now he’s a back-to-back state title holder because of it, with one more year in his high school career.
So, what will Seals do to celebrate his redemption moment, his second-straight state title, and another successful state meet?
Drink an Orange Crush, of course.
The Clear Creek Amana junior loves his favorite soda – his mother shared – but he gives it up for the entire track and field season. He plans to compete at Nike Nations in June, but he might allow himself to enjoy just one celebratory soda.
Seals earned it, after all.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Clear Creek Amana’s Tay Seals defends 110-meter hurdles state title
Reporting by Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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