John O'Neil admits he is rarely the first one out of the blocks. In fact, he's rarely leading at the first hurdle.
But a hurdles race is not won by the fastest runner or the highest jumper. Technique almost always prevails, and O'Neil proved to have the best technique in Division 4 last winter.
The Newburyport senior track and field standout will look to repeat as the Division 4 state hurdles champion this winter. The major difference between this year and last for both O'Neil and the Clippers is they will no longer be able to sneak up on opponents.
O'Neil's individual state championship came as a complete surprise last winter, as he was only one week removed from a second-place finish at the Cape Ann League championship. As a team, Newburyport's success was equally surprising. The Clippers won the first indoor state title in school history after posting a 10-0 record in the regular season.
"It was crazy last year," O'Neil said. "Coming off that, we know it's going to be different. We have less kids; a lot of seniors graduated. But we still have a lot of potential. We'll work from there and try to do it again."
O'Neil was nothing more than a role player for the Clippers through his freshman and sophomore seasons, as he learned the art of running hurdles under the tutelage of 2010 Newburyport graduate Mark Bjako.
"I had a good role model," O'Neil said of Bjako. "He was an unreal hurdler. I took what he taught me and did my own thing with it. I saw hurdles as a fun thing, but I also saw the potential. I took off last year."
O'Neil's training included a mix of flexibility work off the track and execution drills on the track. Newburyport assistant coach Mike McCormick took him under his wing last year, and according to head coach Tim Foley, O'Neil's talent surfaced.
"Technically, I think he's one of the finest hurdlers I've ever seen," Foley said. "He's definitely the best we've had at Newburyport. You don't see a great burst of speed, but technically, he's so smooth over the hurdles. The next thing you know, he's won the race."
O'Neil collected school records in both the indoor and outdoor hurdles last year. During the outdoor season, he placed sixth in the high hurdles at the All-State Meet before competing in New England Championships in Burlington, Vt.
"Johnny just has to be motivated," Foley said. "When he's motivated and on task, he's capable of more than he even expects of himself. He's a laid-back kind of kid. If you keep him on task, he's capable of wonderful things."
One of those things will likely be an opportunity to run track in college. O'Neil says his top choice is University of Rhode Island, but he's also considering offers from University of Vermont and Franklin Pierce.
"It's going to come down to whoever offers the most," O'Neil said of potential scholarship offers.
The prospect of O'Neil receiving athletic scholarship offers seemed to be a long shot just one year ago. But like many of O'Neil's hurdles races, his high school career appears primed for a big finish after a slow start.
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