McGuffie has experience of a lifetime

For a girl who did her first formal running only a year ago, Hulerie McGuffie of Lynn Classical has had the experience of a lifetime.McGuffie, who is just completing her sophomore year for the Rams, went down to Greensboro, N.C., over the weekend to compete in the national track and field championships on the campus of the University of North Carolina. And, she says, it was different than anything she’s known up to now.”Things are so much different down there,” said McGuffie, “just in how they do things as opposed to how they do them up here.”It’s a lot more organized. They’re really strict about everything ? uniforms ? everything.”Her coach, Katy Miller, said McGuffie did herself proud.”It was an amazing experience for her,” Miller said. “And it was a great opportunity for her to see athletes of the same caliber as she is.”There were college scouts down there, and it opened her eyes to a completely different world.”So different, in fact, that upon competing in the 400 meter race, she decided that she wants to run in college.”It gives me something to shoot for,” she said.For the record, McGuffie ran in the fourth of six heats (the heats go in order from the slowest to fastest qualifying times). She qualified for the nationals by winning the Northeastern Conference 400 event in 57.4 – a time, Miller said last week, that came out of the blue.Her immediate goals in Greensboro were modest. She didn’t want to finish last in her heat.”That’s what I came down here with as a goal,” she said, “That ? and to finish in the 57s again.”It felt good to run,” she said. “I knew I was running against the best, and that I was one of them.”When it was over in last Friday’s race, McGuffie finished third in her heat, and achieved her objective of finishing in the 57s ? 57.76 to be exact.”She was all smiles,” Miller said. “She was proud of herself, as she has every right to be. She wants to go again.”It was a little intimidating for her at first,” said Miller. “She became overwhelmed when she saw everyone else, and what their times were. But she’s the type of person who thrives on the competition, and she did very well.”Miller said McGuffie “really kicked in, in the last 100 meters, and that really made the difference.”The girl who won her heat actually won the whole thing,” Miller said. “She can’t wait to do it again.”She ended up 12th out of the 35 runners who participated, “and that’s remarkable,” Miller said.McGuffie plans to do more running over the summer, and wants to take advantage of the weekly races in Lynn Woods. She plans on playing soccer this fall at Classical, and will run both indoors and outdoors.