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Piqua's Brandon Saine
We called Piqua track coach, Ron Pearson, recently...looking for Brandon Saine.
"If you're looking for Brandon," he said, "...he lives right down the street from me. Great kid...great athlete. You want me to bring him down?"
Er, well...yes! We'd love to sit down with him.
You don't hear much about Brandon Saine outside the fact of his records in track and statistics from football, numbers expected to boggle the mind when he graduates from Piqua High School in two years...presumably with many of the Indians' records in both sports in his possession. A quiet, unassuming and totally unobsessed sophomore, Pearson credits him as being that once-in-a-lifetime athlete...the best he's seen in his 25 years of coaching.
Bring him down, he did...and when Brandon talks about track, football, and what drives him to compete, it makes you itch to hear...or see...more. You can find him soon at a track meet near you. You can find him this week in this FanFile Q and A...with Brandon Saine!
FanFile: First, does it bother you that you're now getting so much attention and expectation at such an early stage of your career...as a sophomore?
Saine: It does...because people expect me to win every time I step on the track. I think the expectation from the kids at school is the greatest, though...because they know more about me. I know I surprised a lot of people last year as a freshman because they'd never heard of me. My coaches have really been great about keeping it in perspective. They're a big help,
FanFile: Let's face it...you're a very gifted athlete and you don't strike us as being obsessed over that fact. How conscious are you of your athletic abilities?
Saine: I don't think a lot about it. I love to compete and I love to win...and when you do win you're naturally aware that you're faster than the runners you compete against. I'm more conscious about improving from one meet to the next. That's my motivation...to do more than the last time out and keep improving.
FanFile: Any other good athletes in your family?
Saine: I guess my dad was a good athlete when he was my age. He went to Roth High School in Dayton and he tells me he was really good in track and football. That's what he says, anyway! (smiling)
FanFile: Track numbers have really tailed off in many school districts in Ohio. It's hard, lonely work to train. What's that single motivation that drives Brandon Saine to come out in the spring?
Saine: I like the feeling of winning...of competing against other athletes. I like the fact of doing the best you can do and running a better time than what you've run before. I think the atmosphere of track meets is pretty special...and I like that, too.
FanFile: Great runners don't do it because they have to...they run because they love it. How do you describe your affinity for track and field.
Saine: That's true. If you love to run...and I do...it doesn't matter how fast you are. I'd still run track even if I was a slow runner because I like the feel of running.
FanFile: How much attention do you pay to the other "best" runners in the area...and, in the state for that matter?
Saine: I pay attention. There are some very good runners in the GWOC...especially at Trotwood. Zack Logan and Steven Robertson are very good. There's a very good runner (Nick Landis) down at Tipp City. And everyone knows about the guys up at Cleveland Glenville. Those guys are all fast. Last year I saw Freddie Lenox and Jamario O'Neal at the state meet. They're both going to Ohio State to play football this fall. Very fast runners!
FanFile: Obviously, there are many who come out to see you run because they want to connect your track speed with their expectations of what you'll achieve for the Indians in football next season. Of the two sports...do you have a favorite?
Saine: Football is more fun, without a doubt. There are more fans, there's more enthusiasm, a great tradition and I enjoy playing for Coach Nees. It's great ot play with 10 other guys, too...because it's not all about you.
FanFile: You know, there have been a lot of great track performers who have struggled to make the most of their track skills on the football field. Do ever think about making such a transition?
Saine: Not really. Football is such an instinct sport when you compare it to track. It's just hit or be hit...or do what you can to avoid being hit. There's nothing like it to motivate you to run harder. To tell you the truth, I don't pay a lot of attention to how many yards I gain or how many points I score. I just go out and play to win!
FanFile: Has track made you a better runner in football...or has the strength training necessary for football made you a better track performer?
Saine: Track has definitely made me a better runner in football, because when you need it it's there...if you know what I mean. I don't have to think about running. I used to be too upright when I ran, and training in track has help me with that. Lifting for football has helped me in track, too, although I'm not as big a lifter as some of the other guys. I try to keep flexible and loose and just do what the coaches suggest.
FanFile: It must be hard for the average fan to understand how you prepare mentally for competition against the top performers in the state. What is your process...what are the little mental things you check off...to give you an edge?
Saine: First of all, I just do what I need to do to help me do my best. Things like getting out of the blocks...drive...and finish. You can't get caught up in thinking about the guys you run against. You have to run your race. I mean, when you think about guys like Maurice Green it's crazy...to be that fast. Those guys get there by doing the same things...working on their blocks, the drive to get out and the lean at the finish. Those are the things that I work on.
FanFile: We know it's a while off yet, but are you beginning to think about colleges?
Saine: Some...but not a lot. I guess the best thing would be to go somewhere where I go do football and track both. I'm a pretty good student, but I hope that sports help me get such an opportunity.
FanFile: Tell us about your grades...what kind of GPA do you have?
Saine: We just got our grade cards and mine is a 3.38.
Fanfile: Let's wrap up with some short answer responses. Tell us what you prefer or like better with these choices. Football or track?
Saine: Football.
FanFile: Indoor track or outdoor?
Saine: Indoor.
FanFile: Why?
Saine: Better tracks and controlled environment.
FanFile: Best track you've run on inside and outside?
Saine: Indoor...Findlay College. Outdoor...Our track at Piqua.
FanFile: Statistics or winning?
Saine: Winning.
FanFile: Thanks for taking some time with us. We look forward to watching you this spring.
Saine: You're welcome...and thanks for having me.
