By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
Michael Smoot is a team of one.
The lone Okarche Warrior cross country runner trains by himself and he competes by himself as the only high school student from Okarche in the sport this fall.
He has a good background, and bloodline in running cross country.
Michael Smoot’s father Todd Smoot was a cross country runner at the University of Central Oklahoma from 1991 to 1994 under Coach Paul Parent. Smoot made the Lone Star Conference all-star team in 1994 for running the 10K races. He got to know another UCO runner, David Riden, the current Deer Creek High School cross country coach whose boys’ team is the defending 6A state champion.
On Saturday, Aug. 22, Michael Smoot was in the biggest, and perhaps the top state meet of the fall season at the Deer Creek High School Field Run Festival. Teams from top 6A and 5A schools were there including Mustang, Piedmont, Deer Creek, Jenks and Broken Arrow.
Michael Smoot, 17, a senior, entered the emerging varsity 5K race.
Although Okarche does not have a full cross country or track team, area coaches have been supportive, and Michael Smoot has been able to compete in Bethany, Yukon and Deer Creek at meets in the last few years.
“He (Coach Riden Deer Creek) has been kind enough to let Michael run the last couple of years. The coaches want to give you a chance to compete,” Todd Smoot said.
On Saturday at Deer Creek, Michael Smoot finished 15th out of 85 runners in the emerging category with a time of 18 minutes and 53 seconds. Caden Goss of Fort Gibson, a 4A school, was the only other runner in the meet without a full team, and Goss finished 14 in the elite division.
Michael may compete next on Sept. 4 at Carl Albert or at Kingfisher on Sept. 5. Todd Smoot is his son’s coach, and takes him to the meets.
“We will run a full season,” Todd Smoot said.
Michael Smoot will compete Oct. 24 in the Class 2A regionals.
Michael has a busy fall. He takes video production classes as Francis Tuttle Technology Center on N. Rockwell Avenue in Oklahoma City and goes to high school classes in the afternoon in Okarche.
He trains six days a week in the mornings before school, running about 35 miles a week.
“We try not to miss school as much as possible,” Todd Smoot said.
Michael is studying broadcast, video and digital media and hopes to continue the studies in college, as well as continue running cross country.
Todd Smoot is a self-employed safety consultant, and finds time to coach his son. Michael also works a job at Chick-Fil-A, and he worked until 10:30 p.m. the night before the first meet of the fall, getting there about 6:30 a.m. to get ready for the race.
“It’s a controlled three-ring circus,” Todd Smoot, said, joking.
“He is a pretty focused young kid. And I keep him on track,” Todd Smoot said.
