A HIGHER CALLING

HURDLES NEARLY `SPIRITUAL' FOR LOS ALTOS' HERSEY

By David Kiefer
Mercury News

For Los Altos High junior Eric Hersey, the hurdles are not just a hobby, but also a calling.

And it shows.

Hersey, a returning state-meet finalist in the 110-meter high hurdles, leads the Central Coast Section in the highs (14.33 seconds, believed to be the fourth-fastest in the state) and the 300 intermediates (38.84) going into tonight's CCS Top 8 Classic at Los Gatos.

Hurdling, to Hersey, is the embodiment of track and field, the basis of all sports because of the simple skills it seeks to define: Who is the highest, strongest and fastest?

When it all comes together, ``it's almost a spiritual thing,'' Hersey said. ``You can see somebody who's connected to the hurdles and who's not.''

Hersey said he has yet to reach such a nirvana, but the defending CCS 110 high-hurdles champion hopes to get there.

``I've got a long way to come still,'' he said. ``I feel like I've gotten some pretty big breaks, as far as having some natural ability. But every time I run, I feel like I have more to work on.''

As a freshman at Redwood High in Larkspur, Hersey was a sprinter and jumper, but he noticed how the hurdlers were viewed as the elite athlete on the track.

``Only the best could do it,'' Hersey said. ``I tried it one day, and it was my thing.''

By season's end, he was racing in the North Coast Section prelims.

Hersey said track made the family's move to Los Altos easier for him, with winning a CCS title in the 110 highs no doubt helping the cause. Many seem to believe he is better suited to the 300 hurdles, but he refuses to believe he can't be great in the 110s, his favorite event.

While watching China's Liu Xiang win the 2004 Olympic 110 gold medal, Hersey realized the event is not decided by who is most powerful, but by speed and technique.

``Everyone was real pumped up, and here's this skinny Asian guy who tied the world record,'' Hersey said.

There was a deeper meaning. Hersey, whose parents grew up in Canada, shares the Chinese heritage of his mother. Hersey didn't just see Xiang -- he saw himself.

``After the race, Xiang said, `For some people, it's a job. For me, it's what I love,' '' Hersey recalled. ``That's exactly how I see it.''

• The Top 8 Classic is the final invitational of the regular season and signals that the season is starting to get serious.

Willie Harmatz and Rick Milam have staged the event for 27 years, with field events getting under way today at 3 p.m. and running events at 4:30 at Los Gatos.

Among the featured events are the boys and girls pole vault. Castilleja junior Tori Anthony is a threat to break her CCS record in every meet, and St. Francis' Kyle Mills-Bunje is poised to become the fourth vaulter in section history to breach 17 feet.

Arcadia Invitational champion Renisha Robinson of Archbishop Mitty takes on a girls 800 field that includes San Lorenzo Valley sophomore Taylor Johnson and Palo Alto sophomore Mia Lattanzi, the defending section champion in the 400 who might have the potential to be even better in the 800.

• Los Gatos sophomore Kevin Rutledge is tied for the CCS lead in the high jump at 6-feet-4, despite splitting his time between two sports.

Each day, Rutledge participates in track practice and then heads to the gym for volleyball, where he is an opposite hitter on the Wildcats' varsity team.

``It's exhausting,'' Rutledge said. ``But I'm good at both and I don't want to give one up.''