One Fast Choo Choo : Locke High’s Knighten Goes Over Hurdles More Like an Express Train

A wisp of a girl, she looks fragile, almost delicate--like someone who has been fasting for a month.

“I’ve always been the smallest kid, or one of the smallest,” said Chewuakii Knighten. “When you’re small you have to make up for it. You don’t want to be left out.

“But I was lucky. Even though I was barely pushing 5 feet, I was quick. So when we’d play games, the other kids could never catch me. Later, because I was so fast they’d want me on their side.”

The little girl is 17 now, and slightly bigger, stretching all the way to 5-feet-6. But despite milk shakes and weight training, she still can’t qualify as a 108-pound weakling, barely tipping the scale at 106.

She’s still fast, though. Fast enough to collect a nickname, and fast enough to be regarded as one of the finest prep runners in the United States. Just ask anyone who has seen her glide over a hurdle or charge off the final turn in the 400-meter run.

“Choo Choo is the most significant performer to ever come out of high school in the Los Angeles area,” said USC women’s track Coach Fred LaPlante, who is hoping to win a recruiting battle against UCLA and get Knighten on his side for the next four years. “There have been girls on club teams, but she is the first to come through the high school ranks.

“She has the kind of potential to do the great things in track--set a world record, win a gold medal in the Olympics.

“And what is intriguing about her is which event will she do it in. She could do it in the hurdles or the 400 meters or the 200. She has the ability to do what no one else has done. Believe me, I’d like to have her.”

For the rest of the spring, Chewuakii, which according to her mother is an Indian name meaning Pretty Black Girl, will be writing a final chapter to a brilliant career at Locke High School. The scenario is intriguing because one and perhaps two national records are within each.

“We have set a goal of 50 seconds in the 400 meters,” said Locke Coach Jimmy Lee. “She ran 52.31 last year in the Pepsi meet and that was in Lane 8. The record is 50.87 (set by Kennedy’s Denean Howard in 1982) and I think 50 is a realistic goal for her because of the type of person she is.

“She has always excelled at running. And she understands that if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. She is willing to make the commitment to excel, to take advantage of her ability. Even when she was in eighth grade she was a competitor.”

Desire may be the key to understanding Knighten. She laughs when asked if she runs like a greyhound, or cheetah, or someone being chased by a ball of fire.

“No, I run with determination,” said Knighten, who is the defending state champion at 400 meters. “You have to concentrate to accomplish what I want. I’m very serious when I’m in a meet because I want to win. I don’t smile a lot because it takes away from my concentration. Someone can come out of the woods and beat you.

“But when I’m really doing well, my heart is happy on the inside.”

Judging by that criterion, Knighten’s heart must be in a constant state of joy.

A quality runner as a freshman, she took the State hurdles’ title as a sophomre.

Last year as a junior, she ran the fastest time in the nation in the 400 meters. In addition, she finished third in the State behind Gail Devers and Wendy Brown, freshmen at UCLA and USC, respectively.

She slowed down a tad in the 100, finishing fourth, but came back strong in the 1,600-meter relay, anchoring Locke to a first-place finish. The time of 3:38.65 established a national best for 1984, and ranks third on the all-time list.

This season, she got off to a fast start indoors, breaking Howard’s national record for 500 yards at the Sunkist Invitational. The dual meet season doesn’t provide much of a challenge, but Knighten is honing her techniques, working especially on an annoying habit of being tardy out of the blocks.

“I’ve spent a lot of time working on my start, trying to get out more quickly,” she said. “I have a long stride and I’m also quick. But it takes me awhile to get to my top speed. I think that’s why I’ve done so well in the longer races. If I can continue to improve, I think I can take my time down in the hurdles, too.”

Lee calls her style on the track aggressive, but believes her ultimate virtue is her intelligence. Certainly that could be a plus as she moves into more difficult competition, since many athletes are able to perform well over the short term but lack the discipline and mental toughness to crack the elite class who ultimately strike gold.

Lee thinks Knighten possesses the intangibles.

“No one can practice hard every day, and sometimes she’ll goof off when it’s only a dual meet coming up,” he said. “But when there’s a big meet coming up, like an invitational, she’s all business. She’s ready to work. Her parents (Patrice and Otis Knighten) are very supportive, which is very important. When I have a little problem getting her to work, they’ll talk to her and get her back on track.

“But most of the time, she keeps her goals in mind. She knows what it takes to get there and is willing to work for it.”

Indeed, Knighten’s nickname is appropriate, since she has made out a schedule for excellence. She hopes that one of the stops will be Seoul, South Korea. To her, it’s just a matter of chugging along.

“It’s early in the season, but I’d like to break the mark in the 400 at Arcadia (April 13) or in the Pepsi Invitational (May 13),” Knighten said. “Then I want to do well in the State (meet).

“The Olympics is always a goal. It’s always out there. In ‘88, I want to be on the team in Seoul. In ‘92, I’d like to win some kind of medal and then in ‘96, I think I might get a gold.