Track and Field : Injury Puts Crimp in Watts’ Travel Plans

For the first time in five years, Quincy Watts of USC has not spent his summer vacation traveling throughout the country to compete in track and field meets.

He has been relaxing at home. Instead of rushing through airport terminals for the next flight to Philadelphia, Provo or Eugene, Watts has been spending time with his family and friends.

But if not for a midseason hamstring injury that curtailed his freshman college season, the former Taft High standout again would have had a hectic summer schedule. Except the airport terminals would have been in Brussels, Oslo and Stockholm--stops along the European track circuit.

“I was definitely planning to go overseas to get some experience,” said Watts. “But things just didn’t work out the way I had hoped.”

Having come to USC amid great fanfare and a host of high school laurels, Watts expected to become a force at the collegiate level this year.

“I thought I could place in the top five at the (National Collegiate Athletic Assn. championships),” said Watts, who won three state sprint titles at Taft. “I thought that would be a good goal for my freshman year.”

After running early season times of 10.46 seconds in the 100 and 20.67 in the 200, Watts figured he was on pace to reach his goals, but he strained his right hamstring the day after winning the 200 in a dual meet against UCLA.

“I was running some 150s in practice and I felt a twinge in my leg,” Watts said. “It didn’t feel like anything serious, but my leg was really sore the next day. . . . It wasn’t as serious as last year and it was lower in my leg.”

Watts was sidelined for five weeks with a torn hamstring during his senior season at Taft, and although he came back for the championship meets in May and June, he was beaten by Bryan Bridgewater of Washington for the City Section and state 200 titles.

The loss in the state meet (21.00-21.02) was a particularly bitter pill for Watts to swallow because Bridgewater came from behind to beat him and because it prevented him from winning an unprecedented third consecutive title.

“It’s disappointing,” Watts said then. “I really wanted to go out on top.”

An urge to be the best has driven Watts since his freshman year at Taft and the latest injury has only intensified these competitive fires.

“I still think I can eventually set a world record in the 200,” said Watts, who has personal bests of 10.30 in the 100, 20.50 in the 200 and 46.67 in the 400. “That’s my dream. I think I have the physical tools to do that. If I’m healthy, I’m always going to be near the top.”

During the past two seasons, that’s been easier said than done.

Add Watts: Reports that the Trojan sophomore would leave school to train with former USC and Taft sprint coach Hilliard Sumner are false, according to Watts.

“People were always saying that Hilliard and I came here as a package deal,” said Watts, who trained under USC assistant Jim Bush last season. “But that was never the truth. I came to USC because of the school. It had nothing to do with Hilliard.”

USC failed to renew Sumner’s contract at the end of this season.

Former USC star Donald Quarrie, a five-time Jamaican Olympian and gold medalist in the 200 at the 1976 Games in Montreal, is expected to replace Sumner next month, according to Tim Tessalone, USC’s sports information director.

Scorpions stung: Joel Gonzalez, the fourth man on Camarillo High’s cross-country team last season as a junior, can’t run for the Scorpions this year because he’s too old.

California Interscholastic Federation rules state that anyone who has reached age 19 before Sept. 1 can no longer compete in high school sports, and Gonzalez turned 19 on July 7.

“It’s a big loss for us,” Camarillo Coach Mike Smith said. “I feel sorry for Joel; he’s a great kid. But we should have the depth to fill in for him.”

Camarillo’s top three runners--Abe Valdez, Shawn Goetzinger and Chad Malesich--will return from last year’s team and juniors Josh Gerry, Shannon Brusca and Scott Stringer should battle for the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 positions. The Scorpions finished third in the Southern Section 4-A Division championships in 1986 and 1987 and second in 1988.

“We’d be stronger if we had Joel,” Smith said. “But Josh, Shannon and Scott have really improved over the summer.”

Moving on: Jerry Gilmore, who won City titles in the long jump and triple jump for Poly High in 1986, has reportedly withdrawn from Cal State Northridge to pursue a career in modeling.

After placing third (1987) and second (1988) in the long jump in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. championships, Gilmore did not compete in this year’s meet at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo because he was ill.

“As far as I know, he’s no longer in school,” Northridge Coach Don Strametz said recently. “I heard he wanted to concentrate on his modeling career, but I haven’t heard from him since May.”

Although Gilmore’s departure will hurt Northridge--he ranks sixth on the all-time Matador list with a best of 24 feet, 5 1/2 inches--incoming freshman Chris Perry of Muir should help soften the loss.

Perry has leaped 23-4 in the long jump and 48-8 in the triple jump.

Shopping around: Westlake High is in search of a new boys’ track coach.

Terry Manning, who led the Warriors to a share of second place in the Marmonte League last season, resigned his position in June before moving to Porterville, 50 miles north of Bakersfield.

Westlake Athletic Director Bob Fisher said that he hopes to fill the part-time position before the start of school on Aug. 31.