In It for the Long Runs : Gardena’s Giddens Could Be a Triple Threat at City Meet

When distance runner Morris Giddens of Gardena High became interested in track and field, it wasn’t because of his love for the sport.

As an eighth-grader at Roosevelt Junior High in Compton, Giddens said he went out for the sport in hopes of getting the attention of a girl he was interested in dating.

“She liked guys who ran track, so I started running,” he said.

Despite his best efforts on the track, Giddens never got a date.

“She came to watch at the first meet I ran and I won, but she wasn’t watching me,” he said. “But I guess it turned out for the best. She wasn’t interested in me, but I fell in love with running track.”

Giddens’ track career has blossomed. He won the City Section 3,200-meter title last season and finished a second to Alvaro Mejia of Birmingham in the 1,600. This season, the slender, 5-foot-11, 130-pound senior is ranked third in the state in the 1,600 with a best of 4 minutes 14.62 seconds.

Giddens, 17, attended Torrance as a freshman but did not compete in track.

“I came (to Gardena) as a 10th-grader and I was out of shape and ran my first race (in the 800 meters) in 2:28, which was a terrible time,” he said.

Gardena assistant Kevin Hughley wasn’t sure if the 800 was the best event for Giddens.

“He had a good natural wind,” Hughley said. “So we started him out in the 800 and he didn’t do that well. Then we tried him in the 300 (intermediate) hurdles, but he couldn’t master the technique of hurdling. So we decided to put him back in the 800 against Carson and he ran a 2:14, so we figured that must be his best race.”

After struggling late in the season, Giddens was dropped from the varsity to the C division for the City meet and wound up finishing sixth in 2:04.

Despite his success as a junior, Giddens struggled as the State meet in the 1,600 and 3,200.

He finished seventh in his preliminary heat in the 1,600 and did not qualify for the final and placed 20th in the 3,200 in 9:33.

“It was a great experience for me and I think it pushed me to work harder this season,” Giddens said. “This year the times I have compare well with the (Southern Section) and everyone else in the state. This time my times are legitimate and there are no ifs, ands or buts about it.”

Giddens demonstrated his improvement in February when he competed in the rated mile of the Sunkist Invitational at the Sports Arena. He finished in third place in 4:29.54.

Giddens got off to a slow start in the outdoor season. He was so disappointed with his times at the Pasadena Games that he quit the team for two days.

“I ran fourth in the mile and I was just disgusted with myself,” he said. “I actually came back to school on Monday and quit for a day, but I made a deal with Kevin that if I did better in the next meet I would come back on the team.”

Giddens competed in the 1,500 meters at the Bishop Amat Relays later in the week and won in 4:00.71--barely missing the meet record.

Giddens credits Hughley for his development.

“He has played more than a minor role in my career,” Giddens said. “He’s been the force in my development.”

Said Hughley: “I can see him getting so much better than he is already. He’s only run for three years, so he’s still got a fire in his heart. . . . He’s still very motivated to improve.”

Giddens, who has yet to pass the Scholastic Aptitude Test, said he is leaning toward attending Cal State Northridge.

The possibility of attending a more prestigious Division I programs does not appeal to Giddens.

“I like the smaller programs because you get more attention, anyway,” he said. “Besides, it’s not where you are, it’s who you are.”

After the State meet in June, Giddens will compete in several national prep meets, including the Golden West Invitational in Sacramento and the Kuebler Invitational in Chicago. Giddens, who is Gardena’s student body vice president and also serves on the city of Gardena’s youth commission, is being sponsored by the city of Gardena.

“I wanted to be in these meets and represent Gardena, but my family didn’t have the money,” Giddens said. “So I went to the mayor (Donald L. Dear) and the City Council voted to pay for three trips after the State meet. What really feels good about this is that the city is behind me. They’re going to spend money to send me to nationals and I’m going to run my heart out for them.”

Giddens is pointing toward the City finals May 27 at Van Nuys Birmingham High.

Giddens, who also has a City-best 1:55 in the 800, has the potential to win the 1,600 and 3,200 at the City meet, according to Hughley.

Gardena Coach Al Hearvey didn’t rule out the possibility of Giddens competing in all three events in the City finals.