This Scott Is Making Some Headway on Different Athletic Track

Londen Scott is daddy’s girl in every way. She loves to compete, just like her dad. She has legs that go on forever, just like her dad. And she has a nonstop smile, just like her dad. But she doesn’t care too much for basketball, unlike her dad, former Laker Byron Scott.

This 9-year-old loves track and field. And her dad hopes it stays that way.

“I don’t care what she does as long as she has fun,” said Scott, a three-time NBA champion. “When it gets to be work for her, then it’s not right. When she gets older and if she wants to get serious, then we’ll get her a coach. But right now she is just having fun.”

Competing at the California State Games Saturday at Trabuco Hills High, Londen Scott put on an impressive show for family and friends in the 100- and 200-meter races. Scott, who also has a brown belt in Takewondo, took second in both her heats, advancing to today’s finals. She ran a personal best in the 200 (30.36), beating her previous record by more than a second (31.43). Pretty good for a girl who used to plug her ears at the start of the race, because she was scared of the starter’s pistol.

“I make it look easy don’t I?” Scott asked. “On my start, I jumped early and had to step back and then I hesitated, so I could have done better.”

In the 100, she finished in 14.44, the fourth fastest time of the day. Born in December, Scott is competing against girls who are as much as 10 and 11 months older.

“That makes a big difference in girls this age,” Byron Scott said. “At 13 or 14, the girls are more developed, but right now, seven months can be a huge difference.

“She did really good for not running for three months. Her timing is off. It’s just like in basketball, if I take three months off, it takes a while to get my shot back.”

Because of her layoff, Londen Scott pulled out of the 800 and high jump, her favorite event. But she will compete in the long jump and the 100 and 200 finals today.

Last week was the first time she got in any training time, when her father took her to UCLA and worked her out.

“She does everything I did when I trained,” Byron Scott said. “She ran four sets of steps and I put a towel around her waist and held it while she tried to run.”

Londen Scott recently returned to Los Angeles with her family, after spending last year in Vancouver, British Columbia, where her father played for the Grizzlies. While in Vancouver, Scott was a member of the West Vancouver track and field club and broke the 100- and 200-meter records in her age group. Even more outstanding was her finish in the co-ed three-mile Sun Run. Londen Scott took second out of a field of 762.

“When she first started racing, I kept calling [Byron] when he was away and saying, ‘Your daughter is fast, you can’t believe how fast she is,’ ” said Londen’s mother, Anita.

Bryon Scott still is amazed at his daughter’s speed and tries not to miss a race. Anita recalled a time last year when she found a letter to Byron. Written in anger after a second-place finish that Bryon Scott was unable attend, Londen Scott’s letter told her father how upset she was that he wasn’t there when she needed him. If he had been there she knows she would have won the race.

“He was heartbroken,” Anita said. “He told her he would be at every race possible from then on. Now he cancels engagements for her.”

Notes

Bryon Scott, a free agent, was honored as professional athlete of the year at an awards dinner Saturday night at the Irvine Marriott. Scott, although a resident of Los Angeles, was honored for his charitable contributions in Orange County. Scott, who plans to move his family to south Orange County when he retires from basketball, will host his annual charity golf tournament at Marbella Country Club in September. . . .

The power outage caused some delays in the California State Games, being held throughout Orange County, but most events were able to continue using some techniques from the past.

“At the track and field [venue] they pulled out the old ancient hand timers,” said Sandi Hill, executive director of the games. “In fencing, they had to go back to I got you, no I got you system. But all in all, everyone has been great and we are doing the best we can.”

Figure skating was the only event in jeopardy of being canceled, since the rink was rented only for Saturday. All other events went off as planned, with a few basketball games being rescheduled to this morning.

For more information, call the California State Games headquarters at (714) 553-0100.