SOUTHMOORE SPRINTER, FUTURE SOONER

Oklahoma track and field looked local to bolster its 2021 signing class with Southmoore sprinter Jada Atkinson.

“I think the biggest part was just it being so close to home,” Jada Atkinson said. “Growing up around it and seeing all the girls and watching people my parents have coached before running there and telling me how much fun they had there, that really attracted me to it. Plus, the coaches were really welcoming. They made sure I felt at home. It’s going to be like a second family and I’m excited.”

Jada Atkinson won the Class 6A girls 200-meter relay state championship in 2019 during her sophomore season with a time of 25.11 seconds. She also runs the 100-meter, 4 x 100-meter and 4 x 400-meter relays.

“With the recruiting calls, they would always ask me if I thought I was more of a 100, 200 or 400 girl. I said, ‘I’ll do whatever you tell me to do.’ I’m that versatile,” she said.

Her dad Shanon is Southmoore’s head track coach. After a decorated career at Duncan High School in the early 1990s, Shanon was a two-time All-American at OU and coached in two Olympics for Team USA in 2004 and 2008. He understands how valuable her versatility will be to OU.

“Going on to the University of Oklahoma, I think she’ll be able to help in all four events,” he said. “That’s something that’s pretty special about her. You don’t see that range in a lot of kids, especially in sprinters nowadays. They want to try to specialize in one event or two events whereas she is so versatile that she can go from 100 all the way up to 400 and be competitive in all of those sprint events.”

The coronavirus pandemic canceled last year’s high school track and field season but that didn’t stop Jada from improving. She’s stronger today than when she won her state championship. The sprinter now reps 150 pounds on the bench press and squats over 250 pounds.

Weight training has helped her times, but an emphasis on tweaking her running form has, too.

“At the Moore meet, I ran the 400 and 200. It went really well. The 200 felt really good. I was watching back on the videos and it was just crazy to see how much my form has changed from my freshman and sophomore years. I’m really excited to see how much it grows throughout the season,” she said.

Shanon has been impressed by the way Jada’s taken hold of her training.

“She had what we call in the sprint game a lot of back kick. We had to really work on her front action, strengthen up her hip and core area and get her dorsiflexion in the right position. We’ve done that,” he said. “Missing that year last year, she didn’t get a chance to really put that out there. People hadn’t had the chance to see her. When they see her now, it’s like a different kid running out there.”

It’s been a thrill for both to simultaneously operate as dad and daughter and coach and athlete. At practice, Jada doesn’t refer to Shanon as Dad, instead as Coach A.

“Separating the two has always been the hardest thing. Jada’s done really good,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s gone by really fast.”

Jada will join new OU track and field coach Tim Langford’s program next fall. –19SM