SHE HASN’T VENTURED far from her native San Diego for college, but for 100 hurdler Anisa Bowen-Fontenot that 120M relocation to the USC campus has entailed quite a change of scenery.
That doesn’t come in terms of the view out the high school list leader’s window or what the track looks like, but in the people around her. Instead of training with her brother Jasir, a frosh-class national record setter in the 110s last year, she’s with a deep stable of hurdlers at USC that are a key to their national championships hopes.
Instead of running with the coach she’s literally been with her entire life, her father Bazz Fontenot, she’s adjusting to a program led by Quincy Watts and the event coaching of Brenton Emanuel.
A half year into the dramatic college frosh life change, Bowen-Fontenot can’t wait to see what the next half-year holds.
“It’s super, super exciting,” says Bowen-Fontenot, who ran a legal 13.07 last season as a senior at San Diego High along with a windy 12.99. “At first it was a lot, but now I’m starting to get the hang of things. It’s only going up from here for sure. The classes and the track are pretty manageable. For me it’s more managing the time. My parents aren’t here anymore telling me to do this and this and this. It’s learning time management and creating a schedule for myself.”
Everything Bowen-Fontenot has done leading to her time in LA has set her up for this. Her father, a former hurdler turned coach, stays in contact with coach Emanuel, a former hurdler turned coach, who actually started recruiting her when he was at Nebraska the previous three seasons. Emanuel can tell she’s a coach’s kid.
“Her dad and I are very similar when it comes to how we see the hurdles,” Emanuel explains. “I love the fact she’s self-independent. Even though we have our system in place, she’s easy to talk to, she has the right mindset, she sees the hurdles as a coach sees it. She can take a step back and not be emotional about it. I enjoy talking shop with her.
“The thing that stuck out the most, she’s a technician.”
Right now what they are talking about is improving the front end of her race, something that will be especially important when she opens up indoors in the 60H.
“That’s the thing we’re working on,” Emanuel said. “She’s relied on her back end because she knows she’ll catch them, but I’m challenging her on being aggressive on the first eight steps to the first hurdle. She’s been inconsistent at times, but when she hits it right she sees how much faster she can be in the first part of the race.
“If we can get this where she needs to be, that 12.9 last year will be a bad race for her. That’s my goal, to challenge her and get her out of her comfort zone for the first five because I know the last five will be there.”
While Bowen-Fontenot loves her place in life right now, she admits it’s different not seeing brother Jasir, who ran 13.31 last year, in person every day, and instead seeing him every day on social media.
“It’s weird seeing him online, he’s living a whole another life without me,” she said. “It’s weird seeing him do his own thing and I’m not there, ‘what are you doing?’
“People think we have a rivalry, but in reality we’re a regular brother and sister. When I go out with him, we go to practice and do reps against each other, I know he’s a great runner and I want him to succeed. It’s fun, it’s inspiring seeing him do these great things. That’s super, super cool. I still see him as an 8-year-old running around. Seeing him get older, it’s super heartwarming for me.”
As for this season, she wants to be consistently under 13, with an eye on 12.7, and with hopes of running for USC into June.
“I’m working on trying to get to the NCAA finals, that’s the goal but you have to take baby steps,” she admits. “For me, that’s working on my weaknesses, sharpening my strengths. Working on my start, my blocks. I’m a good finisher, but starting the race I can be better.”
If she gets that down, Bowen-Fontenot will have a high ceiling as she gets going at USC.
