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Goal-oriented athlete
By JAMAL THALJI, Times Staff Writer
DADE CITY -- LaShawn Vaughns has a plan. Make that plans. The Pasco junior track star has plans to run, and win, the 100-meter sprint at the state meet. She has plans to compete in the 200, the 4x100 and the long jump this season. She might even do the 400 and triple jump. She plans to score a host of points for the Pirates. She plans to run her way to an athletic scholarship after her graduation next year. She plans to get out of Dade City. But most important, she plans to accomplish all of the goals she has laid before herself. "It's still early. But her head is in the right place, and that makes a big difference right there," coach Raven Lewis said. "She's so focused." Two trips to the state meet can do that to an athlete. Vaughns is one of the premier track athletes in Pasco County, one of its top scorers and a two-time sprint champion. But at the state level, she has nothing to show for it. Her freshman season, Vaughns qualified for state but didn't make it to the final. Last season, she made it to state and the final of the 100 but didn't place. This season, one of the county's brightest talents is physically and mentally preparing herself for the next step: to place, and maybe win, the 100 at state. But most of all, she's preparing herself for the ultimate next step: a college track program. "That's my life," Vaughns said. "That's the big goal for me. First, I've got to meet these steps that I have to do in high school, then I'll get to that next step." If anyone has the talent and determination to do it, Lewis said, it's Vaughns. "She's very dedicated, and she wants to get out of Dade City," Lewis said. "Now I don't mean that in a negative way. But she does want to go out and see the world, to go grow up someplace else. "Then maybe she can come back here and help someone else make it out of here." For Vaughns, it started one day last summer when she sat down and put together a plan of things she needed to do to accomplish her goal. She loves to make plans. "Basically, it's a gift from God," she said. "It just comes normal to me. "I sat down with myself, and the first thing I said was my grades, I have to maintain them good and strong. Then I have to have a positive attitude around school, which just comes natural to me, so I don't have to worry about that. Then my goals were to train hard, to be strong and to put in lots of dedication." In the classroom, Vaughns started work on what would become a 3.4 grade point average. Then on the track, for once in her career, she dedicated herself to the sport early. This year, Vaughns added weightlifting to her training regimen, and she showed up at practice in top shape after working out with Sue Perry during the offseason. "She knows what she has to do in the classroom, and she knows what she has to do out here," Lewis said. For Vaughns, that means cutting her personal-best time of 12.1 seconds down to the 11s. Right now, the 200 is her top event. Her personal-best is 25.9. She also hopes to improve on her long jump (17 feet, 73/4 inches) and 400 time (1:00.41). But then, she did qualify for state in all four events last year. Lewis knows Vaughns is ready mentally for the rigors of the season. And physically, Lewis is hoping to have Vaughns at her peak for the state meet. Technique is another matter. To fulfill her plans, the coach said, Vaughns' work never is truly done. "We keep working on that little process of weeding out all the little things," Lewis said. "We're working on the things we didn't see last week, and we're fine-tuning it until she has that perfect race that she needs."
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