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In Focus: Fontenot Embraces Underdog Role

by LSUsports.net (@LSUsports)
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In Focus: Fontenot Embraces Underdog Role

by Jake Terry
LSU Sports Information

Many people root for the underdog in sports ? cheering on David as he attempts to knockout the seemingly unbeatable Goliath.

LSU track and field hurdler Ryan Fontenot is the consummate underdog ? a “David” in the track and field world ? and his role as an underdog did not start in college. It merely continued.

Fontenot competed on the track across the country throughout his high school career at local Baton Rouge Magnet High School, renowned in the state for its excellent track and field program. Fontenot won a state title in the 110-meter hurdles during his junior year followed by a win in the 55-meter hurdles during his senior year.

Still, Fontenot remained a relative unknown ? an underdog. It’s something that he has battled throughout his career on the track.

“I would say that I am an underdog,” Fontenot said. “I’ve had that same kind of situation in high school because in Louisiana they don’t have many really good hurdlers compared to the rest of the country. Whenever I went to a big national meet, no one knew who I was.”

During his junior season, Fontenot experienced another encounter in the underdog role during his junior season while traveling to New York for the National Scholastic Indoor Championships.

Many high school track starts from across the country were in attendance, some even competing in the hurdles along with Fontenot. No one seemed to recognize the Baton Rouge native as he lined up for his preliminary race.

But he showed them all.

“I won my preliminary heat and the guy who was doing the announcing said, ?Man, you won! Who are you?’” Fontenot said. “He actually said that to me as I crossed the line because he was expecting some of the favorites to win, some of the big stars.”

It might be easy to think that Fontenot would grow tired of people underestimating his abilities, but that is simply not the case.

“I kind of like that too because then no one is expecting (you to win) except you,” Fontenot said.

As a high school senior, Fontenot was the underdog during the recruiting process while hoping to be noticed by the nation’s premier track programs. He won state titles, had ideal size for a hurdler at 6-foot-2 and took care of business in the classroom with excellent grades.

But the school he really wanted to attend did not offer him a scholarship.

“I went to the University of South Carolina’s track camp in high school,” Fontenot said. “Even though I loved LSU, I always wanted to go to South Carolina because they always had really good hurdlers. I really wanted to go there, but they didn’t recruit me.”

Fontenot was recruited by a host of the nation’s smaller Division I schools, one of which he seriously considered.

“The school that was recruiting me the most was Sam Houston State,” Fontenot said. “I took an official visit there, and they had a good sprint-hurdler on the men’s side who is actually coaching there now.”

But when it came time to make a decision, he looked across the city in which he grew up and signed with the hometown team. Many factors stood out about LSU that influenced Fontenot to sign with the Tigers.

“I knew LSU had a really good track and field program,” Fontenot said. “Even though I was recruited by some smaller schools, I wanted to go to LSU because I always wanted to be a part of a big program. Because I had TOPS here in Louisiana, I thought it was just the perfect idea.”

Fontenot also liked LSU because of his familiarity with the program.

As a kid growing up in Baton Rouge, he was able to attend a number of track meets held at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium. But one meet he attended while in high school really stood out.

“One that I remember vividly was actually the NCAA regional when it was held here at LSU before I came,” Fontenot said. “That’s when I actually got a chance to meet a couple of my future teammates.”

When Fontenot signed with the Tigers in 2004, he came to the track program as a preferred walk-on and the coaches were pleased to have him. He has worked hard to improve each year and has pushed himself to be the best he can be.

Along the way, his religious faith has been the overriding encouragement he has needed to succeed.

“The one thing I always say since I’ve been here is ?Jesus be praised’ because it’s his doing that is marvelous in my eyes,” Fontenot said. “Everything that I have accomplished is because of him, so I give him the glory first because he’s been there more than anybody.”

Along with his faith, Fontenot has been encouraged by his coaches. Men’s sprints and hurdles coach Marvin Gibson has pushed Fontenot in practice to improve, and head coach Dennis Shaver has also had a tremendous influence on his development.

“I actually knew Coach Gibson before I came here because he used to coach summer track, and I met him at the Junior Olympics,” Fontenot said. “Even though he’s been hard on me, I think he’s really been an encouragement.

“And coach Shaver too. He’s a very good coach, and I have just learned a lot and absorbed a lot from him. His encouragement probably means more than a lot of other people because when he gives you a compliment it really means something.”

Although his times on the track have steadily improved from his high school days through his junior season as a Tiger, Fontenot’s academic success has always remained stellar.

Not only is Baton Rouge Magnet renowned for its track and field program, it is also renowned for its high academic standards ? something that has benefited Fontenot throughout his days at LSU.

It is never easy for a college athlete to balance academics and athletics, but Fontenot has been able to achieve a more than successful balance in both.

“It’s really tough just because the biggest challenge is having long, hard practices and then trying to study in the evening because you’re tired,” Fontenot said. “But I feel like just because I went to Baton Rouge High and kind of did the same thing because I had after school practices and I had a real challenging curriculum in high school, it wasn’t too much of an adjustment when I got here.”

Spending long nights studying and doing homework is part of the daily life for Fontenot, but the biology major has excelled tremendously. He currently sports a 3.94 cumulative grade-point average in his curriculum.

But excelling in the classroom has always been a goal of Fontenot’s.

There’s an old stereotype that jocks are big, strong, athletic and dumb. Some completely blow that stereotype out of the water, and Ryan Fontenot is a perfect example.

“Ever since I was a kid, my dad always said, ?Straight A’s, that’s what we expect.’” Fontenot said. “As I’ve gotten older, they have gotten more lenient on that, but I have just kind of stuck to it because I am kind of a perfectionist personality-wise. I feel like that’s what I need to do to be successful ? to always make the top grade.”.

The importance of maintaining such an impressive academic standing carries an even deeper meaning for Fontenot.

“Ever since I went through school, there has always been stiff competition,” Fontenot said. “I have always felt like as an African-American male that I needed to really step it up a notch, especially in the classroom. There are a lot of great African-American athletes in the world, but then to do well in school is really important because it matches you up on a different plane.”

There’s no question that it has been a constant battle to balance all of the different things that make a true student-athlete. Many times, those things can become tiresome or boring.

But one aspect of Fontenot’s life has always remained fun and exciting ? hurdling.

“I love to hurdle. I could hurdle all day,” Fontenot said. “It’s the one thing that doesn’t make me tired. Putting hard work into that was actually much easier than some other things I did. I have to force myself to do school, but I love to hurdle. It’s easier for me to do that.”

Because being on the track and practicing the event he loves never gets old, it was inevitable that Fontenot would improve his times in the 60-meter and 110-meter hurdles.

As a result, Fontenot’s has contributed to his team’s success this season by scoring points in the championship meets for the first time in his LSU career.

Fontenot didn’t just score points for the team at one meet. He has scored at three of the teams championship meets this season ? the SEC Indoor Championships, the SEC Outdoor Championships and the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships.

Fontenot placed sixth in the 110 hurdles at the Mideast Regional this past weekend with a new personal best time of 13.87 seconds ? one spot away from earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Following his finish at the regional meet, he went into an at-large pool of 28 hurdlers from across the country to receive one of only four at-large bids to compete at the most prestigious meet in collegiate track and field.

Fontenot was one of the four selected.

He now has a chance to complete one of the goals he set for himself back in high school ? the opportunity to compete at the NCAA Championships.

“I’m extremely excited,” Fontenot said. “I remember in 11th grade when I was looking in the newspaper, and the NCAA meet was the first track event I had ever seen get so much newspaper coverage, and it was all LSU. I said, ?This is where I want to be one day,’ and that was the first time I ever really thought about going to the NCAA Championships. Now, I’m going.”

The underdog has a chance to prove himself once again.