Bret Dannis celebrated his state titles last year by working harder.
A junior hurdler for St. Bede, Dannis told the Illinois Valley Times that after the 2016 state track meet, he changed his usual offseason routine and started going to a trainer in the Quad Cities to continue honing his craft.
Although he swept Class 1A 110- and 300-meter hurdles in 2016, Dannis says his times can get better. For example, his goal is to get into the 13-second territory for his 110-meter times. When he won state, he finished with a time of 14.25 seconds.
He started this year's outdoor season by winning the event at the Central Catholic Invite on April 1 in Bloomington with a time of 14.46, then won the LaSalle-Peru Co-Ed Invitational on April 18 with a time of 14.32.
“My times have been getting a little lower and lower every time I've been racing, so it's been going good,” Dannis said.
Winning the state titles last year made a big difference for this season, Dannis said, because the dual wins made him look at himself more seriously.
“I knew I had it in me, but when it actually happens you realize you have to step up to the plate now and continue to work hard every day and just keep pushing through it and make the most of everything to try and repeat,” he said.
Dannis knows what repeating is like in the hurdles. After starting in hurdles in his sixth-grade year and making it to the state meet, he “didn't do so hot,” he said. The he went on to win state championships at the seventh- and eighth-grade levels while at LaMoille Allen Junior High School.
He said the turning point came near the end of seventh grade, when his coach showed him his best time and said it was the best at his grade level in the state.
“That's really when ... I realized, 'Whoa I've got somewhere I can go in this event,'” he said.
Dannis said the intensity of hurdles drew him to the event.
“Throw some objects in the way -- anything can happen," he said. "Somebody can trip, fall. It's just little more exciting than the other races, I believe.”
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