June 25, 2010
by Nicole Mechling, Illinois Sports Information
Tamika Robinson is not afraid to try new things. In less than three years, the soon-to-be senior, who came to Illinois as a sprinter, transformed herself into an All-American hurdler.
"It was basically just for fun, and then I actually got serious," Robinson said of her first hurdles attempt. "I'm a goofy person, so, at practice, I was just playing around with the other hurdlers who were there. When I went over the first hurdle, my coach said, `Come back here. Do it again.' I did it again, and she said, `We're going to try something here,' so it came from there."
Robinson, a high school All-American relay sprinter and three-time Chicago City Champion sprinter, had never competed as a hurdler before coming to Illinois. But, during the second semester of her freshman year, she decided to add something to her racing repertoire. What began as a joke quickly became Robinson's signature event.
"I think the 100m hurdles and 60m hurdles are not only her best events, but I think they're the ones that she has got the most confidence in right now as far as being able to compete at a national level," head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said.
After only two years of hurdling, Robinson proved she could compete with the nation's best. During the 2010 season, the hurdler was the Big Ten runner-up in the 100m hurdles and qualified for both the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships for the first time in her career.
Robinson received All-America honors at the outdoor championships in the 100m hurdles for posting one of the eight-fastest times among American competitors. But she came up short of qualifying for the final races in both events, missing the qualifying time by only .008 seconds in the 60m hurdles and .06 seconds in the 100m hurdles, which simply provided motivation for next year.
"Hopefully, she can be a Big Ten champion and get in the national final - indoor and outdoor," Buford-Bailey said of Robinson's senior-season campaign.
With less than three seasons of experience, most people would not dream of being a conference champion or running a final race in a national competition, but Robinson is different.
"She's just been committed to it," Buford-Bailey explained. "Anytime you're trying something new, you have to be extremely committed because you're learning new things, whereas the people you're competing against already know them."
Robinson knew that taking on a new race would not be easy, but the self-proclaimed "goofy" girl likes a challenge.
"Physically, I knew that it was really different from the 60m dash and from the 100m dash," Robinson explained. "Basically, I have to be smaller. I have to be fit. I have to be able to go over 10 hurdles as opposed to run 100 meters, so it's twice as hard."
Robinson handled the transition smoothly, competing as both a sprinter and a hurdler. But the switch was more than just a physical challenge, testing Robinson's mental toughness.
"It's like a different mindset," Robinson said. "You just have to take it on by taking each race and looking at it individually."
The track star has come a long way since her days of joking around with the hurdles in practice and now prefers hurdling to sprinting.
"I practice alone with the hurdles," Robinson explained. "I feel comfortable just getting in the blocks and not thinking about anybody else, staying in tunnel vision."
Robinson's focus has taken her to a new level. The Chicago, Ill., native who, less than three years ago, had never dreamed of competing in the hurdles, has surpassed everyone's expectations and continues to improve.
"My goal is to be better than what I am now," Robinson said. "I want to break some records and try to make a name for myself as the hurdler."
