If the truth can be told, the young man who is rapidly putting his name among the all-time track and field greats to come out of Snyder High School never really wanted to be a runner in the first place.
Three years ago, Zamir Thomas entered Snyder for the first time, not knowing a single thing about track and field. Sure, he ran a little bit when he was a student at Jersey City’s P.S. 24, but Thomas wanted to strictly play football and baseball in high school.
“I wanted to try out for football and baseball, but they wouldn’t let me,” Thomas said. “I went straight to track. I really wasn’t into track much then.”
Apparently, Thomas’ friend and former teammate Kevin Brown saw Thomas running one day. It’s safe to say that it didn’t take long for Brown to recognize talent.
“Kevin was on the football team, but he saw me run,” Thomas said. “Kevin talked me into running track.”
And the rest, as they say, is history.
And it may turn out to be a story of legendary proportions.
You see, Thomas has blossomed into one of the best track and field performers in the nation, never mind Hudson County or New Jersey. He’s currently ranked by United States Track and Field as one of the top 200-meter runners in the country. Last year, Thomas was the top-ranked sophomore in the nation in that event.
However, there is a bit of a dilemma as Thomas, now a junior, participates in indoor track.
The 200-meter dash is not an event held in NJSIAA meets. It’s only run at certain elite invitational meets, like the Eastern Invitational, which will take place next week at the 168th Street Armory in New York.
To compete in NJSIAA-sanctioned indoor meets, Thomas has to run in the 55-meter dash and the 400-meter run – two events that fall directly between his preferred event.
“The 55 [meters] is just a little too short,” Thomas said. “I need about 100 meters just to get the extra gear. And the 400 [meters] is a little too long. I want to run it hard when I run it, run it like my race, but it’s tough to do it that way.”
Thomas’ personal coach, former Snyder All-State standout Anthony Campbell, a former All-American at New Jersey City University, knows the problem Thomas faces every time he runs a high school race in New Jersey.
“Zamir likes the 55, but he doesn’t like the 400 much,” said Campbell, who was a multiple state sectional champion during his days at Snyder in the late 1990s. “It’s a painful race for him. He can run it, but he doesn’t necessarily like it.”
It hasn’t looked like Thomas has had any problem with it so far.
Because for the second straight year, Thomas is a two-time state sectional champion. The human lightning rod blistered the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group II championships last Saturday night at the Bennett Center in Toms River, capturing gold medals in both the 55-meter dash and the 400-meter run, setting new meet records in both events.
Thomas won the 55-meters in 6.66 seconds, the fastest time recorded at any of the sectionals held that weekend. He broke the former meet record, set last year, by a tenth of a second.
Thomas then turned around and won the 400-meter run in 50.90 seconds, breaking the former record of 51.11, also set last year. Thomas beat teammate Rashawn Taylor, who was second in 52.11.
Two events that aren’t his specialty, but two meet records. Not a bad achievement.
And for his efforts, Thomas has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week.
A year ago, not many people knew who Thomas was. He was more like “Zamir Who?” People commonly misspelled his name and ignored his school and background.
But not anymore.
“Everyone knows who I am,” Thomas said. “It feels good to be recognized. It’s a little different now, because the expectations are higher. It’s put pressure on me to improve, because everyone expects me to do well. But now, I realize that I can be pretty good at track. I definitely want to go from here to college and then the Olympics.”
Not bad for a kid who didn’t even know a thing about track – nor his coach, Campbell.
“I never even heard of him before I started running,” Thomas said. “But now I know. He runs with me all the time and he pushes me a lot. He’s very hard on me. I’ve been doing a lot more running, like longer distances, to get stronger. Practicing with him and with him pushing me makes me better.”
“He’s much more focused now,” Campbell said. “He’s stronger and faster. Last year, he was very nonchalant about everything. He really didn’t show much emotion or hunger. But after he went to North Carolina [last June] and won the nationals [in the 200-meter dash], he was a lot more focused. He doesn’t have that hunger yet. That’s what will take him over the top. He should have that hunger every single meet. When he gets that hunger, then nothing will stop him. It’s the only thing that’s holding him back right now.”
Added Campbell, “He’s not there yet. He still doesn’t realize how good he can be. I think he’s getting the idea a little bit, but he’s still not there.”
Thomas will head to the overall Group II championships this weekend with more gold medals to collect.
“I am going to win again, then we’ll see what happens in the Meet of Champions,” Thomas said. “It’s going to be tough going there, but I am looking forward to it.”
Thomas is also getting an idea how coveted of a runner he’s become. He’s been receiving college letters from all the major college track programs. He says that his grades are in line to receive a scholarship.
“I really didn’t know how good I was until someone told me,” Thomas said. “I didn’t know what it all meant. But I’m getting to understand it now. I just have to stay focused and ready.”
And if Thomas does that and keeps creating history, then when the time comes for him to leave Snyder, he will move on with a legacy of being one of the all-time great track and field performers in Hudson County history. He’s well on his way right now. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.