Jacob Longan - NewsPress
May 16, 2008 11:31 am
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Of course Terry Josserand runs the event many call the hardest in track and field.
The Oklahoma State senior has shown time and again he isn’t bothered by hard work, and puts in the time necessary to succeed at the 400-meter hurdles.
He will try to score at this weekend’s Big 12 Track and Field Championships in Boulder, Colo., by placing in the top eight in the event.
The type of work the athlete who was not even a state champion puts in to achieve his goals is evident in risk he took at 19.
The Owasso product put a lien on his car so he could buy a snow cone stand, against the advice of his father.
He worked there daily and paid off the loan in five weeks and two days.
That led to his buying two more stands — he has since sold one — which paid for his school until he was put on a track scholarship.
He tried to join the Cowboys but, as one of seven attempting to walk-on, he was told he’d have to do a preliminary time trial.
He performed well enough to join the team. His next task was to score at a Big 12 Championship, which he did in 2006 by placing seventh.
He was first put on a partial scholarship and now gets a full one based on his performance.
“He’s a good guy to have around,” said coach Dave Smith. “He works his butt off. We gave him 15 or 20 percent at first and he was so appreciative.”
Josserand redshirted in 2007 and, despite fighting through an injury this year, he is ranked 11th in the conference (51.91) going into the weekend.
But Smith takes no credit for Josserand’s success.
“I just basically drive the bus for him,” Smith said.
Josserand is coached by Jim Bolding, the owner of International Tours and former OSU coach. He’s now a volunteer assistant.
Oh, and he’s the 400-yard hurdles world-record holder.
“He’s someone to look up but he’s more my father figure in Stillwater,” Josserand said. “He’s like a mentor. He’s taught me more than I’ve learned in the classroom here. He’s taught me how to coach other people and how to be patient. He’s a good leader and a great man.”
Bolding started working with Josserand when the Owasso native conveniently started showing up at the track at the times when Bolding was working with Cowgirl hurdler Alison Erzinger, who went on to earn All-America honors.
“He’s made great improvement,” Bolding said. “He’s really a hard worker. You couldn’t ask for a better kid.
“He’s going to go somewhere in life. He doesn’t mind working hard.”
Josserand said he has just tried to learn what Bolding had to teach and do what he was asked.
He added, “I tried to do everything the right way.”
That statement seems to sum up Josserand, who is expected to be an Academic All-American this year.
He is finishing a master’s in business administration and will move to Mexico this summer to start on an international MBA.
Smith said he is not looking forward to one of the Cowboys’ rare non-distance runners leaving.
“He’s a great guy to be around and an incredible team leader,” Smith said. “He gets really wrapped up in our distance runners and what they’re doing and their performances even though he doesn’t do it.”
Obviously his hard work is paying off on the track and in the classroom.
And in the parking lot.
Because of the combined money he gets from track and his business, he drives a Mercedes SLK230.
That is worth a lot of snow cones.
“When I pay for anything, I always put it in snow-cone terms,” Josserand said. “I say, ‘This is 100 snow cones.’”
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