Wednesday, 5/14/97 Running down a dream MTRACK: Attitude, talent
set freshman sensation Michael Granville apart
By Emmanuelle Ejercito Daily Bruin Staff The two Michael
Granvilles stood at the starting line. It was a rite of passage – a
son challenging his father. While for some the contest takes place
at the backyard basketball hoop, for the Granvilles the venue was
the track. When the race got under way, Michael junior ran his
hardest, but there was no way he could match the stride of the
elder Granville. The father left the son in the dust and in tears.
And so the 4-year old Michael Granville II would have to accept the
fact that it was not yet time for him to outrun his father. "He
always wanted to challenge me, so this particular day he got up
enough nerve to ask me for a little race," his father said. "I
looked into his face and there was so much intensity. I thought,
‘If I let him win I’ll never hear the end of it, so I’ll just stay
five yards ahead of him.’ But in the process of staying five yards
ahead, I got into the spirit and I said, ‘Oh my goodness, let me
just really show this little guy what I can do.’ "After I won the
race, Mike looked at me and he said, ‘You’re too old, old people
aren’t supposed to beat young people.’ Then I said, ‘Well, this old
person beat that young person,’ and oh, man he cried." But when the
young Granville finally ran out of tears, he approached his father,
who himself had been a track all-star at Cal State Northridge and
asked his father to coach him so that one day he could be champion.
Fifteen years later, that goal has been more than accomplished as
Michael Granville II has gone from a precocious 4-year old to a
highly regarded, national record-holding runner. Since his days in
junior high, when he was the nation’s best 800 meter runner in his
age category, Granville has had track coaches throughout the
country salivating at the prospect of bringing Granville in to run
for their program. "Everybody was aware of him in the United States
from an early age," UCLA head track coach Bob Larsen said.
"Everybody who follows track and field was well aware of Michael
Granville." How could anyone not be aware? At Bell Gardens High
School, Granville was a four-time All-American, a two-time Indoor
Track Athlete of the Year, the 1996 Gatorade National Athlete of
the Year for track and a two-time California State Champion in the
800. In his last state high school championship meet, Granville set
the prep national record in the 800 with a time of 1:46.45.
Granville’s achievements weren’t limited just to the prep track
scene. Last summer during the Olympic Trials, the then 18-year-old
Granville, running against many athletes twice his age, made it all
the way to the semifinals. Granville’s talents also extend beyond
the oval. An accomplished artist, Granville’s works have been
displayed throughout the country. He has also done well
academically, graduating sixth in his senior class with a GPA of
3.99. With Westwood’s proximity to home (and not to mention
Granville’s younger sister Shalaura, who is also a freshman here),
it was UCLA that won the Granville lottery. And he has made an
immediate contribution to the team with more than just his running
ability. "Everybody really likes him and he’s a great addition to
the team, not just because of his ability but because of his
attitude," Larsen said. "He’s as much of team person as we’ve ever
had. If you ask him to do anything for the team he’d go do it; if
you told him to go pole vault, he’d go try it. He’s just ideal."
But Granville has had to go through some adjustments, like
adjusting to a higher level of competition at the collegiate level
after dominating high school competition. "In high school, there
weren’t too many people that ran against me under 1:50," Granville
said. "But now you’ve got this slew of people that have moved up a
step." So now his track education begins. Instead of commanding
victories against weaker opponents, this year Granville has
experienced close wins and equally close losses. "That’s another
thing of value of growing as an athlete is; occasionally, everybody
gets beat and the best athletes learn to survive that, come back
strong, keep training and keep getting better," Larsen said. "He’s
just a freshman and even though he’s a very good freshman, he is
just a freshman. He’s got a lot of growing still to do and he
recognizes that and he’s handling it real well." During the
quadrangular meet against Houston, CSUN and UC Irvine on April 12,
Granville experienced something that he would never have
experienced in high school. Running the anchor leg of the 1600
meter relay, Granville was taunted by Houston’s anchor as Houston
broke the tape before UCLA. "At the time it happened, I was like,
‘What is this guy doing?’" Granville said. "Then I realized that he
was really taunting me and I didn’t do anything to excite that, but
I guess that was the only little glory that he ever had. "But
little stuff like that, that’s what tests me to keep my cool and to
stay patient and not let outside things distract me." So far this
season, Granville has run a best of 1:47.93, which is one second
off his lifetime best. However, Granville believes that he is ready
to set a new personal record. "I’m a year older, I’ve learned a lot
more this year," Granville said. "Everything is gearing (towards
it). I feel like I can do it." PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin Freshman
Michael Granville’s talent, attitude are assets to UCLA.