Full name Steve Conway
High school Spartanburg High (80-82) Antioch (Calif.) High (79-80)
College University of Florida (83-87), Furman University (82-83.)
Strongest event- HS- 800/1600. College- 1500/5000
Personal bests- high school- 1:53.8 800, 4:19.2 1600, 49.8 400 (split on a 4x4.)
Personal bests- college- 3:47.4 1500 (4:05+ mile), 14:05 5000, 30:56 10K (XC)
Hobbies: College football, travel.
Interesting note: I still have the seventh fastest 5,000 meter time in Florida history.
What was the biggest adjustment you had to make to compete at the college level?
I had three major adjustments
No off-season. Running XC, indoor, and outdoor track is draining both mentally and physically. It’s hard to perform at a high level for 8 months out of the year.
The time constraint. High school sports were a part of the larger school experience, but running at Florida required almost a life commitment. The time and energy it takes to compete in the SEC was a big adjustment.
The team dynamic in college was much different than high school.
How would you rate your college running career and overall college experience?
My college experience was incredible. I travelled to New York, Arizona, Kansas, Nebraska, Philadelphia, and most of the SEC campuses. I was teammates with many future Olympians- and even roomed with a guy who was in the 1984 La. Olympics. Furthermore, I experienced the thrill of three SEC championships my senior year. (XC, indoor and outdoor track) I was also able to go to the NCAA meet in XC where my team placed eighth.
On a more individual level, I was able to get top-notch training and competition so that I could fully realize my potential. I didn’t want to go through life wondering how good I might have been. I learned I was good enough to run a 14:05 5,000, but not good enough to make the Olympic Trials.
Is there anything you can tell high school athletes to better prepare them for the college experience?
College sports are much different than high school. Be sure you are committed.
Do you plan to attend South Carolina for any outdoor meets this coming season?
Just the ones I’m coaching.
Have you been back to see a meet recently?
One of the best parts of coaching is being involved in the meets again. I gained a much deeper appreciation for all the work that goes into a meet once I saw things from a coach’s perspective.
What memories from competing in high school stand out the most?
My Spartanburg High team won the McAlpine race (now Wendy’s) my junior year, and we beat the previous year’s state champs from N.C. and S.C.- along with many other top teams. I had just moved to Spartanburg from California six weeks earlier, and my head was spinning with all the changes. After we won I thought “Hey, this team I joined is pretty good.”
Track season senior year: my coach drove 5 of us down to the Florida Relays in Gainesville. We ran the 4x800 and the DMR against some great teams. We got second in both races. I badgered my coach to let me run the 1200 leg of the DMR and to my shock he let me do it. I ran 3.05 and handed off in first place. That DMR was the fastest ever run by a S.C. team until 2010. My 3:05 was what compelled Florida to offer me a scholarship.
As a coach today, what is it like to be on the other side of the sports?
It’s very humbling. As a coach, I see the experience through ALL my athlete’s eyes- not just the top runners. I see many of my athletes working just as hard (or harder) than I did in high school, but they don’t enjoy what I had simply because they don’t have my DNA- which I did nothing to earn. It has made me much more thankful for my gifts.
Recently, the 800 record you had for 30 years at Spartanburg was broken by Nate Gordon, what does that mean to you to previously hold it and see a faster time?
I was very happy that Nate broke my record. Records are meant to be broken, they are not a trophy to hold onto but instead they should be a target to future runners. The worst thing to happen to a record is that it becomes irrelevant- and this was my fear as my record got older. So I was pleased to see Nate challenge and then beat it.
What do you miss most about running in high school?
The shared experience of working hard to accomplish a goal. A championship means so much to each person on the team- along with their family and the school at large. It truly is a group accomplishment. There is nothing in life like it. High school sports are literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I hate when teens take that for granted.
What piece of coaching or advice that someone gave you has been the biggest help?
While I was at Florida, Coach Walker gave us an inspirational handout called winners and losers. My favorite “A winner says, "I’m good, but not as good as I ought to be;" A loser says, "I’m not as bad as a lot of other people."
Bobby Urban (my daughter’s coach at Dorman) told me that figuring out how to motivate an athlete was the key to coaching. He said it was far more important than mileage numbers or specific speedwork.
What are you doing in the present and hope to do in the future?
I work in the financial area of my company - Hamrick’s Inc. And when I get off work I coach for Spartanburg Christian eight months of the year. As far as the future- my daughter and her husband are expecting our first grandchild in February. They met through Dorman XC so that program is part of his heritage.
How is the adjustment post-college?
I’ve been out 25 years, so I’ve had a little time, but thinking back- the first year after college was difficult. Flying around the country, winning the SEC three times, and being around people who are literally some of the best in the world was heady stuff. To go from that world back to the normal working world made for a hard year.
But after a year I gained some perspective and began to focus on serving the Lord and providing for my family. And I was able to apply the lessons and principles I learned at Spartan High and Florida to all those areas of my life (work, family, church) and found them to be a great help.