Sometimes a joke can sum up serious athletic achievements.
Such was the case with Canyon Del Oro track phenom Kala Stepter not too long ago.
"We were joking around, and she said 'I think I hold the school record for the most records,”' said CDO head track coach Jim Truitt with a chuckle.
"It wasn't boasting, just funny," he added.
Stepter has no need to boast – a slew of state, regional and school records speak volumes about the athlete Truitt calls "the greatest female track and field athlete to ever come out of Canyon Del Oro High School."
High praise, considering CDO has been around for about 40 years. Yet the acclaim may be warranted. Consider this:
Stepter, the daughter of CDO assistant coach and 1988 Olympic hurdler LaTanya Sheffield, holds the state record in the 300-meter hurdles and school records in the 400-meter run, 300-meter hurdles and the 4x800 and 4x400 meter relay events. Her state record time in the 300-meter hurdles also shattered the meet record at the Chandler Invitational, a competition Truitt refers to as "one of the most prestigious in the state."
"Over the course of her career, she's won about 20 invitationals and regional meets," said Truitt."
And, in addition to topping the list in more than a few school records, Stepter also graces the top 10 in many more, including the 800- and 200-meter runs, as well as the 4x100-meter relay.
Such a vast number of triumphs could make an average athlete's head spin, but Truitt said there is nothing average about Stepter, pointing to off-track evidence.
"She's just a great role model, the type of person you could point a freshman kid to, and say 'If you want to aspire to be something, she's who you look to,'" said the coach.
"(Stepter) is a great student; she's over a 4.0 weighted GPA, in the top 10 percent of her class, and she's never been a discipline issue," Truitt added.
While administrators and coaches have never had to worry about disciplining Stepter due to negative behavior, this season, her fellow athletes thought her positive on-track discipline was impressive enough to try her hand at some amateur lawyering.
"At a meet at Flowing Wells, some of our pole vaulters left poles on the bus (editor's note: this is regarded as near-sin in track) and the driver and I had to unload them – I was so mad," Truitt reminisced. "I was going to run them pretty hard the next day, but instead I decided to put them on (mock) trial."
"I was the prosecuting attorney, (an assistant coach) was the judge, and they picked Kala to be their defense lawyer," he said.
"She got up there and gave a damn good argument that it wasn't clearly delineated who should remove the poles," said Truitt, laughing.
Despite Stepter's convincing speech, the vaulters were found guilty, due to what the coach smilingly called a "puppet judge." For Truitt, the fact that her teammates picked her speaks volumes, even though she often does not.
"She's a quiet person, not a rah-rah type," Truitt said. "She just has that respect that the best athlete on the team seems to get."
Stanford University also seems to think Stepter deserves respect: the senior signed her letter of intent to move on to a track career in the Pac-10 during a recent CDO track practice. For her achievements both athletically and academically, Stepter received a scholarship from the Cardinal and will join a women's team that ranked 14th nationally last season.
Before that step is taken, however, Stepter has one last chance to polish up her high school records.
She will be running at the all-star Great Southwest Track and Field Classic in Albuquerque, N.M., on June 6.
No matter how that final prep meet ends, Stepter has left a lasting impression on Canyon Del Oro and on her coach.
"She's one of those rare athletes that comes along once in a lifetime," said Truitt.
