STOCKTON, Calif. — Some say the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, and that appears to be the case with one local sprinter who's chasing dreams and blazing her own trail along the way.
"I'm doing pretty good now, but I want to do better," said Tamea Crear.
That attitude is what makes Crear so dangerous in her sport. The freshman sensation out of St. Mary's High School in Stockton is always looking to improve.
"I don't even know where I got my confidence from," said Crear. "It just popped out. Ever since I got to high school, I felt more confident."
She has every reason to be confident. Crear is one of the top five fastest freshmen in state in the 100m and 200m dashes. Her inspiration for the sport comes from her dad.
"He really helps me a lot. I go through struggles. He always tells me he'll do fine," said Crear.
Her dad is two-time Olympic medalist Mark Crear, who was one of the fastest hurdlers in the world during his heyday.
"She's always worked hard," said Mark Crear. "I'm not surprised, I'm proud. She's finally tapping into her potential."
Mark, who happens to be the hurdles coach at St. Mary's, has been a strong support system to his daughter as she continues to climb the ranks.
"As an athlete, I've been successful," said Mark. "Been there done that. I'm not vicariously living through my daughter. I don't need her to win or lose. I just want her to do it to the best of her abilities and know that she's representing much more than herself."
Tamea is one of 18 kids on St. Mary's track team who qualified for the upcoming masters meet. In addition to her individual events, she also qualified with her relay team.
"The fact she has another teammate who's a freshman, Giana Gonzales," said head coach Myke Lewis. "They came in together. They push each other a lot. They challenge each other."
Crear said her goal is to make the state meet, and the journey to state continues this Friday during the Masters meet.
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