Hurdling pressure? Ziegenfuss won't fret

A very nice parallel exists in the life of Prospect senior Pat Ziegenfuss: His interests in the classroom and his ability on the track all work in perfect harmony.

So it's no wonder that Ziegenfuss, a standout both in the classroom and on the track, is also a lover of music and an accomplished guitarist.

"He is the type of kid that you want your kid to be like," said Prospect track coach Mike Kamedula. "Everything he does, he is good at."

Ziegenfuss is in the final stages of a senior year that couldn't have gone much better. His track season has by far been his best in four years. He is among the state's best in the 110 high and 300 intermediate hurdles. He also captured conference titles in both races last week and is a virtual lock to make a return trip to the state meet.

"This has been a real successful season and I came into this year with a lot of high expectations after last season," Ziegenfuss said. "I know there are some things we can work on in the next two weeks that I know I can get better at."

To go with his athletic success is his success in the classroom. Last month, Ziegenfuss was honored as a member of the academic all-state team -- an honor he considers very significant.

"That was, by far, the biggest honor I have ever received," he said. "It is real important to me to excel in that area. It is something my parents have always preached to me. I mean, that is why you go to high school, so that you can go to college."

Still, there are some awfully lofty goals remaining in his track career which he hopes to attain in next weekend's boys track state meet.

His efforts in the hurdles have him among the 10 best times in the state, but he will need to continue to improve in order to make the finals.

"I can't wait to see him run the race I know he can run," said Prospect hurdles coach and football head coach Brent Pearlman. "We set goals each week and we have tweaked a few things this week that can make him an even better hurdler."

Long before Ziegenfuss stepped on the track this spring, he completed successful seasons in both basketball and football.

"On defense, other teams simply tried to avoid him," Pearlman said. "He is a bright kid and always was able to provide feedback and always knew where to be."

Pearlman saw this season what Kamedula saw as a freshman football coach four years ago.

"When I was the freshman coach Pat played quarterback," Kamedula said. "Normally you can't tell much at that level, but I felt like he could step in and play at any level because he always seemed to know what he needed to do. If he made a mistake, he always came to the sidelines wanting to know how to get better."

His rare ability and intellect were traits Ziegenfuss had started to refine before he hit high school. In eighth grade, he started to develop a passion for both sports and for music, and his guitar.

"It was a present I got for eight grade graduation, and I wanted to keep getting better and better at it," Ziegenfuss said. "I listen to all kinds of music but I primarily like the old stuff. The Who is my mom's favorite but I like all kinds of the old stuff."

On the walls in his room are posters of some of the great rock guitarists, including Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.

But the passion he holds for music is an off-the-track thing. Never at a meet does Ziegenfuss bring his music. Instead, he maintains a stoic persona.

"You can never tell if he is nervous or rattled or anything like that," Pearlman said. "But I think that is good that he maintains a level of calm like that."

"It's weird because you can't tell sometimes if he won or lost his race," Kamedula added. "I have had coaches come up to me and mention that he looks almost like he doesn't care. It's weird, but he has such a calmness and confidence about him that I think is great."

Don't confuse stoicism for nerves or lack of a sense of humor -- quite the contrary. Ziegenfuss has an infectious sense of humor that creates quite a pre-race banter between himself and Pearlman.

"Coach Pearlman just talks about weird things that makes us laugh as a group," Ziegenfuss said. "A lot of times, right before the race we are cracking jokes and having fun."

Ziegenfuss has a nice bout of recent history in the hurdles at Prospect to fall back on. Mike O'Brien, Patrick Burton and John Munz all have had successful runs recently, but no one has had more success than O'Brien.

In 2006, Ziegenfuss got to watch as O'Brien broke two school records and finished fourth in the state in the 300 intermediate hurdles. O'Brien, now running at Marquette University, still comes back to train at Prospect and shares a few pointers with Ziegenfuss.

"There is a great tradition of hurdling here," Ziegenfuss said. "You think of Mike and John and some of the other guys even in this conference -- a lot of guys to look up to."

The unflappable Ziegenfuss now focuses on what will be the final two weeks of track in his sports career. He is taking the same approach to this weekend as he has to his academic life, his guitar playing and his athletic life.

"I have always taken the approach that there is no one else to blame but you," he said. "The grades you get, you earn, and the races you run are your races."