Bayfield High School track star Amber Johnson has taken down four school records this year. She is ranked second in Colorado High School Activities Association’s 3A classification in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles and in the top five in the 200- and 400-meter dash events.
With all the accolades and record marks, you’d think Johnson has been fine-tuning her skills and training intensely for years. However, when it comes to her track career, she’s just getting out of the blocks.
“I don’t think I even touched a hurdle until last season,” Johnson said. “Honestly, I would probably just be a decent 200 runner if it wasn’t for my stepmom.”
Johnson’s stepmom isn’t your average stepmom, and the two are just getting to know each other.
Karree McCarter came into Johnson’s life during her sophomore year. McCarter ran hurdles in high school and was good friends with U.S. Olympic heptathlete Gea Johnson before going into ballet and martial arts. McCarter competed in amateur Muay Thai kickboxing bouts before injuries took their toll.
At first, McCarter was hesitant to push her stepdaughter, but when it was clear that Amber had a dream to run at the collegiate level, they started training – for real.
“She saw some of the Division I athletes at Air Force last year and she was surprised at how ripped they were,” McCarter said. “I told her I could help her get to that level if she wanted. It’s a huge commitment, but I’m happy to share my knowledge with her and she’s completely bought into the work. That’s the hardest part.”
Johnson’s father, Rick Johnson, also played a key role in her transformation. The work started with a cleaner diet. Johnson lost 20 pounds in no time and knew right then that the advice was paying off. McCarter introduced new weight training routines, some ballet exercises and even a visit to the martial arts academy to build different muscles that helped improve her times on the track. The two work out every evening after the Bayfield team practices.
Johnson had a decent junior season at BHS. She finished 16th at the state meet in the 300 hurdles and ran with the relay teams, but she didn’t show anything that would indicate the type of dominance that was to come.
“I wasn’t anything special my junior season,” Johnson said. “This year, we started working hard as soon as cross country ended. My stepmom was always out there with her whistle pushing me to work harder and helping me with my times. It wasn’t until the Bloomfield meet this year I realized that it was really paying off.”
That was also the meet in which the Bayfield High School record book started what has becoming a season-long editing process.
Johnson posted her first school record at the Bloomfield, New Mexico, meet with a 26.73 time in the 200-meter dash. She also won the 300 hurdles with time of 47.76. The improvement was obvious because she didn’t break 50 seconds at all during her junior year.
“When I saw that time, I remember saying, ‘whoa, that’s fast,’” Johnson said. “That was kind of a turning point for my confidence.”
She went on to finish in the top six in all four events at the Mickey Hart Invitational. The next week, she set a new John Tate meet record of 47.63 in the 300 hurdles and broke her own school record with 26.60 in the 200-meter dash.
Johnson won the 100- and 200-meter dashes and 300 hurdles events at the Bayfield-hosted Pine River Invitational. Last week, she broke the 400-meter dash school record with 59.16 at Durango High School’s Ron Keller Invitational. She also went on to smash the school’s 100 hurdles record in 15.97, won the 300 hurdles and recorded another personal best with a 13.12 second-place effort in the 100 dash at the DHS meet.
At last weekend’s Aztec Invitational, Johnson helped lead the Bayfield girls to an overall team win and snagged her fourth school record with a time of 47.17 in the 300-meter hurdles.
“Sometimes I can’t believe that this is happening because I never thought I had this kind of potential,” Johnson said. “I feel like I’m just getting started. Now that I’ve put in so much work and I see that it’s paying off, I want to work even harder. Hopefully, someone will see the improvements I’ve made and give me a good opportunity at the next level.”
Wherever she ends up competing, Johnson wants to study physical therapy or sports medicine, just like her stepmom. Though times, medals and college are in the forefront now, the relationship Johnson has built with her new mentor will last forever.
“It’s really nice because we found something we have in common pretty quickly,” McCarter said. “People helped me train when I was young, so it’s nice to give that back. Her progress has been amazing and she’s really just getting started. It’s been so awesome to have that kind of bonding experience.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
Behind the scenes
Who is your favorite athlete?: Usain Bolt
What is your favorite outdoors activity other than running?: Paddleboarding with my dog.
What music do you listen to before a race?: I rotate, but I always play one last pump up song right before the race starts. Right now it’s “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado.
What is your favorite book?: The Great Gatsby
What is your favorite area restaurant?: Zia Taqueria
If someone made a movie about you, who would play your role?: Emma Watson
Who is your celebrity crush?: Matt Franco
What is your nickname?: My family calls me Seabiscuit.
Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?: I loved New York City. It’s a lot different than Bayfield.
What teacher or coach made a great impact on your life?: Our track coaches Joshua Walton and Gary Heide have been great.
