SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Liberty Charter High School senior Owen Gaut fell in love with track and especially the hurdles. He says his biggest influence was his coach, who also happens to be his dad.
"My dad actually got me involved in track. He was a track runner, and set all these records at his school. So when I was younger, I always looked up to that. My goal since I was really little was to beat my dad's track records," said Gaut.
And even though he won't have a chance at breaking his dad's records, Gaut says being apart of the track team at Liberty Charter has been quite the experience.
"It was so awesome, I loved my team," he says. "It was a family with about 50 of us on the team."
Quite often good things come about from bad situations. After the track season ended due to coronavirus, a program called Adopt-a Senior was created to recognize the class of 2020. Gaut was selected, and he received a surprise gift basket.
"That was so awesome! I had no idea I was even up on the website," said Gaut. "Then all of sudden I hear my name, and I turn around to this big group of people. It was really really cool to be honored."
Now as for not getting the chance to break his dad's track records, Gaut calls that very disappointing.
"This season was the season I was going to do it. I wanted to get his records, I wanted to go to CIF, and I wanted wanted to make it to state. But since this coronavirus stuff, I just couldn't do it," he said.
