The problem was that the baseball and track seasons overlapped. However, after playing junior varsity baseball as a freshman at Valencia, he decided it was time to see how deep his bloodlines went on the track.
During his first year with a focus on running, Hill has proven to favor his mom's genes. He won the Foothill League title in the 400 meters last week, improving by half a second to run a 48.85.
``I had always wanted to try it just to see how it would go,'' Hill said. ``I figured this year, as a sophomore, was the time to do it. So I decided to take a break from baseball and try track for a season. I felt that if I got out there to do it I would be competitive enough to hang with the competition.''
Howard-Hill never pushed her son to track despite her success. After graduating from Kennedy High of Granada Hills, she went on to win a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, and silver in both 1988 (Seoul, South Korea) and 1992 (Barcelona, Spain).
``Being his mom, I wanted him to find his own niche,'' Howard-Hill said. ``I didn't want him to feel pressure to be like his mom. So I waited and let him pick and choose what sports he wanted to do. I never mentioned track to him. Whenever he felt like he wanted to do it, I would let him then.''
As one might expect with his lineage, Hill turned out to be a natural runner.
``He's just a great athlete,'' Valencia coach Mike Pontius said. ``He's very instinctive. Some people tighten up in big situations. He's not like that. He's very aware of what his body can do.''
For his first season in track, Hill displayed surprisingly solid technique. This came from watching his mother, who has been the sprint coach at College of the Canyons for six years. Hill watched her teach other athletes and sometimes ran himself.
With her son running, Howard-Hill volunteered to help coach sprints at Valencia this season.
Hill runs the same event that his mother did, the 400 meters. His goal since the season started was to beat her best time of 49.3. He did that for the first time last week at the league finals.
``I'm being trained by a world-class athlete, who just happens to be my mom,'' Hill said. ``It's a little tough because you never get any slack. But, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. She knows me and she knows how hard she can push.''
With his success, it would seem Hill would commit to track full time. But that might not be the case.
He plans to return to baseball next season. He wants to talk to the coaches of each sport and see if he could compete in both.
``I'll most likely go back to baseball even though I love track,'' Hill said. ``I've been playing baseball the longest and I miss it.''
Matthew Kredell, (818)713-3607
matthew.kredell@dailynews.com
Visit 
