Coming from a family with a military background, Alex Combs always envisioned joining an ROTC program after high school, but when the Cornwall senior received an invitation to run track for West Point, he couldn’t refuse the offer.
“I think it’s a great way to give back to your country,” Combs said of his five year commitment to the Army. “I believe everyone should give back to their country and community in some way. To me, serving in the military is a great way. It helps build you as a person and gives you strong values. It’s something I look forward to doing.”
Combs plans to specialize in aviation, with the goal of one day flying a helicopter. He hasn’t selected a major, but is leaning toward mechanical or systems engineering. As a cadet at West Point he won’t have to choose a major until his sophomore year.
As his future seems to be set, Combs still has to contend with his immediate future and the prospect of representing Cornwall in the state and national meets for a second year in a row.
Having never been a part of a sports team prior, Combs joined the track team in seventh grade as a way to stay focused on his school work.
“If I don’t do a sport, when I have free time at home I waste it until the last second. When I get home from sports, it adds a little more emphasis on getting work done first.”
The first two years of his career Combs ran hurdles, but once he reached high school, he had to give up the event. He hadn’t grown but the height of the hurdles had. As a freshman, Combs gave the 400 meter run a try. The following year he found his niche running middle distance.
When Combs entered high school, he didn’t immediately join the track team. During his indoor season he opted to follow in his father’s footsteps and wrestle instead. He made the JV team at 119 lbs, but there were a number of kids in Combs’ weight class who were more talented. Knowing his chances to compete in matches would be limited, Combs decided to focus on a full year of running as a sophomore – cross country then indoor and outdoor track. A concussion playing football before his second year also helped sway his decision to avoid contact sports.
It wasn’t until his junior year that Combs started to see a vast improvement in his running. He qualified for states in the 600 meter race during the indoor season and just missed qualifying for states by a 10th of a second in the 800 meter race during the outdoor season. He was part of a sprint medley relay that broke a school record and went on to compete in nationals.
Combs is eager to qualify for states again this indoor season as he doesn’t think he put forth his best effort last year.
“My main goal was to make it to states. Once I made it I didn’t have as much motivation as I had before. Part of the problem was that it was one of my first away meets where it involved overnight travel. That was a different experience from what I’m used to. I’ve [since] been to other away meets. With each one I became more accustomed to traveling and staying in a hotel. I performed better, closer to what I normally would do closer to home.”
Combs went into the 600 meter race as the 19th seed overall and he finished one or two spots below that. He wasn’t disappointed by the finish however, and thought it was a good learning experience.
He was disappointed he didn’t qualify for states in the 800 meter race. The top runner in each section automatically qualifies for the state meet. Second place finishers also qualify if they run a specific time. Combs finished third in the section meet last year, but his time was faster than those who qualified in other sections. He said sections upstate aren’t as competitive as Section IX in the middle distances. The sprint medley relay team, however, finished ninth in the national meet, highlighting Combs’ outdoor season.
Combs believes last season was about gaining experience for his senior year. Much of his junior year was spent testing the limits of his speed. Combs found he performed better against tougher competition because he used the other runners to push him. Combs now has the confidence to perform better in races where the competition isn’t as great. Combs is eyeing return trips to states and nationals and believes this year will have different results.
