June 6, 2009

Stuart Kantor
Special to RivalsHigh

"I want to do that," she told her father.

On May 28, Goodman graduated Newnan High School with eight state titles, four each in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, the first person in Georgia to have accomplished this feat. Thus, the Olympic dream, which still burns as brightly as the Olympic torch, may soon be a reality for this speedster.

Shortly after Johnson electrified the track world with his scintillating times and flashy shoes, Goodman started running for Morningside Park and Recreation through the city of Atlanta. A passion ensued, fueled by an innate desire to run faster than any girl lined up next to her. Since her freshman year in high school, she hasn't disappointed.

As a freshman, she swept the 100 and 200 with times of 11.91 and 24.19, respectively. She also overcame her first obstacle ? scar tissue build up on her inner right calf. Apparently the stress from competitive cheerleading and track had taken its toll.

As a sophomore, Goodman doubled again, decreasing her state championship time in the 100 to 11.70 and the 200 to 23.95. She also won the 100 and 200 titles at the Nike Outdoor Nationals.

One's junior year in high school is often considered one's toughest; academic rigors are in overdrive, counselors pressure to sign up for the ACT and SAT, colleges come calling, and the slight bit of freedom obtained with one's driver's license add up to a stressful situation.

For Goodman, she kept shaving time off her already impressive marks. At the state meet ? in the pouring rain ? she ran the 100 in 11.45, .14 behind her season's best (11.31) at the Taco Bell Classic. She then ripped the field in the 200, posting a 23.69. For an encore ? with visions of gold spikes in her head ? she recorded a personal best in the 200 at the Nike Outdoor Nationals (23.22) while sweeping both the 100 and 200 for the second straight year.

Yet her summer was not complete, for she had been selected to represent the United States to compete at the fifth IAAF World Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia.

"Being on the track with international competition and experiencing different cultures was amazing," she said, "but I didn't care for the food. Almost every meal I had pasta and bread. I'm a soul food girl; fried chicken, collard greens, sweet potato pie, corn bread. But I still had a great time and learned a lot."

What Goodman learned is that her mechanics still need to be fine-tuned.

"I need to work on blocks," Goodman said. "I need to be more explosive, work on my drive phase and reaction time."

The hard work must have paid off, because at the 2009 Taco Bell Classic she registered a personal best in the 100 ? 11.30 ? and a season's best in the 200 ? 23.32 ? the two fastest high school times in the nation this year. She followed shortly with a fourth state title in both the 100 (11.54) and 200 (24.32) despite suffering a minor strain to her right inner quad and left hip flexor pain a month prior.

To stay grounded, Goodman paints, draws and writes poetry. She graduated eighth out of 417 (a 100.362 average) with plans on a future in business law.

"I've got it all mapped out," Goodman said, "business law with either an economics or finance major and a minor in English."

Goodman will compete collegiately on the Forty Acres of the University of Texas.

"It just felt right ? the team, coaches, history and the atmosphere," she said. "It's a gorgeous campus right in the heart of Austin."

Texas coach Beverly Kearny is excited to have Goodman join the program.

"Chalonda is an amazing individual," Kearny said. "She exemplifies everything that Texas tradition stands for. She is an amazingly talented athlete, a very intelligent young lady and has a heart of gold. I think that she will add depth to our great freshman class from this past year and will definitely carry on the tradition of moving on to the international level and compete to be an Olympian."

"I know she'll [Coach Kearny] will do her part; I've gotta do mine," Goodman said in regards to the expectations of making an immediate impact collegiately.

And the humble girl from west Georgia will have her lucky Bible with her.

"Before every race I choose a scripture to read," Goodman said. "It keeps me calm and focused on what I want to happen."

What she wants to happen had been decided long ago, a young girl hypnotized by the gold of summer. If all goes as planned, she, too, will wear gold.

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