Dallas Norwood '25 Recruiting Profile

Sometimes when you get disappointed it makes you stronger. 

David Rudisha - world record holder for 800 M

     Ever since I can remember, I’ve always loved being on the move. At an early age my parents, who are both professional dancers, knew that athletics was going to be a part of my life. 

As a kid, I found the playground to be a home away from home, where I excelled in all of the games during recess, especially handball. Handball was the first “sport” where I was introduced to the lessons and values of sport: persistence, passion and focus. 

      The elementary inter-school handball tournament was a turning point. After placing first at my own school, I was very confident heading to the finals. As fate would have it, I placed third. I felt like I wanted to punch a hole in the sky. My anger fueled my competitive drive and I vowed always to take sport seriously.

No human is limited. That is the most important lesson in running, there are no limits. 

Eliud Kipchoge— one of the world's best marathon runners

      Fast forward to a couple of years later, and having done various other team sports, my mother decided to put me into a cross country program in middle school. Running in middle school was enjoyable, but it was high school where I took it a lot more seriously and decided to take it to a new level. I hit a crossroads in the beginning because on one hand, I had the stamina to be on the cross country team, and on the other I had the speed to be on the track team. My skill set at the time was still in the beginning stages,  but I qualified for the CIF finals in the 400m. I didn’t win, but that experience opened up a new path for my running career. I knew I loved both cross-country and track, but my style of running was leaning toward track, especially the 800m, which is my specialty. 

     Running is now an integral part of my life.  The reason I truly love running as a vocation is because it makes me feel at peace and it gives me a sense of accomplishment. When I run, I feel like nothing can stop me and I'm free to go beyond all limitations. When I'm competing  it's a completely different story. During a race I will do whatever it takes to succeed. Winning is not my main driver, being an excellent runner is. Even if I lose, I'll go back to the drawing board and see what I could have done better. Two of my strongest qualities are my self discipline and how I love to learn new things so I can be better the next time.  No matter what it is, if I want to learn it I'll study and practice until I get it right. My family is one of the primary motivating factors. They have always been supportive and have shown me both how to be focused & persistent, while having the flexibility to define myself as a young man and an athlete.