Looks can be deceiving in distance running, especially when it comes to our stereotypical view of what a champion should look like.
Not only has Baxter won a state championship, she's won two of them this year. Her state title in the girls 3,200 meters came after the one she won in cross country in the fall.
Baxter adds the honor of being The Star's Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year to the one she won in girls cross country.
At the CIF State Championships on June 4 in Clovis, Baxter won the 3,200 with a time of 10 minutes, 13.00 seconds. It was the best time in California this year and fifth best in the nation.
In her previous races, Baxter led handily from start to finish. But at the state meet, Molly Grabill of Rancho Bernardo kept up with her for about half the race before Baxter finally pulled away and won by more than six seconds.
Baxter may have won easily, but she never felt she had it made.
"I didn't think that she was far behind me," Baxter said. "I felt like she was right behind me the entire time and I just had to get away from her and had to pull away and that's what was going through my head: 'Try your hardest, run your best, run the race that you know you can run.' "
NERVE-RACKING
Being in the limelight is taking a while for Baxter to get accustomed to. She's a quiet kid who would really rather not draw a lot of attention to herself. Easier said than done when you're one of the top distance runners in the entire country.
"It's really nerve-racking," she said. "I was always shy. I don't really go out there and just try to talk to people. I'm not very outgoing and having all those people saying stuff about me — it's nerve-racking."
Baxter said she was amazed by the reaction to her races ranging from her friends and teammates to the national track media. But she didn't let any of that change the way she approaches running.
"I didn't come into this sport thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to do really well.' I just came in thinking, 'OK, well, it's my first year. I'm going to get used to all the different races.' I just kept doing what I was doing."
What has mattered more to her is the reaction of teammates and classmates at Simi Valley.
"My teammates were all proud of me and they were real excited for me," Baxter said. " At school, everybody was really excited for me and it was nice to have all those people excited for what I'm doing."
GIVING UP SOCCER
Baxter said she first started running when she was 8 or 9 years old with the Simi Valley Running Rebels track club.
"When I was younger, I used to play soccer and I was never really good at it," she said. "I was actually terrible. And my parents thought I could do better in track so they put me in track just to see how it went. I actually ended up doing pretty well. Not good, not terrific, but pretty good."
In a world of instant gratification, Baxter appreciated the patience distance running requires.
"I like it," she said. "I like how long it lasts and I like the feeling of it, the feeling that I'm getting stronger by doing it every day."
However, any joy she gets from competing doesn't usually come until after the race is over.
"Before the race, I'm kind of too nervous to think about it," said Baxter. "After the race, when it's all said and done, I enjoy it, just knowing that I went out there and tried my best at it. No matter how good or bad I did, I enjoy it."
CROSS COUNTRY CAMARADERIE
Baxter admits she enjoyed her cross country experience this school year more than the one she had in track because her success in cross country also enabled all of her teammates to participate at the state championships in Fresno. The Pioneers came home with a fourth-place finish.
"The team was so happy about it," said Baxter. "Being with the team that day was really helpful. When I went to state track, knowing that we weren't running as a team, it was more nerve-racking."
Even though Baxter was the only Simi Valley athlete competing at the state track meet, she did have a support system in Clovis, with about 15 people making the trip to cheer her on.
"I didn't feel completely alone," she said. "I felt my teammates were there for me, cheering me on, helping me get through the race."
What do you do for an encore, when you've won state titles in two sports your freshman year?
"I'd like to do the same thing this year," Baxter said, adding she'd like to go to the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships and the Nike Track Nationals.
And who's to stop her? Even at 85 pounds, Sarah Baxter is a giant.
