Multi-talented Violet Houck has cleared latest hurdle with ease
Track and Field coverage sponsored by ATT Sports., Inc.
By Sam Cavalieri — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
This is the last of Doug Dahms’ 33 years as Wilson’s track and field coach. He’s not leaving the cupboard bare for the next coach.
Dahms convinced freshman Violet Houck to run track this season while still playing lacrosse. Houck broke out Saturday at the Firing Meet with a virtuoso performance in the 300 hurdles, winning gold with a personal best 45.24 and a top 25 time in the state.
“I (told her): ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,’ ” Dahms said. “We know what she’s capable of and she is only starting to get close to that.”
Houck ran track last year in middle school and said she really didn’t have much fun. She looked like she had plenty of fun after taking home three gold medals at the 80th William H. Firing Memorial Victory Meet at Shillington.
She ran on Wilson’s gold medal 4×100 and 4×400 relays. She teamed up with seniors Cat Arentz, Erica Kulp and Mia Brown in the relays; the bond those veterans share has helped Houck develop on the track.
“Our friendship and relationship (is the strength),” Arentz said of the relay teams. “We always have fun together and I think our team is pretty close.”
A freshman joining three seniors could be intimidating, especially for a runner who was considering focusing on lacrosse.
“They obviously are more experienced and know a lot more and it’s really fun to get to run with them,” Houck said. “They are really good athletes and it’s fun that we can get the win.”
Her teammates appreciate what Houck brings to the team.
“I think we are all stronger in different aspects so it works together,” Brown said when talking about the confidence their relay team has. “We have a 400 runner (Culp), we are sprinters (herself and Arentz) and Violet is just fast. She can do it all.”
Houck was a close second in the 100 hurdles behind Conrad Weiser senior Katelyn Murphy; she figures to be the pace setter in the hurdles events for the next few years.
Houck has scored four goals for the lacrosse team. She scored a goal in soccer. And she averaged nearly 10 points per game in basketball.
“She’s a busy young lady,” Dahms said, “but she’s a very talented athlete. She’s got a huge top end in this sport. The sky’s the limit.”
