In the 5th grade, I wasn't really "hurdling." I was just a kid running fast and jumping over things in my way. My technique was non-existent, but my competitive streak was already in high gear. Despite the lack of form, I managed to snag the city title in the 60-yard hurdles in 1986.

That win sparked something. The following year, my uncle, Denny Fowler, took me under his wing, and I stopped just jumping and started becoming a student of the sport. By 1989, I had tied the 7th and 8th-grade city record at 7.7—a mark that now lives on as a permanent footnote in the history books, frozen in time when the race was still measured in yards.

Running Tiger

In high school, I competed under the guidance of head coach Frank Cooper and hurdle coach Chuck Medley, a future KHSAA Hall of Famer. My hurdle technique was sharp, inspired by the legendary Roger Kingdom, but my efficiency between the barriers lagged behind.

It was a fellow hurdler, Bobby Zirnheld, who encouraged me to run 3-steps. That was the breakthrough. My times dropped dramatically. "Sophomore Jeremy Petter burst onto the track scene by winning the 110 high hurdles at the 1991 state meet." We won the team title that year. The first since 1974.

I was recovering from a pulled hamstring my junior year. My rival was Ty Yeager and we battled several times, but we would not meet at state since he was across the river in Indiana. My winning time at the 1992 state meet was 14.72. The real test was waiting in 1993.

Winning a championship race is never easy. Athletes qualify for the final because they are the best. Wining three is a tall order. The 110m is a race won by tenths, and sometimes hundredths. The 1993 110m state final was a classic. Joey Stockton and I both ran 14.4 seconds, but the photo finish showed me at silver.

Track has a way of offering redemption. Later that day, the team title rested on the 4x400m relay. My teammates—Greg Mohr, Tony Woods, and Byron Joyner—ran inspired legs, handing me the baton with a sizable lead. I found myself staring down Mark Miller, a future two-time state champ in the 400m. I held him off, barely. Crossing that line at 3:24.78 didn't just give us the win; it gave us the championship.

Running with Giants

My freshman year of college at Tennessee was an adjustment. I had to step 3 inches higher. The 42" height required me to focus on running tall. UT had just come off the NCAA Outdoor Championship in 1991 and the talent was insane. I was living with guys like Lawrence Johnson, who would eventually take silver in the Sydney Olympics.

I transferred to Eastern Kentucky university to run for Tim Moore, the man who coached Olympian Jackie Humphrey at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. We won the OVC indoor title in 1995. I placed second in the 1996 OVC Conference Finals and set a top 5 time. During my college career I was able to run against gold medal Olympians, like Allen_Johnson, and at the Sea Ray Relays, I ran against the legendary Roger Kingdom.

Passing the Torch

In 2003, I returned to the track as a volunteer coach for St. X. There’s a different kind of pride in watching athletes like Peter McDermott, Ben Kolb, and Zach McKendrick pour their souls into the track. In 2008, I was humbled to be inducted into the St. Xavier Hall of Honors.

In 2018 Beck O'Danial broke my 300m record as I looked on at the state meet. In 2023, my 30 year 110m school record was retired by Christian Coleman. If I’m being honest, no true competitor likes seeing their name moved down the list. There’s a tiny sting when a record falls. But more than that, there is a profound respect. I know exactly what it took for those young men to run those times.

I enjoyed every second of racing. And truth be told? I’ll always miss the sound of the starting gun.