by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
One of the top boy high school runners in Oklahoma is Justin Hill. He has the credentials to be at the upper echelon: All-State honors for Cross Country and 4A Regional Champion this year. Qualified for the Oklahoma State Cross Country Championship all four years of high school. Qualified for the State Track Championship during sophomore and junior years in multiple events. Looking forward to the upcoming senior track season, where he will be running both the 800m and 1600m individual events, as well as running relays events with his team.
Justin Hill is a 6-0, 155 lb. senior at Anadarko High School in Anadarko, OK. “I am enrolled with the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, and I am also of Kiowa and Choctaw descent,” said Justin. “My mother is Katherine Palmer of Anadarko, she is Kiowa, Choctaw and Apache. My father is the late Jeffrey Hill, and he was a member of the Kiowa tribe.”
“I take on a leadership role on my team, and I research techniques on stretching, conditioning and other fundamentals to share with my teammates,” said Justin. “I also am a very disciplined runner, I do not like to miss practice and I run on my own time outside of practice. I think this strength encourages my teammates to go above and beyond to improve themselves.”
“My family has very traditional Kiowa values,” said Justin. “I grew up attending Kiowa Black Leggings ceremonials. My great-grandfather, Dixon Palmer, was one of the men that revived the organization upon his return from World War II with his brothers. I feel like my Kiowa traditions have shaped me to be a strong, disciplined person. I am proud to be a Native American student athlete, and I always try my best to represent my tribes.”
“I plan on going to college and majoring in Physical Therapy, and I will be running Cross Country and Track. I believe that being active in sports will help me remain focused on my educational goals. I want to join the military after graduating from college. I know running will keep me disciplined with school and in the military,” said Justin.
“My Cross Country coach, John Holten, has been a great role model for me during high school,” said Justin. “He served in the Army, and has influenced me to be disciplined and focused on not only running but in the classroom as well.”
“Justin ran XC for Anadarko for four years,” said John Holten, Anadarko HS Head Cross Country Coach. “He has been our outstanding runner for the boys team the last two years. This summer Justin ran over 500 miles being the newest member to our 500 Club. Justin has been a leader to our program through his work ethic and personal discipline in life. Justin strives for excellence in whatever he is doing, not only on the course but also in the classroom. He is a great young man with a bright future! He will be missed by his teammates and coaches next year.”
“I’ve been fortunate to have some really good teachers during high school. My Algebra teacher, Michelle Smith, showed me so much kindness and she has become a family friend. She continues to encourage me. My Calculus teacher, Cody Sims, taught me the value of hard work, and overcoming obstacles. Mr. Sims even attended some of my meets to support me outside of the classroom and that meant so much to me. I’ve been blessed to have my Youth Minister, Tommy Miller, in my life as well. He is very supportive and a good person to talk to about sports, school and church.”
“I was Justin Hill’s algebra teacher,” said Michelle Smith. “As an 8th grader, he would come to the high school to take the class. He was always so respectful. I was so impressed by his leadership qualities even as a middle school student. He was always willing to help me by peer tutoring. He could explain the lesson to other students and they would get it. He had such a gift of putting it on their level. Also, I could always count on him to act school appropriately even when the other students were being loud or rambunctious he would just smile at me and shake his head. Justin was also very conscientious, and he would strive to get the highest grades. If he made a score below an A, he always wanted to correct it for a higher grade. I have taught math for 26 years and his integrity was the highest I had seen especially for such a young man.”
“Justin is an outstanding leader in and out of the classroom,” said Cody Sims, Anadarko HS Calculus teacher. “His work ethic is that only found in the best of athletes. He’s up every morning early to run several miles before starting his day off of concurrent and college-bound courses. After school, he continues to practice even more. Because of these things, he consistently finds himself placing at the top of anything he competes in. Many people can talk a big game and desire to be the leader; Justin puts in the hard work that no one wants to do and is a natural and respected leader because of it.”
“Grades are very important to Justin,” said Tommy Miller, Bethel Baptist Youth Minister. “He understands that in order to achieve the next step into college, he has to excel and be vigilant with his studies. He works hard at maintaining his grade to ensure his future. He has a work ethic like no other kid I’ve seen. I’ve never seen someone his age so dedicated to preparing himself physically to race. His faithfulness is second to none. He even chooses to work all summer on his own, putting in extra time to contribute to his success. His faithfulness also extends from sports, to family, to extracurricular activities with his youth group at Bethel Baptist Church. Justin is a strong but quiet leader. You may not always hear him with his voice but you will see his leadership by example as he works to be a great runner and person.”
“I’d advise other students to always try their best,” said Justin. “Don’t wait for next season, next semester, or later to give it your all. You have to always push yourself to be better. And also don’t let one bad race or one bad grade get you down, learn from it and try harder next time.”
Photos Credit: Christie Merritt-Massey
