Girard’s Harden revels in teammates’ success

Many athletes compete to prove something to themselves, but Girard’s Collin Harden competes for others.

“I never do it for myself,” Harden said. “I do it for others so others can have faith and hope that they can do it for themselves.

“I come from a family that’s nothing is for themselves, it’s always for others. There’s more to life than just yourself.”

The Division II state champion in the 300 hurdles also placed fifth in the state in the 110 hurdles in a race he was seeded eighth.

Coming down for the final few hurdles, Harden’s concentration from the task at hand never wavered.

“I was just thinking about getting to the finish line first and doing the best I could,” Harden said.

Finishing high in two events was a big deal for Harden.

“Exceeding expectations means a lot because many people didn’t think that someone from Girard could go to state, compete and get fifth and first,” Harden said. “So I made sure people knew Girard isn’t just a city, but a city that has strong athletes in it.”

Harden said he also got a tremendous amount of joy out of seeing his classmates perform at state as well. Junior Emily Marsico finished sixth in the 100 hurdles and junior Makayla Trebella finished seventh in the 800 run.

“I was very happy seeing them place at state,” Harden said. “It’s like family at Girard. Every sport we play just reverts back to family. When you have a small community like Girard you get to become better friends and you get your support from them.”

Harden is still weighing his options on where he wants to run track in college. Originally the plan was to walk on at Youngstown State, but “nothing’s written down,” according to Harden.

Whether it’s YSU or not, Harden plans to major in business administration and possibly manage a hotel one day. But wherever he attends you can be sure he’ll run with a lot of pride.

“I run for the name on my chest,” Harden said.

— Charles Grove, The Vindicator