Grade school physical education classes are not always the fondest of memories. Most kids hated running laps. For senior cross country runner Cameron Vincent, it was the start of his running career.
He remembers running 12 laps around a basketball court in fourth grade. Vincent said he lapped some of the kids.
Vincent, of Ocean Springs, cannot recall his PE coach’s name, but does remember his coach telling him he should run cross country in seventh grade.
He joined the team in junior high and remembers struggling at first. He said his mother, Shelia Vincent, encouraged him to continue running, at least until the first middle school meet. He finished ninth and decided to keep running.
Simple goal setting has gotten him to collegiate cross country, he said. His first goal was to be the best on his middle school squad. In high school, he wanted a state title and a scholarship.
Unfortunately, Vincent almost lost his opportunity to run in college due to Hurricane Katrina. Oceans Springs was considering cancelling its entire athletics programs.
“We lived two miles off the coast,” Vincent said. “We lived in a cul-de-sac where the house down the road had water up to its roof and the water stopped 50 feet from our house. I had a life vest and my running shoes on, and we were ready to go.”
In the aftermath of the storm, he trained despite the conditions. People were struggling to find food, but that did not stop him, he said.
In 2005, he was forced to make a tough decision about his running. He moved in with his cousin, Jennifer Zaher, in Homewood, Ala., where he could run at Homewood High School.
Senior Daniel Simpkins of Madison ran against Vincent during high school and considered him a friend even though they were competitors.
“I heard that he had moved to Alabama; I felt bad for him, obviously,” he said. “Also, I was sad because I wouldn’t have him to compete against.”
Vincent was far from the destruction of Katrina, his friends and even his parents. The first day of school, he said he realized lunch period together with 20 of his friends was something he took for granted.
“I didn’t know one person at the lunch table,” he said. “I think I skipped lunch that day and hung out in the bathroom for 30 minutes. No joke, I was that depressed; like I didn’t know anyone.”
Soon enough, he started running and made friends. One of his friends at Homewood, Philip Johnson, looked up to him as a mentor, Vincent said.
He was instantly the best runner for Homewood after only the first practice, he said.
His successes were contagious for his team. Vincent said soon Johnson was running in the 16 minute range close behind him. The team went from poor performances to contending for a state championship.
Johnson, a freshman runner at State, has rejoined his teammate.
Though it was tough, Vincent went through with his senior season away from home, but he was able to return to Ocean Springs and graduate in 2006, he said.
Vincent has performed well at MSU, but has gone through periods of minor injuries. Running long distances takes a toll on one’s body and in Vincent’s case, has caused “knickknack” injuries along the way.
These minor setbacks have kept Vincent from running to his potential, but he remains one of MSU’s best runners and is now a team leader.
Assistant coach Houston Franks said he thinks the leadership of this year’s squad is the best he has ever seen.
“Again, that’s not a knock on the ones before them, but we have a real good line of communication between the athletes and coaches, and the older athletes and younger athletes. There is a good balance of respect there,” he said.
Junior Adam Lens said Vincent’s leadership is shown more through his actions and less through his words, and the difficulties he has faced have never slowed him down.
“He’s never complaining,” Lenz said. “He’s always working hard, and he’s a great friend and teammate.”