Hello everyone! My name is Sydney Baker. I attended Mazama High School and will be attending Southern Oregon University this fall to compete in track and field while majoring in Exercise Science and Kinesiology. I am a four-time OSAA state champion. However, this journey was not filled with only victories. Through failures, learning experiences, adversity, and the support of God and those around me, I became the athlete and person I am today.

I first got into hurdles at around the age of 8. Growing up, my grandfather, who is also my head track coach, would turn on Olympic and collegiate track races, and we would pick who we thought would win. Whenever the hurdlers came on, I was fascinated by them. Years later when middle school arrived my coach asked what events I wanted to compete in, my answer was easy: I wanted to hurdle. I competed in my first hurdle race during eighth grade, and I was terrified. "How was I supposed to run a race with barriers in front of me?!" When the gun went off, I ran without looking back. After crossing the finish line, I looked around wondering where everyone was. Then I turned around and realized everyone was still racing. At that moment I thought, "Hey, maybe I'm pretty good at this." This race was the beginning of a five-year journey. I began training with my coach, Sullivan Stevens. I am incredibly grateful for him and the impact he has had on my life. Even though we had our differences at times, he became much more than a coach — he became family. My freshman year through my senior year, we trained beginning in December. The workouts were often difficult, but they prepared me to enter each season in peak condition.

Since my freshman year, my coach Sully always told me I would become a state champion. At the time, I laughed. How was a freshman supposed to win a state title? Yet, he never stopped believing in me. That year, I won state championship titles in both the 100-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles. After that success, I became comfortable and assumed winning would always come easy. Then adversity hit me. My sophomore year, I suffered a quad injury. During my junior year I broke my leg early in my volleyball season. Although I was still able to place second in my hurdle events, I was unable to reclaim my title. It was not until my senior year that I won both state championships again. A full circle moment I would call it. Looking back, those setbacks were necessary. The highs and lows taught me a lesson no victory could.

I call my junior year "the year of learning." I traveled to Arcadia, California, for one of the biggest track meets in my career. I was incredibly nervous, and when the race came, everything seemed to go wrong. I got dead last and hit several hurdles. I was embarrassed and disappointed. I felt as if I traveled all that way just to fail. My coach and dad let me sit with what had happened for a little, and then my dad told me, "More can be learned from losses than wins." This lesson stayed with me throughout the rest of my career.

As athletes, we often place our identity of who we are in our accomplishments and performance. We believe our value comes from how well we compete, how many titles we win, or how successful we appear to others. But our worth should not be placed on the pedestal of our worldly success. Our true value is from God. One verse that has helped me throughout my journey is Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." When our identity comes from God, the wins and losses no longer define you. Instead they become opportunities to glorify him, encourage others, and grow as a person. You have a higher purpose. The one piece of advice I want to leave you with is, don't let your titles, trophies, or victories speak of who you are. Let your kindness, humility, character, and identity in Christ tell your story. When people remember you, let them remember your kindness before your victories, your humility before your titles, and your character before your accomplishments.