(Photos by Madeleine Takahashi)
Transitioning from the high school track to the collegiate field was a challenge for former Episcopal School of Jacksonville standout Garrett Scantling.
In high school, he competed in both the shot put and triple jump, but focused on two main events: the pole vault, where he won the 2A state championship as a senior, and the high jump, where he placed 5th.
Florida doesn't offer heptathlons or decathlons at the high school level, at least not in the post season, and when Scantling headed up to the University of Georgia he found himself learning how to race and compete in events he'd never before tried.
"It was very hard for me to go from just a high jumper and a pole vaulter to a full on heptathlete/decathlete in 6 months," Scantling said. "Hurdles and shot put were the most difficult to learn and it showed in practice for a while just how frustrating it all was for me."
Despite the challenges, Scantling endured. Growing, he'd watched his older brother Hunter, who played baseball for Florida State, go after what he wanted. Garrett knew that like Hunter, the trials of his sport would ultimately make him better.
"I always watched him no matter what type of game it was," Scantling said. "He taught me how to be competitive and how to chase your dreams no matter how big they may seem."
Now a multi-event athlete at the University of Georgia, his perseverance has paid off; he is the no. 2 ranked Heptathlon returner in indoor according to Flotrack's recent ratings. A four-time All-American, he was runner up at the Indoor NCAAs last year in the Heptathlon with a school record 6,068 points before spraining his ankle on the first day of the NCAA Outdoor Championships and having to pull out of competition.
Before his string of successes at Georgia, including multiple NCAA appearances and an SEC Indoor Championship in the Heptathlon, Scantling planned on doing track and field just through college. Now, it doesn't look like he will give up the multi-events quite that soon.
In 2012, Scantling earned a spot on Team USA for the IAAF World Junior Championships after placing second in the decathlon at the USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Although the IAAFs didn't go as well as hoped- he was disqualified in the 400 meters on the first day- Scantling hopes to return to the international stage someday soon.
"I think that I have turned something I thought was going to be a sport that would just get me through college, to a sport that i could potentially make the olympic team in the summer," he said. "My goals would be to get redemption and win indoor NCAAs this year and go on and make the US Olympic team in the summer."
Now a senior at Georgia, Scantling continues to surround himself with those like Hunter who support and teach him. Fellow senior and Georgia teammate Maicel Uibo ranks right behind Garrett in the indoor heptathlon and was the 2014 and 2015 NCAA Champion in the Decathlon. Scantling also credits Georgia coach Petros Kyprianou for his success.
"Me and Maicel push each other in practice every day, this is the secret to our success, we each have events that we can teach each other things in also the reason why all of our multis are so successful is that our new head coach and my coach for the past 5 years, Petros Kyprianou," he said. "[He] is the best coach in the nation and one of the best in the world and he instills in us the will to be successful in everything that we do."
Scantling's girlfriend, former Oregon star and current Nike athlete Laura Roesler, also keeps him on his toes. The 2014 NCAA Outdoor Champion in the 800m and Bowerman Trophy winner has her eyes set on the Olympics, just like Scantling.
"She is one of the most supportive people in my life and she holds me to a higher standard that I strive to go above and beyond everyday," he said. "The strength that she has coming off of an injury plagued year inspires me to work harder and ultimately to be a stronger person."
Although Scantling is arguably one of the best collegiate mutli-event athletes in the country, Roesler, a 1:59.04 800m runner, is no slouch herself.
And as for who would beat who in an 800, Garrett knows that unlike his dominance in the multi-events, this is one he can't win.
"She would definitely beat me by a few seconds."