Published: Thursday, Jul. 16, 2009
Hasay walks, not runs, down the red carpet at the 2009 ESPYs
Attending award ceremony was a perk for being a finalist for the Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year
Comments (0) | 
E-Mail
Print
tool name
closeA limo waited to pick up Jordan Hasay and whisked her away for a ride through Los Angeles.
When the limo stopped and the door opened, the former Mission Prep running star was ready to walk a stretch of red carpet. With several hundred people lining the way, the walk served as the focal point for the entrance to the 2009 ESPY Awards.
“It was really weird like, during awards, I was thinking I can’t believe I’m actually here,” Hasay said. “Seeing all the great athletes going on stage and being so close to them, because you see them on TV, it was pretty sweet.”
At only 17 years old, and yet a rising star in the national and world racing scenes, Hasay had the rare opportunity to rub elbows with some of the world’s greatest athletes Wednesday. Attending the event was a perk for being one of the 12 finalists for Gatorade’s Male and Female High School Athletes of the Year awards.
“I think just being with all the other athletes and getting to know them throughout the weekend,” Hasay said when asked what one of her most memorable moments was. “I know they are really great in their respective sports and they are even better people. I have to thank the Gatorade Company for having us out here.”
But before the lights, limo rides and cameras, Hasay gathered with 11 other high school athletes for their own ceremony to name the high school athletes of the year. Lake Travis High quarterback Garrett Gilbert from Austin, Texas, and girls basketball star Skylar Diggins from Washington High in South Bend, Ind., were Wednesday’s winners.
Despite not winning, there wasn’t much of a letdown for Hasay, who came in as the Girls Cross County Runner of the Year. Instead, she said it motivates her to accomplish more.
“It’s kind of hard because all of us are used to always winning stuff and being at the top, that everyone thought they had a shot at winning it,” Hasay said.
Before the awards were handed out, each athlete had a video presentation highlighting their accomplishments. Hasay watched herself running at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, a few Arcadia Invitational meets and the CIF State Track and Field Championships.
“It was neat to see the videos of the other athletes because it makes you realize how great they are in each of their individual sports,” Hasay said. “They have the same passion for their sports as I do for running.”
Presenting Gilbert with his award was Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant and Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan. Diggins was handed her trophy by softball Olympian Jessica Mendoza and pro beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor.
Hasay had the privilege of sitting at the same table as Durant and May-Traenor and learned that May-Traenor has seen Hasay race.
“She talked to me a little bit,” Hasay said. “She said she has friends that live in Arroyo Grande and she comes here sometimes, which is cool. She said good luck, and that she’s watched me before.”
What you should know about comments on SanLuisObispo.com
SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.
Here are some rules of the road:
- Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
- Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
- Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
- Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and leave him a public message.
- Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
- Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
- Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
- Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@sanluisobispo.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@sanluisobispo.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About comments
Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.