Parker Bowles

By Justin Harper
Staff Writer
NORMAN — Parker Bowles has all the accomplishments to be considered a favorite to win the Class 5A cross country state . But it's a failure that drives him most. Bowles, a junior from Norman, won a pair of national championships in the 2,000-meter steeple chase this summer. He also was national runner-up in the 3,000 meters at the USA Youth Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Last year, he finished fifth at the Class 5A state cross country meet (first among all runners from the west side of the state), but two of the higher-placers have since graduated.

Even still, Bowles expects to be a different runner.

"My mindset is a whole lot stronger than last year, and that is going to make a big difference,” Bowles said.

Bowles has been called Norman's best boys runner since three-time All-Stater Wilson Pipestem, who ran for the Tigers in the late 1980s. But he's on the cusp of being tossed into the rare company of the state's best. His best mile and two-mile times are just a second off those of former Mustang phenom Kevin Schwab at comparable stages in their careers. Schwab, who now runs for Oklahoma, was a three-time champion in cross country. Bowles can't match that, but he's ready to take aim at twin titles.

"As far as the last 11 years go, he's probably in the top four or five runners I've seen,” said Scott Monnard, the former Norman boys cross country coach who has worked with Bowles since the sixth-grade. "But he's just going into his junior year. Ask me again (to rank him) in two years and I'd like to say he's right there with the very best.”

Bowles' new attitude was formed from his worst race.

"I hadn't been really disappointed before,” he said. "I hadn't completely bombed a race, and I did that this summer. So I know the outcome of failing and so I'm going to do everything in my power to keep that from happening again.”

What Bowles considers bombing a race placed him 11th in the country in the 3,000 at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships. The problem was that his runner-up finish had come in a time of 9:00.76, while this one was 9:22.02.

Now driven to prevent such lapses, Bowles could be adding to his medal haul come October.

"I'd love to have a state title to compare with my national titles,” he said. "Right now, I can't say which would be bigger, but I'd like to find out.”