Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
Hoover High School senior Hakim Ruffin is one of the top sprinters in the state and nation. In May, he anchored the Buccaneers’ school-record-setting 4x100-meter relay at the state outdoor track and field meet.
Few people in Alabama knew of Hakim Ruffin at this point last year.
It wasn’t because the quiet sprinter from Hoover High School had run underwhelming times. He was simply the new kid in the blocks.
Prior to his junior year, Ruffin and his family moved to Hoover from Louisiana, where he was a two-time individual state champion at Franklin Senior High.
“You don’t get too many move-ins of that caliber,” Buccaneers head coach Devon Hind said. “I was so excited.”
It didn’t take long for the speedster to make a name for himself in his new domain.
Ruffin played a key role in helping the Hoover boys sweep the Class 7A titles at last year’s state indoor and outdoor meets, reaching the podium at each. He placed second in the indoor 60-meter dash and anchored the Bucs’ outdoor 4x100-meter relay that set a school record en route to a runner-up finish.
“When I first moved, I didn’t think I was going to play a big role,” said Ruffin, who ran at a smaller school in Louisiana. “But I did.”
Hoover will need Ruffin to make similar contributions this winter and spring if it hopes to maintain its grasp of the blue championship maps. A number of valuable pieces from the team’s 2016-17 roster have graduated, including middle distance standout Trent Hamner, distance runner Tommy McDonough and pole vaulter Jacob Doak, among others.
Ruffin should help compensate for at least a portion of those lost points.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “I feel like I’m better than last year.”
In the offseason, Ruffin worked on improving many facets of his craft. That process included honing his acceleration out of the blocks, refining his running form and buildinghis stamina.
He followed the advice of his father, Mark Ruffin, his longtime coach who sprinted collegiately at the University of New Orleans.
“The main thing I’ve learned is technique will always win,” Hakim Ruffin said. “To maintain speed endurance, you need good technique, and to finish a race, you need good technique.”
But to begin a race, you need healthy legs, which eluded Ruffin at times during his junior year. He nursed a lingering hamstring injury and also battled frequent cramps. In May, a pair of those painful muscle contractions seized his legs at the worst possible moment.
As he was lining up for the 200-meter state final in Gulf Shores, Ruffin felt both of his calves tighten. He looked over to teammate R.J. Nelson, who had also advanced to the championship heat, and decided to fight through it, but to little avail.
“When the gun went off, I took like three steps, and it just locked up on me,” Ruffin said. “I couldn’t move.”
Without the ill-timed cramp, he was almost guaranteed a spot in the top three. But Ruffin avenged the letdown one month later. At New Balance Nationals Outdoor in North Carolina, he ran 21.4 seconds to finish fourth in the 200. The top six finishers garnered All-America honors.
“I was more surprised with the place than the time,” Hind said. “I mean, fourth in the nation is pretty darn good.”
In retrospect, Ruffin views the performance merely as a step in the right direction. He has since set loftier goals for his senior year.
Ruffin wants to win his first individual state title in Alabama and contribute to a couple of first-place relays. He also hopes to compete at the indoor edition of New Balance Nationals — and win the 60 dash.
Then, few people in Alabama and beyond wouldn’t know of Ruffin.