Sweet 16 and closing in on the Olympic dream

At 16 Laura Roesler finished eighth in her heat in the 800-meter semifinals at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials. AP

By Lindsay Schnell, Special to SI.com

EUGENE, Ore. -- Laura Roesler has a dwindling supply of fusion neon nail polish, a preference for extra-buttered popcorn and a twin brother named Kyle. Oh yeah, and she's got a backstage pass to this week's Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field. Not exactly your typical 16-year-old.

Roesler won't run tonight in the 800-meter finals -- she finished eighth in her heat of the 800-meter semifinals on Saturday -- but in a sport hungry for authentic stars Roesler might be exactly what's needed.

She wears her hair in pigtail braids, tells cheesy jokes and blushes when asked to talk about herself. But if this week was any indication, Roesler will have to get used to doing interviews.

Only 16 and having just finished her sophomore year of high school in North Dakota, Roesler already owns 11 state titles. At 13 she won her first North Dakota state championship. High school rules in the state allow seventh and eighth graders to run as part of high school teams in cross country and track and field, and Roesler (pronounced, fittingly, "RACE-ler") has been nothing short of outstanding in her first few years.

"Her first practice, she was really nervous, but [her mom] Karen told her, 'Don't worry, I coached Lisa in high school, this will be fun,'" said Lisa Svaleson, Laura's coach. "I think that helped her relax."

Roesler ran in junior varsity events all cross-country season in her seventh grade year before being moved up to varsity for the conference finals. She placed fifth, qualifying for state. There, at only 12 years old, she took second. She won the 400 later that year at the states. In her freshman and sophomore years at Fargo South High School she won the 100, 200, 400 and 800.

"It's every runner's dream to be an Olympic runner, to go somewhere to run," Roesler said. That may be true, but it is a reality for few.

In fact, Roesler had planned on being at the trials this week, but in a different capacity: Instead of running she had planned to watch. In fact, Laura, Karen and Lisa all planned to travel to the trials as fans, and rented a house next to Hayward Field with nine other friends. Last spring when Svaleson told Roesler that the "B" standard for Olympic trials qualification was 2:06.05, the Roesler family started to think they might be getting into the trials with a different type of pass.

"I was kind of like, 'the Olympics, no way,'" said Roesler, who ran her first sub-2:10 a year ago. "It wasn't till this year that I started working for it. Last summer I was focused on my summer races. My goal this year was to get under the 'B' standard."

Athletes who hit the "A" standard before June 15 automatically qualified for the trials. The top 30 "B" standard athletes also qualified. Roesler's first "B" standard came on May 9 on her home track when she ran a 2:05.68. She continued to shave time off, running a 2:04.96 on May 30. On June 7 -- Svaleson's 27th birthday -- Roesler ran a 2:03.08, all but guaranteeing her a spot in Eugene.

"I told her it was the best birthday present ever, a trip to the trials!" Svaleson said laughing.

In her quarterfinal heat, Roesler made a late push to finish fourth and qualify for the semifinals, holding her own against women such as two-time Olympian Hazel Clark.

"A lot of people think she's here because she's lucky, but she's a smart runner," Svaleson said. "She runs an 11.90 in the 100, so she's got good foot speed, but she has some endurance, too. People [who watched the quarterfinals] could see she's a very intelligent runner. She knows how to race."

She's knows how to race so well, in fact, that the boys on her high school team ask to train with her. More than once Svaleson has heard them say "I wish I could run like a girl."

"I think there are a lot of boys who would be scared if she toed up on the line with them," Svaleson said.

Despite all her accomplishments, her family says she hasn't received much coverage. "She's got a little attention, but she's still pretty under the radar," her dad, Lynn, said.

That changed instantly after her quarterfinal race. In the press tent Roesler was "the" athlete to talk to, and reporters and cameras crowded around her for almost 40 minutes. When the PA announcer told the crowd that she was just a 10th grader, a roar filled the stadium, one that was noticeably louder than that given to some better-known athletes, such as sprinter Tyson Gay.

Afterward, the real fun began. Roesler and Svaleson started milling around the athlete tent and the Fan Festival, where they ran into more than one track celebrity, including 400-meter runner Sanya Richards, who proved almost as star-struck as Roesler.

"Hey look, that's that 400 runner, the high school girl!" Richards exclaimed to her mom, pointing at a stunned Laura. "You did so good, great job girl!"

Laura, star-struck, asked timidly, "Can I get a picture with you?"

Richards, a world champion and certified star herself, slung her arm around the newest celebrity in the track world.

"Mom, I want a picture with her, too!" Richards said. "She's gonna be a star!"

Given her reception this week, she already is.