Family photo Thomas S. Wootton High School hurdlers Gwen Shaw and Sylvia Deppen give the Patriots a chance to surprise other schools during the indoor track championship season.

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Many great hurdlers might make pretty terrible dancers, said Derrick Johnson, Thomas S. Wootton High School’s indoor track and field hurdles coach.

But while hurdlers can be fairly tall and lanky, they still have excellent rhythm, he said.

Core and lower body strength, speed, flexibility, coordination and balance — it’s important for athletes to keep themselves square with their lead and trail arms — all are integral in hurdle racing. But finding a personal rhythm, knowing exactly how many steps to take in between hurdles — when to lift off and when to land — is a necessity.

Wootton juniors Gwen Shaw and Sylvia Deppen have found theirs.

“They’ve really come into their own. Both ran over the summer,” Johnson said. “They did a lot of fine tuning.”

The two have been on the Montgomery County track and field scene since they were freshmen, Shaw finished fifth in the 55-meter hurdles at the 2010 county meet. But they presented themselves as a dominant pair last winter, when they collected top five finishes in the 55 hurdles and anchored the Patriots’ second-place 4x400 relay in leading Wootton to fourth place at the county and 4A West Region meets.

With only one hurdling event contested during indoor track season, Shaw and Deppen have been sharpening their skill sets this winter in other events with some success.

And with championship season under way — counties were held Monday at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover [see www.Gazette.net for results] — the duo’s scoring capabilities put Wootton in title contention.

“It’s a motivating factor to know our team relies on us. It’s not just an individual event anymore, we want to help our team win,” Shaw said. “It’s important for us to do well this year; our team has kind of always been second to Northwest. This year, we’re hoping it’s our year.”

Athletes are allowed to compete in as many as four events during championship meets; Shaw and Deppen are likely to score in every event they contest. That type of scoring, in events across the board, is crucial in winning titles, Wootton coach Melissa Kaplan said.

Adding to their versatility as a pair, Shaw and Deppen possess different styles and strengths.

Shaw, who has been hurdling since seventh grade, is a quicker runner and tends to excel more in the shorter distance races. Deppen, who was introduced to hurdles as a freshman, has better endurance and thrives in middle distance.

Shaw has dabbled in the high jump this winter and finished fifth at the MCPS Meet No. 2 last month. Deppen won the triple jump at the same competition.

That dynamic, Johnson, Shaw and Deppen agreed, makes for productive training sessions.

“They’re a perfect match off each other; they’re both highly competitive and they push each other in that way,” Johnson said. “Initially Gwen is out there ahead then Sylvia will come back and it pushes Gwen harder. They bounce off of each other that way because they respect each other’s efforts, but they both want to win.”

While the obstacles are what make hurdling difficult, Shaw and Deppen said they enjoy it because it’s not one-dimensional like straight sprinting.

Of course, once a hurdler finds her rhythm, it doesn’t seem that difficult at all.

“I’ve never crashed but hurdles can be scary because you’re running this race but now you’re adding obstacles,” Shaw said. “The most important thing is that you don’t think past the fact that there are obstacles. You can be aware of them but if you think, you’re more likely to crash. You just need to be able to get into a rhythm and not look down.”

Note: Check www.gazette.net for full coverage of Monday’s county championship.

jbeekman@gazette.net