TBO.com - Live in the moment

Rhodes Scholar Johnson Has Bright Future

By SCOTT CARTER The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 21, 2007

TALLAHASSEE - If you have the time, come take a trip with Garrett Johnson, the kid from the Belmont Heights neighborhood of Tampa who became a two-time NCAA shot put champion at Florida State and who is currently a Rhodes Scholar studying at the University of Oxford.

For a glimpse into what Johnson's life has been like since leaving for Oxford in September, let's simply review his week so far.

Monday, he was in Washington celebrating FSU's back-to-back national titles in men's track, visiting with President Bush and touring the White House. When someone mentioned Johnson was a Rhodes Scholar, Bush offered a Texas-style salute.

"He came over to me and hit me in my shoulder," said a laughing Johnson, 23. "I mean, he hit me hard. I didn't know how to respond. It was nice to be there."

Tuesday, following a hearty lunch of grouper and red beans and rice at Po' Boys Cafe in downtown Tallahassee, the one-time intern in former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's office returned to another familiar place that evening: Mike Long Track on FSU's campus. After all, Johnson came back to the states this month for a reason.

Wednesday he packed his bags and headed to Indianapolis, where the USA Track and Field Championships are being held starting today. The shot put finals aren't until Sunday, so for the next few days, Johnson will mostly visit with his parents and get in some additional practice as he attempts to rejuvenate his athletic career for possibly the final time.

"This meet will decide [spots for] the World Championships and Pan American Games," he said. "Right now, I am committed to training for the Olympic Trials and putting myself in position to make the team. After that, it's been a great run and I've enjoyed track, but I think it might be the end of training hard and really training to compete.

"I'm thinking that's probably how it's going to work, but you never know."

Shortly after graduating magna cum laude from FSU and winning the 2006 NCAA indoor and outdoor shot put titles, Johnson placed sixth in the USATF Championships last June. He then prepared for his departure to Britain as FSU's first Rhodes Scholar in three decades, immediately making his presence felt at Oxford the way he did growing up at Tampa Baptist Academy and in college at FSU.

"He has been a great leader in the student body, very keen to broaden minds and open discussions," Frances Cairncross, former managing editor of the Economist and now head of Oxford's Exeter College, said Wednesday via e-mail. "He is a stimulating and an innovative member of the student community."

Making The Most Of Studies

Johnson has attempted to make the most of his two-year term studying abroad at one of the world's most prestigious universities. During his first few months in Britain, Johnson mostly studied and trained on his own in often inclement weather at Iffley Road Track on Oxford's campus, the place where Roger Bannister made history by running the first sub-four-minute mile in history May 6, 1954.

Oh, and he has traveled at every opportunity. During Christmas break, there was the trip he took to Spain and then on to Morocco, taking a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar.

"The ferry ride was probably the worst boat ride I've ever had," Johnson said. "Everybody was just throwing up on the boat. It was only 90 minutes, but the waves were so bad."

Still, the trip was worth every moment of seasickness, especially when Johnson saw all those wild monkeys in the Middle Atlas Mountains, when he met a fellow American on the five-hour train ride from Tangier to Fes, and when he visited the ancient Roman remains in a Moroccan village.

Traveling Throughout Europe

Johnson has also made trips to France and Holland, and his Holland-based agent has gotten him into meets in Spain, Senegal and Qatar.

"I'm competing against some of the best guys in the world, having a good time, scoring points toward my ranking in the world, earning a little pocket change and traveling," Johnson said. "You can't beat it."

There's also college life, one different than his time at FSU but similar in some respect, mainly because of Oxbridge, the nickname given to the rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge.

"The competition between Oxford and Cambridge is like the Florida-Florida State rivalry," Johnson said. "It just goes back a few more hundred years."

Regardless of what happens in Indianapolis, Johnson intends to spend his second year at Oxford more focused on training, which offers plenty of challenges since there are few throwing coaches and a lack of training facilities in Britain. If it all works out, Johnson intends to make another exotic journey at the end of his time at Oxford: to Beijing, site of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

"That's the goal," he said.

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088 or scarter@tampatrib.com.

GLOBE-TROTTING GARRETT

In his first year as a Rhodes Scholar studying at the University of Oxford, former Florida State and Tampa Baptist Academy shot put champion Garrett Johnson has experienced a whirlwind of a time. Here are a few questions we asked Johnson, 23, about life at the oldest university in the English-speaking world:

•Most interesting aspect of his time at Oxford: Definitely the travel; the travel has been the most enriching and memorable experience of my nine months over there.

•Coolest place he has visited: Morocco.

•Best Oxford moment: I'm sitting there talking to the foremost expert on South American politics and the foremost expert on Shakespearean poetry. So I'm just trying not to let them know I'm a complete idiot.

•Miss most about America: The food, by far - barbecue and soul food. I really miss it. I'm a big guy, and I love to eat. So food was one of the things I noticed first. And the lack of ice machines. You can't find ice machines or soda dispensers.

•Weirdest food he has eaten: Haggis. It's a Scottish dish. It's like sheep intestines. That's probably the most interesting thing I've encountered. I'm expanding my palate.

•Do people in Britain know much about Florida State? They don't have any idea where Florida State is. A few of them may know about the football team. American football is taking off over there.

•Most famous person he has met: President Musharraf of Pakistan. You have instant access to people just because you go to Oxford. There is constantly someone coming to speak.

•Most important thing he has learned about himself: I think I have just become more confident. I was really concerned about how I would be prepared for Oxford and how I would adjust and how I would be able to manage all of this. I have learned a lot about myself academically and my abilities to perform at this high level, and how to train by myself and learn about my body, how to overcome injuries and prevent injuries. I've had to be really self-reliant.

•Strangest thing about being a Rhodes Scholar: People ask me to sign things and automatically I have credibility because I'm a Rhodes Scholar. Not that I've become any smarter or more intelligent than I was before. It's interesting. I try not to drop it too much. I try to avoid telling people I'm at Oxford.

•Something about Oxford people don't know: Every college at Oxford has its own private bar. It's called a buttery or undercroft. So a beer that would cost two pounds at a pub costs a pound in the college. So the college subsidizes alcohol. They actually encourage students to drink.

Scott Carter