and whoever can maintain their concentration and form will win.&quot

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"He doesn't have a hurdles coach," Shumake said. "So before the indoor season, I wrote down everything I did in practice - all the drills and stretching - and gave it to my coach to give to his coach. He said it was very helpful. Before the races, we were just talking about form and technique. I like to help everyone as much as possible." Arnold Mann of Solanco (Delaware) won the race in 7.63, and Shumake, Meyers and Whitsett finished as a group. The photo finish gave second to Whitsett, third to Meyers and fourth to Shumake. Shumake did not mind advising a competing runner. "I would never give a second thought to helping someone even if it means they would beat me," Shumake said. "It's all part of the sport and makes for better competition. It's not like it's life and death out there." "He is very genuine," said Joe Hendren, a Conestoga sprinter who recently transferred from Upper Merion. "When I first got here, I didn't know anyone. At the first track meeting, he came over and talked to me and made me feel very comfortable." More than just a nice guy, Shumake is also one of the area's best and most versatile runners. In addition to his third-place ranking by the GPTFCA in the hurdles, he has the fifth-best time (33.3) in the 300-yard race and is ranked eighth (1:16.7) in the 600-yard race. "This indoor season has been very encouraging," said Shumake, who was hampered by a hamstring injury last winter. "I have been able to compete with and beat most of the guys who were beating me last year." He is a contender in the hurdles and 300-yard races at the indoor state championships on Feb. 28 and the Meet of Champions, which will include all the first- and second-place finishers at the 10 GPTFCA indoor meets, on Feb. 26. "The hurdles will be tough," Shumake said. "I have never beaten Whitsett, but whoever gets the best start should win." In the 300, Shumake may be facing William Reed of Central, who is ranked No. 1 in the country in the 300- and 600-yard races. "If Reed runs, it will be tough," Shumake said. "But if he doesn't, there is an elite group that is all about the same and I'm in it. The key will be to be tough mentally. At the end of the race everyone will be real tired, and whoever can maintain their concentration and form will win." Shumake started running when he was 9, tagging along with his older brother, Andre, who also ran hurdles at Conestoga. He joined the Ambler Olympic Club and soon began competing in local and national meets. When he was 11, he ran against Reed for the first time, losing in the 100- meter dash. "He was a skinny little kid just like the rest of us," Shumake recalled. At the outdoor state championship last spring, Shumake finished seventh in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, despite the hamstring injury. He did not qualify in the 110-meter high hurdles. "The injury just didn't allow him to do the strength work required for the hurdles," Conestoga coach Peter Ramsey said. "He wasn't able to get in any really good workouts until the very end of the season." This year, Shumake plans to make up for lost time, but not at the expense of his competitors. "I think track is the friendliest sport," Shumake said. "Everyone is a good person and easy to talk to. You can always learn from someone else."