By Brian Zanzonico
In the same event on the same track in Syracuse's Carrier Dome in March 2004, before a contingent of friends and family who made the 270-mile trek north, the West Hempstead High School standout stepped out of his lane and was disqualified. For 12 long months that disappointment lingered, as none of Lewis's successes - not his county championship in the 300 meters, his All-County selections in two events nor his dominance with three of his best friends in the 4 x 400-meter relay - were enough to rinse away the wretched taste of that misstep.
Not even Lewis's time in the 300 meters (48.78 seconds) at the Coca Cola National High School Hall of Fame Classic at the New York Armory on Feb. 19, which propelled him into sixth overall in the nation in the event, could erase the DQ next to his name.
But as he closed in on Fairport's Pat Weider on March 6, Lewis, a senior, wasn't thinking of last year's long, lonely bus ride home. Or how he felt he let down so many people, including his beloved mother, Jackie. "All I was thinking the whole time was 'Don't step out. Don't check if your shirt's untucked, don't smile,'" he said. "Just breathe."
Lewis edged Weider by .04 of a second to become the state champion in the 300 meters and cap a seven-month journey in which he pushed his six-foot, 160-pound body like he never had before.
It started last August. When most seniors-to-be were dreaming their mornings away, Lewis was hitting the asphalt at 8 a.m., jogging two miles from his home in Cathedral Gardens to West Hempstead High School. When he reached school, he was met by spring track coach Rob Gewirtz, a former physical trainer who once made it to the nationals in weightlifting.
Gewirtz, a phys. ed. teacher at West Hempstead, put Lewis through a training regimen he said was used by Olympic gold medal sprinter Michael Johnson: He'd have Lewis run the 400 meters at 90 percent speed, which is uncommon so early in preparation. Then he'd put Lewis through "pyramids," in which he would run 600 meters, 300 meters, 200, 100 then increase the distance until he was back up to 600 meters. Gewirtz got Lewis into the weight room, putting him through plyometrics - exploding out of a movement and landing softly on both feet - and weight training. Oh, and this was all hours before Lewis would join his football teammates for two-a-day practices in the scorching summer sun.
"A lot of track athletes start training at the beginning of the season and they're ready by the middle of the season," Gewirtz said. "I wanted Elvis ready when the season started."
But track was still five months away. West Hempstead football suffered through a dismal season, and Lewis sustained nagging shoulder and knee injuries. "It really took a toll on my body," he said. "Because I kept getting hurt, it messed my [running] form up."
When the season ended, Lewis beginning running on his own so he body could relearn the graceful stride of a track runner. He practiced breathing techniques and was soon ready for the winter track season.
Lewis had a lot to live up to. During his junior year, he was All-County in the 300 meters in winter track and enjoyed a successful season in spring track. But that was with the benefit of training with senior Obozua 'Bo' Ehikioya, who ran track and starred at running back for West Hempstead. Ehikioya, now a running back at Marist College who was named the offensive rookie of the year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and earned NCAA Division I-AA Mid-Major All America honorable mention, served as a mentor to Lewis.
Ehikioya said he had been following Lewis's dominance in winter track while at Marist. It came as little surprise to him that Lewis is now a nationally ranked runner. "The way he works out and practices hard, he won't settle for less than the best," said Ehikioya, Lewis's former teammate on the 4 x 400-meter relay. "He's mentally tough and strives to be the best."
Lewis took second at the Bishop McLoughlin Games in the 300 meters and third at the Hispanic Games, then won the event at the Stanner Games and the Nassau County Championships. He also captured the 400 meters at the Coca Cola National High School Hall of Fame Classic, which pushed him into the top 10 in the country in that event. He earned All-County honors in the 300 and the 4 x 400 relay with teammates Ariel Ramirez, Dan Jackson and Jabari Williams. Now, as he prepares for spring track, he enters his final season as a high school athlete.
"Elvis is legit," Gewirtz said. "He's got the whole package."
Lewis said he's already drawn interest from schools such as Tennessee, Clemson and Georgia Tech. Gewirtz said Lewis is already one of the best in the country, and he can envision him wearing more than the colors for a college.
"I've been to the Olympic Training Center [in Colorado Springs] and seen what it takes to be an Olympic athlete, and he's got it," Gewirtz said. "He's one of the best there is."
"Everybody dreams of that," Lewis said.
But Gewirtz said there is more to Lewis than just a first-class athlete. When Lewis buzzed off his afro after growing it for four years, he donated it to Locks of Love. He's also a regular at meetings for the class of 2005 - of which Gewirtz is an advisor - and participates in charity car washes and other extracurricular activities.
"He's just an incredible kid," Gewirtz said. "He walks every day to and from school in the rain, snow, any weather. And he never complains."
Lewis said he has no reason to gripe. He's an accomplished athlete coveted by top colleges, is enjoying his senior year of high school and has been able to make his mother happy. "I just want to be the best at everything," he said. "I want to make my mom happy. The best feeling is making her smile."
She's done a lot of that lately.
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