Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Hulst ya halarci makarantar sakandaren Laguna Beach, inda ya yi tsere da tsere. Asali, ya yi niyyar yin wasan tennis, amma ya yi fice a farkon lokacinsa na tseren ƙasa kuma ya ci gaba daga can, yana gudu mil 2-mile a 9:04.6 (min: sec) a matsayin ɗan shekara ɗaya. A Laguna Beach HS, mai horar da shi shi ne Len Miller, wanda ya bi falsafar horarwa mai tsayi na shekarun 1970 kuma daga baya zai horar da Hulst a UC-Irvine. Hulst an tuna shi sosai a cikin al'umma mai gudana don tsarin horo mai haɗari. A lokacin da yake da shekaru 15, Hulst ya shiga kilomita 100 a kowane mako na horo, kuma sau da yawa zai tashi a karfe 5:00 na safe don gudu tsakanin mil 10 zuwa 13 kafin azuzuwan su fara a 8:30. Wasannin sa na safiya zai fara daga Emerald Bay zuwa Corona del Mar da baya, kuma sau da yawa zai sa rigar jagora mai nauyin fam 10. A lokacin aikinsa na makarantar sakandare, gwagwarmayar gasa ta biyo baya tsakanin Hulst da Loara High School mai suna Ralph Serna. A 1974 National Postal cross country gamuwa, Hulst sanya na biyu a cikin wani filin na mafi kyau high school masu gudu a kasar, a baya kawai Serna. Ana iya jayayya cewa, nasarar da ya fi shahara a makarantar sakandare ita ce a tseren tseren tsere na California Interscholastic Federation na 1975 mai nisan mil biyu, wanda ya gama a matsayi na farko a cikin rikodin makarantar sakandare na jihar na 8:44.9 a gaban Serna; duka sun gama a karkashin rikodin Rich Kimball na 8:46.6 da aka kafa a cikin shekarar da ta gabata. A lokacin babban shekararsa na makarantar sakandare, an kira Hulst zuwa tawagar 'yan wasan Amurka don
Gasar tseren tsere ta duniya ta 1976 IAAF, inda ya lashe tseren matasa na maza. A sakamakon haka, ya bayyana a hoton da ke bangon mujallar "Runner's World" na Mayu 1976. An yi wahayi zuwa gare shi ta Dave Wottle, Hulst ya sanya hula yayin tsere a makarantar sakandare. A lokacin waƙar waƙar wannan shekara, ya rage CIF-SS da rikodin 2-mile na jihar zuwa 8:44.6 a CIF-SS Masters Meet kuma ya lashe gasar zakarun jihar ta biyu a jere a cikin taron.