Salute to Seniors VI




School: Francis Howell High School


Q: What does your training look like right now given the current situation?

A: I am continuing track workouts like any other season as well as
meeting up with a few teammates here and there.


Q: What are you doing to stay busy other than run right now?

A: For the most part I'm spending time with family, but when I'm not
doing that I'm usually gaming or playing something outside in my
backyard.


Q: What was your most memorable race/moment?

A: My most memorable race would have to be cross country sectionals
this year. I have been wanting for myself and the team to go to state
for the longest time and when I crossed that finish line knowing I
wasn't in a position to move on, I felt devastated. although I
couldn't make it on my own, the team still could have. We waited
around the finish line as a group hoping to see our school come up in
fourth place. It felt like an eternity, but in the end, our school
popped up and we couldn't have been happier.

Q: What was the funniest thing that happened during your running career?

A: There are quite a few moments to choose from; however, one that
stands out to me to this day is my first cross country race. Someone
snapped a picture of me racing some guy in the last 100m of the race.
In the picture, you can see how tense and unrelaxed I was. People
still bring it up here and there teasing me about how bad my form was.

Q: Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?

A: Once I joined the distance squad, I learned pretty quickly that
Fort Zumwalt West is always our biggest competition. This holds true
as throughout the years it seems that it always comes down to the wire
when going against them at conference.

Q: What was your greatest accomplishment?

A: I think one of my greatest accomplishments would have to be making
it to state as a team this past cross season. It has been our goal for
the longest time. It wasn't until this year that we have a good shot
at making it.

Q: If you could do it all over again what would you change about your
running career in high school?

A: I would probably want to go back and change my sophomore year track
season to stop myself from running and hurdling on my nearly torn quad
much much earlier than I did back then.

Q: What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?

A: The most difficult obstacles that I had to overcome were the
hamstring injuries here and there throughout the seasons. It just
seemed that when I was finally going into a new season or off-season
feeling great I would find myself in the trainer's having Cody fix me
up. This was always a demotivating time because my teammates and
friends would come back from a run and I would just think to myself
how much I wanted to be out there with them. Once I was ready to run
again, there was always a strong drive to get back to it and train
harder than I did before each injury.

Q: What will you miss the most?

A: It would have to be my teammates. They are a huge part of why I
looked forward to coming to practice every day.

Q: What advice would you give to younger athletes?

A: Stick to it and trust the process. There may be times when you
don't see the point of running that day or giving your all in a
workout, but you just need to realize that at the end of the day you
came to practice and you got better. Plus, at some point, you will
have a day where you aren't feeling it. Everybody experiences these
off days. Just know that it will get better and you will get back into
your stride soon.

Q: What kind of an impact has your coach had on you and your team?

A: My coach has had an incredible impact on the team. Over the years
he has seemed to bring the team up and help us accomplish things we
didn't think possible. I've been with him since day one; He has had a
great impact on not just my running but also my growth as a person.

Q: What are your college plans?

A: As of right now, I play to attend SIUE and major in Exercise Science.

Q: Who would you like to say 'thank you' to?

A: I would like to say thank you to my family, teammates, coaches, and
all others who have supported me throughout my years running.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

A: This isn't how I or any of you envisioned our track season going,
but there's still hope so just remember to keep your head held high!