MS: LOOKING BACK ON THE SEASON DID YOU ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS AND WHAT YOU SET OUT TO DO?
CQ: Yes, this year my number one goal was to become a state champion. I really wanted to be a state champ by the time I graduated and it didn't happen for me in cross- country, so this was my last chance. And
I made up for cross with the win in both the 1600 and 3200, so I was very satisfied.
MS: WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN YOUR CAREER?
CQ : Becoming the double state champion this year in track and placing 20th in the country at Footlocker cross country nationals last fall.
MS: ARE THERE ANY CREATIVE OR FUN WORKOUTS YOU DO?
CQ: My coach/dad has a killer cross workout we did towards the end of summer at Forest Park. We would run straight up art hill 8 times (about 30 seconds each) and jog down for recovery, then run up it at a diagonal 6 times (about 1 min each). It was definitely a character builder! The girls who finished the whole workout always felt great though and knew they were really getting toughened up for the hills at the state meet. I love a workout that is really tough but makes you feel really great and accomplished when you get done.
MS: WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES OUTSIDE OF TRACK?
CQ: I love to do anything involving crafts, so it could be knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, painting, pottery, you name it! I also like listening to music and watching movies.
MS: DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPERSTITIONS OR RITUALS?
CQ: For the most part, no. But I like to eat oatmeal the morning of a race and I like to always have my hair braided in some way for races. But if I don't do one of these things I don't freak out, because I know it has nothing to do with the way I perform. I train hard and put in the work, eat the right things and get enough rest. Doing all the right things to prepare ahead of time is way more important to me than rituals or superstitions.
MS: WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE PRO TRACK ATHLETE?
CQ: Suzy Favor Hamilton. I got to meet her last fall in California at
Footlocker Nationals and she made such an impact on me. Her stories are inspirational and her positive attitude is contagious. She is a great role model for all young female runners, being an amazing person as well as a talented and smart runner.
MS: WHO ARE YOUR RIVALS OR TOUGHEST COMPETITORS?
CQ: I don't really have any rivals in particular. There are a lot of great runners in the state of Missouri as well as in the midwest. After 800m runner Samantha Levin beat me in the 1600 at the KU relays junior year I had my heart set on that never happening again (and it didn't).
Samantha Levin
Another Samantha is Samantha Nightingale, a really tough girl who is a year younger than me and beat me at the state meet in cross country last fall along with Jessica Jackson, a great runner from Neosho. The great thing about running, though, is that I really don't have any enemies in the sport. After we race each other we always shake hands, hug, and give high fives. There are never hard feelings and we usually end up being great friends, happy to see each other at meets, which is awesome.
Jessica Jackson & Samantha Nightingale
MS: WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR NEXT SEASON?
CQ: I am very excited to be a Seminole at Florida State next year and get to train alongside with some really talented and dedicated runners. Since the distances in college tend to differ from high school, I probably won't be as focused on breaking my PRs but rather making completely new ones. I'm excited to see what I can do in cross with the distance being a little longer than in high school and hopefully stay healthy all year and be able to contribute to the team and score points. GO NOLES!