Hall taking talents to Iowa State

Hall taking talents to Iowa State

Senior Kate Hall of Lake Region recently signed her National Letter of Intent to Iowa State University. Hall is arguably the state's all-time best sprinter & long jumper. Her accolades are impressive, she has never lost a state championships race or jump a perfect 20-20 so far. She currently holds Maine State Indoor All-time indoor best in the 55m, 60m, 200m, & long jump. Outdoors she holds all-time best marks in the 100m, 200m & long jump. Last winter she was the National runner-up in the long jump at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, she followed that up with a 6th place effort in the Outdoor National meet. In the 100m outdoors she has two top 4 National Championship finishes in the event, a 4th as a sophomore and a 3rd as a junior. Additionally she is the fastest ever 100m female runner from New England.

 

What made you ultimately decide Iowa State over the other schools that you were considering?

When Coach Brooks came out to my house he was different than other coaches in how he presented the program, himself, and how he coaches. He was very organized and had all of the workouts in a folder for me to keep and look at. He talked a lot about my future and where he sees me going instead of what I'll be doing a week from now, or next season, etc. I could tell that I wasn't going to be just "another one" if I went to Iowa State. Iowa State fit everything I was looking for. Honestly, it wasn't hard to choose Iowa State. I knew from the first day I visited campus that I wanted to go there. The academic aspect fit exactly what I wanted, compared to some of the other schools where I wasn't completely confident about the academics. The coach is very individualized and will do anything and everything in his power to make his athletes better. Not only that, but he spent a couple days on separate occasions with my trainer learning exactly what I have done and what he does to help me improve and even decided to incorporate some of my trainer's techniques into his workouts. Lastly, the team atmosphere is exactly what I was hoping for. Everyone at ISU was very welcoming and friendly and I just had the feeling that we all clicked instantly. I have no doubt that I will be well taken care of at Iowa State.

How many visits did you take and what did you enjoy about each visit?

I visited 4 schools. LSU, UGA, UO, ISU.

LSU: The coach at LSU seemed like one of the most down to earth guys I had ever met. When I had to call Coach Lane and tell him no, it was one of the hardest things I've done. Even though I knew he would completely understand and wish me the best (he did), it was like I was losing a friend in a sense. I got to know his three year old girl, and younger boys when I visited and just hung out at his house with his family and the team like we were all best friends. Even after the visit we sent e-mails back and forth about different songs and artists we liked.

UGA: I didn't know this until I visited Georgia, but it absolutely amazing when there are other recruits on visits with you that do similar events. When I went to Georgia, there was another recruit named Karrington who runs the 400M and 200M who was visiting as well. From the first night we got there, I got along with her and her parents like I had known them forever. We talking about the recruiting process, and experiences we've had at meets, and people and coaches we both knew. Karrington and I hung out the whole time together while we were there and I knew that if I had decided to attend UGA, then I wanted her to be my roommate. It was the hardest leaving UGA and having to say goodbye to Karrington and her parents, not knowing when and if I would see them again. The people I have met from these visits are amazing and definitely one of the best parts about the process. Also, the high school long jump national champion goes to UGA and I always thought she was kind of arrogant until I actually got to talk with her there. She ended up being one of the nicest girls I have ever met and we text each other on and off about how we are.

Oregon: Oregon was absolutely unbelievable because it's Oregon. It's called Track Town USA and everywhere you go there are pictures of Olympic track athletes and people who went to Oregon. The facilities were out of this world and the athletes I met were unbelievable. I stayed with the NCAA D1 champion in the long jump, who also got 2nd in the 200, and 3rd in the 100. That in itself was worth visiting Oregon. Not only that, but I met Olympians, professional athletes, and people who were on the path to become the best in the country.

(Iowa was kind of in my first one).


What are things that stood out the most to you about the coaches and program at Iowa State that felt like it would be a good fit for you?
 

The thing that stood out to me was how focused coach Brooks was on making his athletes better. He was the most individualized coach I had seen on all of the visits I went on. He spent countless hours a day coaching his athletes and going out of his way to do anything possible to get them better. Not only that, but everyone I talked to at Iowa State loved him and have been improving since he came to ISU. Coach Brooks also went way out of his way to figure out what I do to get better so he can implement that in his workouts for when I get there. I just know I'll be taken care of at ISU and don't have to worry about being just another one.

 

You’ve worked closely with trainer Chris Pribish over the years, what has he meant for your development over your high school career?

Chris is the reason I am improving every year. I have never met someone with so much knowledge about strength training. Each year he is incorporating some kind of new technique that to most people would seem ridiculous but actually makes a huge difference. He is very specific with his workouts, so each day of a particular week I need to be doing a certain workout. He puts me through different phases in order to get me ready for the import and meets, and it works every time. He has inspired me to study kinesiology and I love every minute of working with him and learning more about track and strength training.

 

You enter the 2014-15 indoor season as the nation’s top long jumper, what are you goals in that event this winter? Last winter you were the New Balance Nationals runner-up in LJ, what would it mean for you to be the National Champion this year?

Usually I have a whole list of goals written out on paper months before the season even begins, and trust me, I've been thinking about them constantly, but this year I'm trying not to have my goals set in stone because I've found focusing too much on goals messes me up psychologically at track meets. I think too much about what I need to do to achieve them when what I actually need to do is focus on relaxing and just let them happen. But, the goals that won't get out of my head for long jump is jumping in the 20s and mid 20s. Also, my number one goal is to become a National Champ in the long jump. I would give anything for that to happen considering I've had my eyes set on that goal since I was a freshman. I can't even explain how excited I would be if I can accomplish that.


You have 4 individual state all-time bests entering the season, do you have your eyes set on lowering those records? What will be the event you focus on the most this indoor season?


I'm always focusing on lowering my best performances. That's the reason I train and try to do as much as I can to become as good as I can be. I'll be focusing on both the long jump and 55m the most this season. I've been training a good amount for both of them and already feel stronger than ever.
 

What would it mean for you to graduate never having lost a state meet event?

That's one of those things where it would be incredible to look back on 50 years from now and remember I did that. That goal has been on my mind since I won my first state title and I'm only hoping I don't get sick or injured around that time so I can accomplish that.

What was the best part of the recruiting process for you and the toughest part?

There were constantly ups and downs during the recruiting process. The best part of the recruiting process was getting to know the coaches like they were my friends and visiting the schools. But on the other hand it was very hard to tell the coaches no. It was like letting down a friend knowing I probably wouldn't talk to them ever again because of it. The more I did it, the easier it became though. Also, things changed in the process constantly and it would be pretty frustrating at times. I would think I knew one thing about a coach or school, and then I would find out I was actually wrong. But because of that, I learned to keep my options open and consider other schools that I wouldn't usually have considered, which led me to choosing Iowa State in the end.

 

What are you hoping to gain from your next 4 or more years at Iowa State? What do you hope to achieve in your running/jumping at the next level?

I'm always telling myself to take things one step at a time and focus on what's next. And what's next is going to Iowa State and trying to become the best that I can be. However, I have huge goals for those four years and the years after. I want to become a National Champion during that time and also make it to the Olympic Trials (Olympics would be nice, but I'm not trying to jump the gun…). Eventually, I would like to make it to the Olympics and become a professional track and field athlete. Those are my ultimate goals.