Hey guys!
"Tell me more about yourself, Tia" or "When did you know you were such a great athlete?" I hate when I hear those questions, but I have to find a way to answer them. I don't enjoy talking about myself, but if I must expound upon the gory details, then here are some tidbits that I hope you find intriguing.
Growing up, my parents always kept my younger sister and I very active. We were always outside trying to get the other neighborhood kids to come out and play. My parents have always kind of sheltered my sister and I from the worries of adulthood. I believe that this is why I have such a good, strong outlook on life, and I attribute much of my "exceptional" athleticism today, to the fact that I have always been an active and outdoorsy individual.
People seem to always enjoy my apparent entertainment factor when I am competing in a sport. I am not always sure what I am doing that is so entertaining, but if it brings a smile to the spectators, I am glad to oblige. At age 6, I started riding horses. I believe that contributed to having decent balance, and a LOT of courage. My horse Lily and I, were pretty darn successful for a lot of years. One of the hardest things that I have had to do was choose running over keeping myself involved with equestrian events. I started participating in team sports around 3rd and 4th grade. I played basketball all the way up to and through my freshman year, where I doubled and ran track. Keeping myself involved in sports and other extracurricular activities has definitely helped shape me into the athlete I am today. However, I have never thought of myself as an "exceptional" athlete, and you don't have to look very far to find other athletes raising the bar everyday. I am always trying to train smarter and better, so that I can keep achieving the short term goals that I set for myself. Regarding track, people often compliment me on my versatility. I have a very wide range of events that I can compete in, and seem to do quite well in. In Jr. High, I ran XC and also was a part of the Outdoor track team. During track, I would run events from the 55m through the 400m and compete in the long jump, high jump and hurdles. I never did the mid distance to long distance events because I wanted the little break from XC. Writing this brings back a lot of great memories. I wish there were more hours in the day so that I could fit in all of the things I love doing with all of the people I love spending time with.
