State Champion spotlight: Tia Tardy Orono HS

State Champions Spotlight
Derek Veilleux


State Champion spotlight: Tia Tardy Orono HS

Junior Tia Tardy captured the distance triple crown at the Class B state meet as she won the 800m, Mile & 2 Mile, while leading her team to its first ever state indoor team title. Tardy's kick in the mile earned national spotlight with the "Milesplit Kick of the Week" winner. Tardy had national qualifiers in the 800m & Mile and will be running in the New Balance Nationals in March. We caught up with Tia to ask her about her preparation before the meet, her mindset on race day, and about winning 3 individual titles.



What were your preparations leading up to the state meet?

 Leading up to the state meet, nothing was really different from what we had already been doing. I had been struggling with a cold but other than that I think that as far as training went, everything was about the same maybe a little lighter! 



 How did you deal with the pressure and emotions that come along with competing in a state meet?

My emotions are something I have really had to work on. Mental prep is very important when you get up to the state championships and beyond. When I start to get nervous or anxious, I usually try to envision myself running the race(s) and finishing/getting the time I am shooting for. It also helps if I think about different race scenarios and execute them in my head so I can be more prepared for a situation like that in a race.



You ran three individual races the mile, 800m, & 2 mile, winning all three. What was your strategy in each race, and what did you do for recovery and preparation for the next race?

 When you triple, there's a slim chance that you will PR in all of them, or one of them and still perform well in the next races. It's something that you have to really prepare yourself for. You have to run extremely smart so that you don't burn yourself out. For me, it depends on the race. I usually have a time that I set for myself so that I am not going any slower than that set time. If I am on pace for the time, I usually stick with it, however, if the race becomes a little more competitive, I just go with it. It's all about feeling your way around and feeling out your opponents. Sometimes your not the only one running a tactical race, so the pace may be even slower than what your used to. You kinda just have to go with the flow! 



Coming into the season what were your goals and did you achieve them?

   I had some big goals this year, one of them was being able to break 5 in the mile. At the beginning of the season, I was expecting to be a little faster than what I ran. The meet I broke 5 in, I was very disciplined. I kept going over it in my head, every move I was going to make. I knew how important it was to me, and I had to get over the fact that it was going to hurt. After coming across the finish line in 4:55 (a time that was faster than expected) I was so thrilled. I think that I still have some left to give this season for the mile. I will be running it at NBN, so hopefully I can shave a few seconds off there. If not, I have some pretty big goals for this outdoor season! As far as the 800 goes, I have been running 2:14 pretty consistently. I think (just like the mile), that once I can finally break that barrier, the times I am hoping/expecting will come. This weekend at NEs I will be racing the 1000 with some of the best in the nation. I am excited to see what I can do in a field full of fast girls. I think I can put out a pretty solid time. I will also be racing the 800m at NBN, so I am hoping for a PR there. It will be amazing to compete with the nations best.



What did it mean to help your team to its first ever state indoor team championship?

It was so amazing to be able to be a part of Orono's first ever Indoor State Championship. I have such great, hardworking teammates. Everyone contributes, whether it's with points or support. They have been so welcoming to me, and I am so thankful. I am looking forward to having more great experiences with them!


Tardy's 800m Progression

INDOOR Graph
20162:14.11
20152:17.14


Tardy's Mile Progression


INDOOR Graph
20164:55.23
20155:23.65


Tardy's  2Mile Progression


 2 MILE
INDOOR Graph
201611:17.48
201511:47.49



2015-2016 Results


2016SEASONEVENTMEETDATEPLACEROUND
2:14.11Indoor800mUSATF New England Indoor Championship1stFinals>
2:23.24Indoor800mClass B Indoor State Championship1stFinals>
5:10.46IndoorMileClass B Indoor State Championship1stFinals>
11:30.72Indoor2MileClass B Indoor State Championship1stFinals>
4:55.23IndoorMileEMITL Championship1stFinals>
59.09Indoor400mEMITL: BAN, CEN, ELL, HAM, HER, JB, ORO1stFinals>
2:14.29Indoor800mEMITL: BUC, ELL, HER, JB, OT, ORO, SUM1stFinals>
11:17.48Indoor2MileEMITL: BUC, ELL, HER, JB, OT, ORO, SUM1stFinals>
5:05.55IndoorMileDartmouth Relays4thFinals>
2:15.00Indoor800mEMITL: BAN, BUC, ELL, HAM, MAT, ORO, SUM1stFinals>
11:26.10Indoor2MileEMITL: BAN, BUC, ELL, HAM, MAT, ORO, SUM1stFinals>


Watch Videos of Tiara Tardy