Can you talk about your experience at the New England Championship this past week. You went as the #1 seed in the long jump, and came away the champion by almost a foot, what was your focus going into the meet, and how’d did you maintain that focus during the competition?
I loved going to New England’s it was a blast… meeting all the great athletes from around New England who some of them I still talk to.. and seeing them compete is just a great experience. Going into it I knew I was seeded first but it didn’t mean to much because I knew there were probably kids that could surpass what my jump was. I was still very excited and nervous going into it. When I got there I went and checked out the pit and from that moment on I was just psyched… I felt so good and ready to jump.. I couldn’t stop bouncing around waiting to jump.. During my run throughs I was getting so much spring and knew I was going to do great.. That really pumped me up for my jumps.. After my first jump up 22-05, I went nuts and knew I could do better.. My next jump of 22-07 just made me ecstatic knowing that it was going to be hard to beat. Seeing that no one was hitting even 22 just made me so happy and just made me want to improve my jumps even more.
You also competed in the Hurdles at the New England’s, what event do you prefer Hurdles or Long Jump?
Long Jump & Hurdles are definitely my two favorite events that I do.. However I feel that I like long jump more probably cause i'm better at it but also because I just love flying through the air.. It just feels so good after you land and looking back at how great of a jump it was. It doesn’t seem as stressful to me jumping. But I do love hurdles because its so intense.
This wasn’t your first New England title as you won the 300H title outdoors last spring, how does the long jump title compare to the hurdle title? Which one means more to you?
The 300H and Long Jump titles are both great to have.. Both of them were very hard to win and I had to work hard for both of them. . The 300h was my first outdoor win and long jump was my first indoor win so they both mean a lot.. However nothing can ever compare to the first win you have… Going in 14th and coming out with a win was def a huge surprise for me.. It was def the most exciting thing ive ever won.. The long jump was great to win but it was more expected to happen than the Hurdle win.
You’ll be competing at the Nike Indoor National Meet in the Penthalon, an event you qualified for the first time you competed in it at the Maine State Penthalon Championships. Was it your plan to compete in the Pentathlon this year? How did you train for this event this season? What event do you need to work on the most? Any plans for a Decathlon during the outdoor season?
Pentathlon and Decathlon have always been something my coach has talked to me about. I never really seriously considered doing it though. I saw online that they were having one at USM and thought it'd be fun to try out.. I didn’t train for it as well as I should have; since I never really do runs or anything so the 1000 was definitely a rough event.. Another dumb mistake was I went snowboarding back to back days before the pentathlon, so I didn't take it to seriously. But now that nationals are coming up I've been training hard everyday and resting myself up. The event that’s probably going to be the biggest challenge for me is high jump since I've never done it or never practiced it. That will definitely be the big key to doing well. Also I do plan on doing the decathlon this outdoor season as I think that will also be a blast.
What are your plans for next year? Do you have your college list narrowed down yet? Who is on the list? What do you plan to study?
I still haven’t 100% figured out what college I want to go to or exactly what I want to study. However I have talked to the track coach at UNH and fell that may be a good start for me and run track throughout college. Im thinking about studying mechanical engineering but not totally sure if that’s what ill end up doing.
What event that you haven’t competed in would you most like to try?
Over the years I've always wanted to try pole vault because I love flying through the air and feel like it would be a lot of fun to try. However my coach hasn’t let me try it yet but hopefully this out door season I'd like to give it a shot. Also I'd like to try the mile one week this year just to see how I do because I used to run distance and feel I could do well.
What are your individual goals for the upcoming outdoor season? Your team, Bonny Eagle looks like one of the contenders for the Class A team title; you came very close last year, what would it be like to end your HS career winning the Class A Team title?
For this outdoor season I would like to win 4 state titles at the class A meet and possibly even break a couple state records in the process. Also I would like to win the 300H again at New Englands and place in a couple other events if it's possible. I feel our team has a lot of strong members and we definitely have a shot at winning this season. It would be great to finally win states at my last high school meet. Especially to lead it would be amazing and I can't wait for outdoor season to come.
Can you describe what a typical training week looks like for you?
A typical week of training for me this year would be fairly hard workouts Monday consisting of some 400s or 200s. Tuesday we do a little lighter workout with some distance then hurdles. Wednesday would usually be another light day as I went to USM jump meets. Thursday would be a little harder workout with some more 400s and Friday would be just a tune up of hurdles and starts.
What has been your most memorable moment in your 4 years of High School?
The most memorable moment of my high school career was winning the 300H at New England’s last spring. It was the first time I competed and first time I had ever won something so big. I feel this really put me on the books as a very completive athlete coming from Maine and really showed colleges what I could do. I have never been so happy in my life and don’t think I could ever feel that great again.
Who has been the one person that you have looked up to as a role model?
The one person I have looked up to has been my coach. Ive always wanted to do my best for him and show him how good I can do. I never like upsetting him and always tried my best for him. He has taught me a lot and helped me to become the athlete I am.
To this point in your HS career, what is your greatest accomplishment?
Again my greatest accomplishment would be winning the 300H at New England’s.