State Champion Spotlight: Christie Woodside (Hampden Academy)
What were your preparations leading up to the state meet?
Physically I knew what I needed to fix so I worked hard on my form and my speed coming down the runway and focused on making sure I was getting the power I need for my strides. Mentally I knew what I needed to do to succeed to do I pushed myself and trusted my muscle memory to guide me through my jumps.
You came into the state meet as the top seed in the long jump, did you feel any extra pressure being the favorite?
I definitely felt a lot more pressure coming in on top but also the fact that it was my Senior year and I wanted to come out strong. My jumping coach kept telling me "This is your year. You are stronger than any of the jumpers out there and if you put all that hard work and determination you've put in during practice, you will succeed." I was extremely happy with the outcome because I put so much hard work and time into this sport and to see it pay off was amazing.
You finished third in the long jump a year ago, what was the biggest improvement you made to become the champion this year?
I knew my strength and speed was a big factor so during the off season I trained really hard by weight lifting and sprinting to build up my muscles. During the season it was just tweaking minor mistakes in my form like running through the board and extending out and I just worked really hard on that all season.
Coming into the season what were your goals and did you achieve them?
My goals was to run sub-9 hurdles consistently which I had trouble with in the beginning of the season because we switched my block starts but I eventually achieved that goal. I wanted to jump 18 ft this season and I was so close! My hope is that I will be able to jump it in outdoor this year. Triple was great I hoped to jump 35ft (which I think I did?) so I was really happy with that. High jump was great because I hoped to jump 5-2 again which I did and tied the facility record! Overall my goal was to leave it all out on the track and I feel that I did achieve it.
What have your coaches meant to your success?
My coaches mean everything to me. I am so close with them and they are very supportive and always there for me whether it was on the track, helping me with my college track career choices, and life problems. They have really pushed me hard and even though I complained I am extremely thankful for them and what they do and I couldn't express it enough. They are like my second family.
Woodside's Long Jump Progression
| INDOOR | Graph |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 17-10.5 |
| 2017 | 17-2.25 |
| 2016 | 15-9.5 |