GOOD HOPE, Ala. – In this interview, I spoke with Good Hope eighth grader Katie Parrish and she shared a lot about what all she has learned this season and what she enjoys most about competing with this team.
“Last season was my first year running track and it was awesome. I qualified for state and got to run at the beach,” Parrish said. “I have learned a lot from training and getting stronger and faster thanks to coach Matthew McCulloch. He helped me learn to do the best to my abilities and learn what all my body can do by having a good diet and exercising to keep me in shape. It’s an awesome experience to learn a lot from the upperclassmen. They have taught me how you can do anything if you set a goal and stick to it. It’s all mental. If you keep telling yourself you can do it, you can, and to not stop, just keep going. I also learned to keep a good attitude and a positive mindset even if you don’t feel your best. Support the other people on your team to give them the motivation they give you by just being a good teammate and cheering on others.”
Katie learned so much from her coaches last season and has also been work on getting better in preparation for next season.
“They are very good coaches and they have taught me everything about track, all the rules, and how to benefit myself in ways to get better,” Parrish said. “I have learned to never give up when you feel down, to always have a positive attitude, and it’s not always about beating others, but beating yourself and your own times. To prepare myself for the next season, I need to mentally prepare myself for what my body will be doing, train myself to the best of my abilities, and to eat in a healthy manner so my body gets the right fuel it needs to function.”
Katie has set some goals for herself and for the team this upcoming season and talked about what will make next year’s group special to watch.
“For myself, I want to get faster and break records. For the team, we all want to be able to qualify for the state championship and go to the beach to run,” she said. “What will make next year’s group special to watch is to learn what everyone’s goals are and to watch them go out there and give it their all.”
Katie talked about one of her role models growing up and shared some of the best advice that she was ever given.
“I have always looked up to Rudi Derrick. She is very fast and good in track and cross-country. She is a very kind and positive person. She always helps me stay calm before I run by giving me the motivation through praying beforehand and always giving me good advice. If you keep working hard, you can go somewhere with something you love.”
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