By EMMA WOTRING
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through athletics?: The most important thing I have learned through athletics is the value of hard work, and how it can result in success. When we do a hard workout, it really helps to think about how it will make me improve in races. This same concept helped me understand how to do well academically.
What do you love about representing Penn High School?: What I love about representing Penn high school is the reputation my team has made for itself. I love when the front of a race is dominated by Penn girls. I also love how we are able treat other teams with respect and appreciate their achievements as well as our own.
Who is an athlete you look up to, and why?: An athlete I look up to is Allyson Felix. I think it is amazing that she made five Olympic teams and medaled every time. Since her track and field career has lasted so long, it is a good reminder for me to focus on long-term success rather than short-term success followed by burnout.
What traits do you love in a team leader?: A good team leader can be encouraging to the whole team and can keep complaining to a minimum.
What advice would you give a freshmen about Penn Athletics?: The most important advice I could give a freshman would be to use good time management skills when you have practice after school every day. Try to utilize your study hall as much as possible, and do your homework as soon after it is assigned as you can. It is not good to leave everything for the last minute!
What is your favorite sports movie, and why?: My favorite sports move is Chariots of Fire. It is a classic and a really inspiring story.
What do you love about your sport?: What I love best about my sport is the people. Everyone on the team is always fun to be around, so I look forward to practice everyday. I also love how at meets we can be friendly with other schools, even though we want to beat them.
When did you start cross country?: I started running cross country in seventh grade, but it wasn’t until eighth grade that I realized I could compete at a varsity level.
Have you played other sports besides cross country and track?: I played soccer for a little while in elementary school, but other than that I have only ever done track and cross country.
What is the biggest challenge of running cross country: The hardest thing about running cross country for me is getting really nervous before races. I want to do well so badly that I get scared that I won’t achieve my goals. I have been improving on this, though, and recently I have been less nervous.
