(Photo provided by Christopher Udalla)
How did you first start doing track?
I first got into track in 5th grade when we had to do a "track and field day" for gym class. I won a few events and my gym teachers told me that I was good. From that point on I fell in love with the sport.
What are all your personal records?
Triple Jump: 47'1.75"
Long Jump: 22'9.5"
High Jump: 6'4"
100m: 11.10
4x100m: 42.77
Do you do, or have you done, any other sports?
I played soccer for a while but I quit two years ago to focus on track year-round.
What is your favorite or most memorable competition you've ever been in?
My most memorable competition was True Team State last year. We didn't do great as a team, but my 4x100 team won and got our personal best, I won triple jump, and I took 2nd in the 100m.
Who are some of your favorite athletes to compete against?
I enjoy competing against any athlete who challenges me, especially my teammate Mark Swann.
Who are some of the people that have been most helpful to you as a track athlete?
The people that have been the most helpful to me as a track athlete are definitely my teammates. They're the ones who push me and make me want to be the best I can possibly be. Without my teammates, I wouldn't be the athlete I am today.
What are your main goals for this upcoming season?
My main goal for this season is to get close to breaking, or break the state records in triple jump and long jump.
(Photo provided by Christopher Udalla)
What would it mean for you to break either of
those records?
It would mean a lot to me if I were to break the records. As a freshman, I thought I would never make it to State throughout my high school career, so I set a goal to make it to State in one event my senior year. Then in 10th grade I ended up placing 5th in the State in triple jump. So now I want to see how far I can push myself, I set my goals low as a freshman and now I'm setting them as high as I can.
Do you have any college plans?
I plan on going to the U of M next year and hopefully, I will be running track there.
Out of curiosity, why "hopefully"? Might you not?
I'm not completely sure if they will give me a scholarship yet because of the back injury that I had last year that I'm still recovering from.
Do you have any rituals, routines, or superstitions either on or off the track?
A superstition I have is wearing a certain pair of socks to every big meet.
When not flying through the air into a sandpit, or training to do so, what might we find you doing?
When I'm not training, I'm usually hanging out with my friends.
Tell me one bizarre fact about yourself.
I am a self-taught gymnast. I am able to do a double backflip and a ton of other crazy things, and I also coached gymnastics for almost 4 years until it started interfering with my training for track.
That's awesome! What made you interested in gymnastics?
I got into gymnastics when I was about 6 when I saw some youtube videos of people doing flips, so I went in my backyard and tried to do a backflip until a year or so later when I was able to. I progressed over the next few years and was able to do things that many many high school gymnasts were able to do even though I was only around 12. I then convinced my little sister to join gymnastics and her coach asked me to be the assistant coach of the team.