Q & A

Why do shoes really matter as much as people say?

“Shoes matter because if you have busted shoes it’s going be very hard to run and very uncomfortable for the bottom of your feet.”

Damien Murillo, 12

How important is training for your event before meets?

“I guess practice makes perfect. So if you don’t train for a 100, you’re not going to run a very good time.”

Damien Murillo, 12

“Depends what race you’re running. If you’re running [a] longer distance or [a] short distance, there’s different spikes and shoes for that and [for] certain events.”

Kaya Portillo, 12

What is the most irritating thing about Track and Field?

“Losing a race to someone you shouldn’t have lost to. You know that you know you’re faster than them, they just won that race. So they got lucky.”

Damien Murillo, 12

“The weather can be kind of sucky sometimes. You don’t want to run but you just kind of have to at that moment.”

Jasmine Haywoood, 12

What are you thinking while running/throwing?

“When I’m throwing, I really should have the absence of thought. So I could direct all of my energy towards throwing as far as possible. Sometimes though, I’ll think about food. I’ll think about how heavy (the ball and disk) it is. But that really doesn’t matter. It’s all about throwing as far as possible.”

Cash Diebert, 12

“If I’m really focused, I kind of forget when I’m running. I don’t really think about it, but if I’m stressed out or anything I am thinking about messing up and just overall not doing my best.”

Kaya Portillo, 12

“If you don’t train, you probably aren’t going to perform well in time.”

Jasmine Haywood, 12

Do breathing techniques matter in a race?

“You got to slow your breathing down and control it. You can’t just huff and puff the whole time.”

Damien Murillo, 12

“It is important to have good breathing technique whenever you’re racing, so you won’t pass out.”

Kaya Portillo, 12

How does running form affect the way you run or your time?

“I would say it does, because in a sprint every group of runners run differently.”

Damien Murillo, 12

“It does. If you have a certain form like using your arms too much you will get tired out easily. You want to have good consistent form while running.”

Kaya Portillo, 12