Noah Shelton Sports Reporter
Running in the Family Within South athletics have several sibling tandems that compete not only in the same program, but also on the same team. Senior Matia Whiting and her younger brother, freshman Noah Whiting, both members of the indoor track team, are making it count in their time as a sibling duo. Matia is one of four captains and in her last year of track before heading off to Middlebury College in the fall. She started running in sixth grade, but joining the team was not originally her idea. “I started running in sixth grade because my mom pressured me into doing a sport and all my friends were [running],” she said. Noah has started hot out of the gates in his first few weeks as a high school runner, finishing the onemile time trial in 5:12, a time more typically seen by outdoor runners who have more training. Noah credits his soccer skills to his running prowess. “I started running in sixth grade, but I’ve been playing soccer all my life.” Matia discussed the fact that the duo’s running prowess is not the direct result of parental genes. “Neither of my parents ran in high school or college,” she said. As the years have gone by, however, Matia added that her dad has recently begun running longdistance. “As of four years ago my dad has been running half marathons a few times a year,” she said. Behind each runner is a distinct routine that allows them to succeed come race time. Noah’s routine is simple, but proven to be effective. “I always lay out my uniform the night before,” he said. “Then I just drink lots of water and eat a peanut butterandjelly sandwich a couple hours before the race.” Matia used to have a strict routine that she followed religiously “[I made sure I got] at least nine hours of sleep, [ate] a banana and some cheezits two hours before, [and drank] three water bottles and a bottle of gatorade during the day to stay hydrated,” she said. “But in the last few years, I've found the less I prepare and stress, the better I run. Often my best races are the ones in which I'm sleep deprived and overcompensating and pushing myself harder.” Matia adds that sleep does not have a huge effect on her performance. “How well you run is how hard you're willing to push yourself and that extra twenty minutes of sleep makes no difference,” she said. “So now I just try to stay pretty calm, eat a banana and listen to music.” When asked about his recent running success Noah stated that he’s feeling the pressure from older teammates to succeed. “The other runners expect a lot after you run a fast time for a freshman,” he said. Despite separate statistics and routines, there is a bit of a sibling rivalry. Matia seems to be resigned to the fact that Noah will be faster than her. “I try to keep up with him, but he has inevitably passed me physically,” she said. “He started running faster than me when he was in sixth grade.” If Noah was not at a physical advantage, she would not be content with letting him beat her. “If he was a girl there is no way I would let him beat me,” she said.