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.
Transcripts Noah Whiting: Shelton: Do you and your sister train together? Noah: We haave run together over the summer, but it is pretty rare. S: Do you feel pressure from her to be good or great? N: I definitely feel like she has set a high standard that I have to live up to as her sister. I would say that I do feel some pressure to be good from her. S: How do you prepare before a race? N: Well in Middle School I never really had an interesting routine. I always lay out my uniform the night before and then I just drink lots of water and eat a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich a couple hours before the race. S: Do you feel pressure from other runners now that you have run a 5:12 mile? N: For sure! The other runners expect a lot after you run a fast time for a freshman. S: When did you start running? N: I started running in sixth grade, but I've been playing soccer all my life. Matia Whiting: Shelton: Did your parents run? Matia: Neither of my parents ran in high school or college, but as of four years ago my dad has been running half marathons a few times a year. S: Since your brother looks up to you, does that motivate you? M: I’m definitely motivated by the fact that Noah looks up to me. Running on the same team along with being a captain has pushed me to run every workout a little harder than I used to and I no longer ever skip my sunday long run (which I used to do junior year) even when I have a lot of homework. As much as I want to set a good example to help Noah and the team, I know they all have the motivation to succeed by themselves too. S: How do you prepare for an upcoming meet?
M: I used to have a set routine that I followed religiously: at least nine hours of sleep, a banana and some cheezits two hours before, drinking three water bottles and a bottle of gatorade during the day to stay hydrated etc. 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 end up overcompensating and pushing myself harder. While a lot of people see their prerace routine as key, when it comes down to it, how well you run is how hard you're willing to push yourself and that extra twenty minutes of sleep makes no difference. So now I just try to stay pretty calm and I eat a banana and listen to music S: Do you try and succeed to keep up with Noah? M: Yeah of course I try to keep up with him, but he has inevitably passed me physically (he started running faster than me when he was in sixth grade). I'm okay with that because he's a boy so I don't really feel the need to compare myself to him. If he was a girl there is no way I would let him beat me. S: Do you let him get cocky about it? M: No but he isn't usually cocky about it. It is sort of unspoken on the track teams that boys will typically run faster times than girls so nobody really makes a big deal about it. S: When did you start running? M: I started running in sixth grade because my mom pressured me into doing a sport and all my friends were doing it. Since then I've run every season of running that my school has offered. S: Did you play soccer before that? M: I played soccer on an intramural team with some of the girls who I later ran with at Newton South.