An interview with AHN student and track star, Liz Williamson
October 10, 2022
In this article, Sophomore Staff Writer Brooke Fechtel asks Elizabeth “Liz” Williamson, a sophomore star athlete, a few questions about her running career. This interview was preceded by the awarding of Williamson’s state champion ring after finishing first in the 1600-meter run at states. Please know that B is referring to the questions asked by Fechtel and E corresponds to the answers given by Williamson.
B- When did you realize that you were interested in running competitively?
E- “I first realized I was interested in competitive running during middle school. I went to track and cross-country meets with my parents and found that it was something that I did well in and could pursue in the future.”
B- When did you realize that you were talented at running?
E- “I first realized that I was talented at running in middle school. Like I mentioned before, my parents put me into a track program in sixth grade and started bringing me to track meets and cross-country meets. I did relatively well, and the coach encouraged me to keep running. As the years went by I kept improving, and by high school I knew that it was something I was good at and that I could get a varsity letter in.”
B- You recently won first place in the state for the 1600-meter run. What have you found helps you improve your running time when you are already the fastest in an event?
E- “Even though I’ve won states, I know that I may not always be the fastest. Technically I’m actually not, since there are other divisions with faster runners. But either way, you never know when someone will suddenly have a huge drop in time or if somebody new will come in to beat you. There’s always someone chasing you and your time, and you have to prepare yourself for it.”
B- What is the ultimate goal that you would like to achieve?
E- “For now, all I want is to be able to get into a good school, and possibly play soccer and run track there. After that, I don’t know what I’ll want to do. Maybe I’ll try and sign professionally, or maybe I’ll stop sports altogether and just focus on getting a job. It doesn’t matter to me, as long as I enjoy it.”
B- What achievement are you most proud of to date?
E- “The thing I’m most proud of right now is breaking 5 minutes in the mile. Of course, being state champ and getting a ring is nice too, but at the end of the day it’s really about the time, and getting sub-5 in the mile is a big deal.”
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B- Do you enjoy training with your teammates or competing more and why?
E- “Training with teammates is definitely better. Being able to compete is fun, but you want to save that for the actual meets, when you have to run alone. I can’t imagine having to go out and run without my teammates. It’s a much more bearable sport when you have other people to share the pain with, and my teammates always manage to bring smiles to my face every single practice.”
B- How do you balance running with the interests that you have?
E- “Balancing my overfilled schedule is pretty difficult, and there are plenty of nights where I have to stay up late or wake up early. After both soccer and running practice each day, I usually get home pretty late, at around 8:30. Then I usually work until 10:30-11 until I’m too tired to think properly. If I still have homework by then, I often set an alarm for around 5 AM and get any leftover work done there. And with study hall & advisories, I usually have some down time during the school day. I also have about an hour after school before running practice starts, which is a good time to get work done.”
B- What sacrifices do you have to make for running?
E- “Like I mentioned, I usually have limited sleep each night at the hands of a schedule and hardly any time to just be myself. I miss a lot of plans with friends because of my endeavors and I sometimes even have to miss a soccer game to make a track meet and vice versa. But I believe that the rewards will eventually be much greater than the sacrifices I make.”