Salute To Seniors: David Craig (FCDS)

What was your greatest moment while competing in high school? 

My entire running career I have had the worst kick, so I know in my races I need to be well ahead of a competitor to have a chance of winning. In my signature race, the 800m, on Senior Night in my last race on our home track, I was stride-for-stride with two runners from another school with 200m to go. As I went around the curve something shifted in my mind and I released a kick I had never thought I could do. My last 200m was my fasted split, and I beat out the other runners on the lean at the finish line to cap off my races at my home track.

What is your biggest regret (related to T&F in high school) or what would you have done differently and why?

My biggest regret is not running my 6^th grade year in middle school. My older brother had me join the team as a 6^th grader, but after a minor foot injury on the first day that took 2 weeks to heal I decided to use the injury to get out of the whole year. The next year I had no such excuse, and after just a week on the team I instantly fell in love with the team and sport.

What will you miss the most about High School T&F/XC?

I will miss the bus rides to and from weekend invitationals and championship meets the most. I would say my team, which is a second family to me, but I know I'll stay in touch with them even after I leave. I won't, however, be on the loud, chaotic buses as we prepare for meets and as we relax and have fun returning from them. Some of my fondest memories from T&F/XC have been made on the long bus rides when the entire team unites to yell random songs like "Do Re Mi" together.

What is some advice from incoming frosh and rising seniors on your high school team that you would like to share with them?

Don't let lack of progress discourage you from putting in everything you have to give. Between 9^th-11^th grades I had very minimal improvement in both XC and T&F, but despite not getting too much improvement I kept going, never letting up, always expecting the best and knowing I would break the barrier yet. Finally, Senior Year my hard work paid off and I set big PR's in the 5k, 1600, and 800, accomplishing each goal I had been striving for the previous 3 years. If you never quit giving it everything you have, your efforts WILL show, it's just a matter of time.

What was the hardest workout you did your entire high school career? Did you like it, or did you dread it?

My sophomore year of track and field, the Friday my school got out for spring break, our distance coaches told us there would be an optional practice after school, but if people don't come it will be okay because they might have travel plans. The workout ended up being me, the fastest girl on the team who was my speed, and the fastest boy on the team who was bounds ahead of me. We did a 200, 400, 600, 800, 600, 400, 200, with 200's being at 400 race-pace, 400's being at 800 race-pace, etc. In between each interval we jogged over to a starting line where we had a trail 1k mapped out and ran a 1k at tempo pace. It was the hardest thing any of us have ever done still to this day, and we loved every second of it.

How did you make track/XC a very individual sport into more of a team sport?

The team base runs are what made the individual sport into a team sport. Every day we didn't have a tough workout we would simply go run anywhere, and the group that I ran with became a family to me. Not only would we push each other to higher levels even on base runs, but we would talk about just about everything. Those talks you have on runs and the shared suffering unite people in a way I haven't seen anywhere else, so despite everyone racing individually, we all know we endured the same pain to get there, and that we are all relying on each other to succeed to push us harder during the race just like in practice.

Finally, what are your college plans? Will you be competing in college, where? What do you plan on studying? What do you have as career plans? 

I am going to Purdue University and am going into the First Year Engineering Program. After my first year I plan on majoring in Aeronautical Engineering, but that could always change. I'm not sure what I want to do as a career yet, that depends on what I decide as a concentration in my major. I am not running Varsity at Purdue, but I plan to join the club running team to keep in shape and compete whenever possible.

Anything else you'd like to add or shoutouts you'd like to give?

I want to shout out my older brother Will for forcing me to run and not giving up on me because without him I would have never found the team that became my family for 6 far-too-short years. Shout out to Will Scott for making me do this and for always being a good friend and person and for showing me what it means to be true to yourself amidst temptations. Finally, shout out to Cason, who has been my friend, stride-for-stride running partner, and brother for the last 7 years. I would not have been able to have become half the runner or man that I am today without him by my side.