There are a ton of amazing aspiring student athletes at Apex High School! A lot of these athletes, whether they haven’t been brought to attention or their sport isn’t given the credit it should, are super inspiring! I got the chance to interview one Apex High’s very own sophomores, Ethan McCallister! Read about the sports that Ethan plays, and take a minute to read through and learn about just one out of the many Cougars who are a part of this pack at Apex!

Q. What sports do you play?
A. “I run indoor track in the winter, outdoor track in the spring, and XC in the summer and fall.”

Q. Why do you play them?
A. “My parents run triathlons, and they have done so since I was a little kid. They inspired me to run, and it helped a bit when I got tall and lanky. The majority of my friends are also on the team, and we are all like a big family.”

Q. What do you like about them?
A. “Running workouts hurts, and it’s a test to my will power, and I am doing this with other people, and friendships are bound to form when you share experiences like that.”

Q. What’s the best time to do this sport(s)? (Season, time of day, weather, etc.)
A. “The best time for running depends on what event I am running. If I am running a 5k, I prefer it to be like 60 degrees in the early morning.”

Q. Do you plan on playing them/continuing them in any future jobs/in college/in the future, etc?
A. “I am hoping that I will be able to run D1 track and cross country in college, and after that hopefully I will qualify for the Boston marathon.”

Q. If you got injured, and couldn’t play anymore, what would you miss most?
A. “I actually was injured for six months in the 2019 cross country season and the beginning out indoor track and field. What I missed most was being able to run in general because I ended up being more around the team when I was running, but what I couldn’t do was run and that really messed with me because running is something that I love and will do it when I am not with a team, and I did it before I was on a team. I really just missed running itself.”

Q. What’s your best advice for these sports?
A. “My best advice would be to be smart. Being smart is really good when it comes to racing strategies but more importantly training. If you are running in the back of a group on easy days and you cannot keep up with them on workouts, then you shouldn’t be running with them because there are other people that you can run with around your speed. Doing that could cause trouble injury wise, and you are more likely to get faster when you are running with people around your speed than people who are way faster than you.”

Q. Why should someone play this sport?
A. “Running kind of stinks; even runners will tell you that. As much as I hate it, not everyone is meant for running, but it is a sport that is largely based on effort. If you put a lot of effort into the sport you will get results, but if you kind of halfway do it, then you won’t get much faster. Not everyone realizes that.”

Q. What’s your best experience or memory doing this sport?
A. “My best experience from running is JV conference meet during my sophomore year. I had a really bad season injury wise, and all I wanted was to do well in this race. I was having bi-lateral hip pain; I accepted that for it to get better, I had to stop running as much. I ended up placing thirteenth in the race, which was the place I was hoping for, but when I finished, I was walking normally. In every single race up to that point, I could barely walk after I ran because of my hip, but I could normally walk. I was so happy because I was finally getting better. I went over to some of my other friends who were about to race and started happy crying because my hip was not hurting.”

Ethan McCallister has worked extremely hard to get to where he is now! He’s excited to continue his track and XC seasons over the next couple years and seasons and meeting and growing closer to everyone around him. Even if you’re a part of a sport or something you do and you may face trials or things that stop you, never give up! Life never goes the way we plan, and sometimes we just have to get back up, take a deep breath, and keep marching forward!