Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, Erica Casarez sat down with student-assistant Katy Gallaher to reflect on the importance of Hispanic Heritage Month and upcoming meets.
Q:Â Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 to October 15, what comes to mind when you think of Hispanic Heritage Month?
A:Â I think of a special tradition for the Hispanic culture to recognize each other that are a part of it.
Q:Â This upcoming meet is named after the former world record holder and most accomplished distance runner in A&M history, Arturo Barrios. How does he serve as a role model to you and the rest of the team?
A: Arturo is arguably the greatest of all time when it comes to distance running at Texas A&M. There is a reason we honor him every year and race his meet. The icing on the cake is the competition at the meet is always huge and it's a great opportunity to honor what he did. I want to be in the conversation of one of the greatest distance runners to run for Texas A&M just like Arturo was. That alone makes him a big role model to me.
Q:Â Arturo Barrios represented Mexico in the 1988 Olympic Games. What are some ways that you represent your heritage?
A:Â When I'm with the family, I definitely enjoy those Hispanic meals that mom cooks up and sometimes on Netflix or Amazon Prime you can find some great Spanish language short films!
Q:Â Running at this meet named after Arturo is motivation in itself but how does the team motivate one another before such a big race?
A:Â We control what we can control and race for each other, find each other, be ourselves and run as a team.
Q:Â What are some personal goals you're wanting to reach this season?
A:Â I want to be an All-American in cross country and break the school record in the 5K for indoor and outdoor track. I also want to qualify for nationals on the track as well.Â
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Q:Â With the championship season approaching, what is the environment like in practice and the team's mindset heading into late October/early November?
A:Â The training gets harder and we gain more confidence. Workouts come more natural and we all get a little excited to show what we can do come race time.
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Q:Â What do you do in your free time when you're not running?
A:Â I love working on my podcast! Watching and then talking about sports is my favorite thing to do. If I'm not running, studying or sleeping you can expect me to be doing that!
Q:Â Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 to October 15, what comes to mind when you think of Hispanic Heritage Month?
A:Â I think of a special tradition for the Hispanic culture to recognize each other that are a part of it.
Q:Â This upcoming meet is named after the former world record holder and most accomplished distance runner in A&M history, Arturo Barrios. How does he serve as a role model to you and the rest of the team?
A: Arturo is arguably the greatest of all time when it comes to distance running at Texas A&M. There is a reason we honor him every year and race his meet. The icing on the cake is the competition at the meet is always huge and it's a great opportunity to honor what he did. I want to be in the conversation of one of the greatest distance runners to run for Texas A&M just like Arturo was. That alone makes him a big role model to me.
Q:Â Arturo Barrios represented Mexico in the 1988 Olympic Games. What are some ways that you represent your heritage?
A:Â When I'm with the family, I definitely enjoy those Hispanic meals that mom cooks up and sometimes on Netflix or Amazon Prime you can find some great Spanish language short films!
Q:Â Running at this meet named after Arturo is motivation in itself but how does the team motivate one another before such a big race?
A:Â We control what we can control and race for each other, find each other, be ourselves and run as a team.
Q:Â What are some personal goals you're wanting to reach this season?
A:Â I want to be an All-American in cross country and break the school record in the 5K for indoor and outdoor track. I also want to qualify for nationals on the track as well.Â
Â
Q:Â With the championship season approaching, what is the environment like in practice and the team's mindset heading into late October/early November?
A:Â The training gets harder and we gain more confidence. Workouts come more natural and we all get a little excited to show what we can do come race time.
Â
Q:Â What do you do in your free time when you're not running?
A:Â I love working on my podcast! Watching and then talking about sports is my favorite thing to do. If I'm not running, studying or sleeping you can expect me to be doing that!