The Observer, March 3, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 19
Spartan Spotlight: Desmond Ellis
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Name, major, sport, etc. Desmond Ellis is a senior accounting major who also happens to be a record-breaking performer for the men's indoor track team.
Event/positions: Sprints (55m dash, 100m dash, 200m dash, sometimes 400m) and relays (4 x 100m relay and sometimes 4 x 400m relay).
High school/hometown: Wheaton High School/ Wheaton, Md.
Years participating in track: 10 years.
Who/what inspired you to run track: My father and my quest to be faster than he ever was (I'm not even close to being as fast as he was).
Hobbies/extracurricular activities: Eating, sleeping, making fun of people.
Athletic honors: Don't know.
Academic honors: Few.
Best track memory: Breaking the school's 55 m dash record.
Worst track memory: Falling before crossing the finish line.
Favorite quote: "Nothing in this world that's worth having comes easy."
Where do you see yourself in 10 years: Still paying off student loans.
Something most people don't know about you: I do not like running.
Joel Sanderson: Word Association: Spikes.
Desmond Ellis: Lethal weapons.
JS: Like Mel Gibson? If you could invite any three people to dinner, living or dead, who would they be and why?
DE: Both of my parents and my little brother.
JS: I see you have avoided the why portion of the question. Classy answer though. I like it. If they made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?
DE: The Energizer Bunny.
JS: You realize that would be a very boring movie, right? But the ladies dig a man in pink. What's your least favorite thing about track?
DE: Practice and waiting in set position before the gun.
JS: Just be glad that gun isn't really loaded. I mean, we do live in Cleveland. If you could be a girl for a day, what would you do?
DE: Be an anatomical sales associate (just kidding).
JS: Is the implication here that as a woman you would engage in sexual relations with males? You know you could do that now, right? What would we find in your locker right now that might surprise us?
DE: The Loch Ness monster (it's chillin in there, it's real, not a myth).
JS: Yeah, and I've got Li'l Bo Peep and Little Red Riding Hood chillin' in my room. What's the one thing that most people don't know about track?
DE: It is not a weight loss program.
JS: To be fair, you aren't exactly in need of Jenny Craig. What's the weirdest nickname you ever had?
DE: Tutu (Coach Harris gave it to me).
JS: That's just a mite bit creepy. What sort of off-season training do you do?
DE: Working, eating, partying, sleeping, and staying healthy.
JS: Yes, eating is actually an integral part of track. It prevents some major problems, namely death. Could the men's team beat the women's team in a head to head competition?
DE: No, they are a very talented bunch.
JS: I always figure Bruckner could take you in a dead sprint. How fast is a 6.65, the school record you just set in the 55?
DE: Not fast enough.
JS: I like the high standards. Could you beat Coach Harris in a 55?
DE: I don't know, that man is talented. But I could beat him.
JS: I feel that he has too much, what do you call it? Table muscle. What does it mean to you to have the school record?
DE: Hard work pays off. It means a lot to be part of history and to let the coaches know that their hard work and no quitting attitude does pay off.
JS: Congratulations and good luck on breaking it again this weekend. How many teams practice at Veale at once?
DE: Too many. I can't wait to use the outside track.
JS: What? You didn't like driving to John Carroll to practice outside? Have you ever considered professional speed skating?
DE: I hate ice!
JS: So you would go really fast like you were trying to get away from it. Why don't you do long jump anymore?
DE: Because I'm too fragile.
JS: Believe me, I understand the feeling. How would you describe the Veale track?
DE: Camouflaged concrete.
JS: Indeed. Can I sue the school for the track giving me arthritis at 19?
