The Observer, February 29, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 19
Spartan Spotlight: Sarah Gill
Sarah Gill is a senior chemical engineering major from Hermitage, Pa. The cross country and track and field athlete will compete in the 800-meter run and the pole vault this semester after being a part of last fall's cross country team that finished sixth in the nation.
Joe Amick: Who or what inspired you to run?
Sarah Gill: My sister. I always had to try and be better than her.
JA: So you aren't motivated by a desire to solve the tough problems facing America? That kind of answer won't help you pick up superdelegates. Changing gears, any hobbies?
SG: Playing Rock Band, but only when David Manoogian, Bob Gavlak, and BJ Greenman go to get donuts.
JA: A little inside, but that's OK. What's your worst track memory?
SG: Spraining my ankle in the first meet of the indoor season last year.
JA: What's your favorite quote?
SG: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
-Steve Prefontaine.
JA: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
SG: Being the lady who attends all of the aerobics classes offered at the gym.
JA: I'll be the guy who avoids aerobics like Ratso Rizzo avoids a steady job. What makes track stand out from other sports?
SG: There are so many events that require different skills. You have everything from sprints, to jumps, to distance, to throwing.
JA: Would you rather have the strength of 1000 women, be able to fly, or be invisible?
SG: The strength of 1000 women, so I could finally win a pull-up contest.
JA: But if you could fly, you could float up and down. If they made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?
SG: Keira Knightley.
JA: I could see that. Same eyeballs. What's your least favorite thing about track?
SG: Getting so nervous for a race that takes up less than three minutes of my entire day, and wearing our uniform shorts!
JA: You should just relax and run slower. If you could be a guy for a day, what would you do?
SG: Try on and wear all of David Manoogian's shoes.
JA: If you could participate in any other sport, which would you pick and why?
SG: This one is easy…basketball. It is my ex-love.
JA: They're all easy. Stupid me needs to deal with them on a weekly basis. What would we find in your locker right now that might surprise us?
SG: Nothing. I don't keep much in there.
JA: OK, Linda Literal. What's the one thing that most people don't know about track?
SG: How good everyone looks in our uniforms.
JA: Did Bob Gavlak give you that answer? Wait, no follow-ups. What goes through your mind during a race?
SG: Nothing until I cross the start on my final lap; then I just tell myself to sprint.
JA: Finish this sentence: Track is like a guy…
SG: …I got nothing…
JA: That sentence makes no sense. What's the high point in the track season?
SG: When you run a season or lifetime personal record.
JA: Any predictions for the UAA Championships?
SG: A strong showing with our "home court" advantage.
JA: Good luck.
