By Shailey Klein
Oak Hall Sophomore Lauren Jones is a force to be reckoned with on the cross country course. She placed first at the Class 1A District 3 meet on Oct. 26, and finished in second place at the regional meet on Nov. 1. It is expected that Jones will advance to the state meet on Nov. 9 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee.
We sat down with Lauren and asked her everything from A to Z!
Area runner you enjoy watching? Ani (Veltcheva) because we’re in the same grade and we run about the same times. It’s exciting to see what she does and what I do and compare each other. [Ani Veltcheva is another Gainesville area stand-out from Gainesville High School in cross country and track]
Best pre-meet meal? Pasta with shrimp.
Coach’s best words of advice? Run fast, run hard.
Dessert? Ice cream.
Entertaining practice? 30s [30 meter repeats] because it’s short and you get a long rest.
Favorite running moment? When we went on a cool down and we didn’t run, we walked the whole time.
Goals for postseason? Get under 18:45.
Helpful tips to keeping your composure on meet day? Keep it all in, tell myself once the gun goes off I won’t be nervous anymore.
Interesting thing about you away from running? Nothing.
Joker on the team? Ally [Means].
Keys to success in running? Work hard, don’t give up.
Least favorite course? St. Francis.
Music you listen to? Before races, it’s pop.
Netflix or Hulu? Netflix.
Other sports? No.
Preparations for a big meet include? Getting lots of sleep, ice bath, lots of Tiger Balm.
Question you would ask your future self? Why did I choose running?
Relaxing part of your day? When I go to sleep.
Superstitions? I always have to put Tiger Balm on before a race.
TV show? My 600-lb Life
Underrated pet? Fish.
Vacation spot? The beach.
What does it mean to you to be an Eagle? It means being someone who’s respectful, someone who’s a team player, and being a great person.
X-rays? I’ve had a lot of x-rays—10 total.
Your impact on the team? Normally, I’m just kind of there. I let the team captains just take it and I’m just a follower. I don’t really do much, I’m just there to run fast.
Zoo animal? Zebra.
Good luck to Lauren and the rest of the cross country team at State!