Stephanie Price "came up big" in the Big Ten conference XC Championships on Sunday, barely missng becoming the second Gopher woman to win the individual title. Below she talks about her race and her plans for the rest of the season.Down the Backstretch: This has been something of a breakthrough year for you. Did you have any idea going into it that you would have this level of success?
Stephanie Price: Well of course you can never predict how one season or even one race is going to turn out. There are things that are in your control as an athlete and things that are completely out of your control. I just try to take care of the things I can and control what I can control. I have my goals and knew the work I had put in to be successful, but I never could have imagined the season playing out like it has so far.
DtB: On the video done by the U communications folks, Coach Wilson notes that you were crying after the finish. It was close. He said he'd told you before the race that you could get in the top six. What were your thoughts and expectations going into the race?
SP: Going into the race I was definitely nervous, but that’s nothing unusual for me. But I was also much more relaxed than I would have been any previous season and that just comes with experience and confidence. I try not to put expectations on myself because at this level, no one deserves anything. We all work so hard and on any given day it’s anyone’s race.
I just set my goals and mentally put myself in the hunt.
DtB: After coming so close to winning, was the crying something of an outlet for coming so close? What did you learn from the experience that you didn't know before?
SP: I definitely learned the importance of believing in yourself to take a chance during a race. But more importantly, I learned that you win some and you lose some, and that is just the way it is. You have to know that every time you step up to the line, anything can happen and all you can control is your preparation and your mental edge during the race. But in the end, no matter how it finished, you look back and appreciate having the chance to do what you love, and you learn from the mistakes you made and move on.
DtB: The team this year is young, talented, and deep. How does that factor into your efforts and enjoyment of the experience?
SP: Before this season, I had a lot of older, more experienced teammates to look up to and to pull me through. But this season, it has been an opportunity to step up into a new role and to step up as a leader. There are no expectations put on us because no one knows what we are capable of.
It has been really exciting and refreshing to have a new group of girls and we are all learning so much as we go along that is going to make us so much better in the years to come.
DtB: Both the XC and track teams at the U emphasize the "family" aspect of the teams. The bonding of team members and enjoyment of the experience. Does that contribute to the success of the programs? How?
SP: That plays such a huge role in our success. We all care about each other more as family members than teammates, and to our coaches we are more than just runners. They care about us first and foremost as young women, and not just about how well we can perform for our team. It shows a lot at meets like this where we have nearly our entire roster road trip to the meet just to run around and cheer and carry flags for us. Just knowing we have that much support behind us helps pull us through. I
DtB: What are your goals for the remainder of the cross country season?
SP: No matter what happens the rest of the season, I just want to enjoy being on such a great team and doing what I love to do. Finishing times and places matter for that moment, but in the long run what will matter is the experiences I have had being on this team. I just don’t want to ever lose perspective of what a great opportunity I have been given and to remember that nothing is a guarantee.
Stephanie Price(55)pushes the pace during the Big Ten XC Champs. Photo by Sean Hartnett
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