Sophomore quickly rises from middle school P.E. runner to varsity track and field co-captain

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Vijay Bharadwaj

Sarah Min (9) and Gloria Guo (10) warm up before their race.

by Trisha Dwivedi and Anika Rajamani

As the track and field season comes to an end, the team enters upcoming WBAL and CCS meets with several runners breaking personal records and placing in several heats. Star runners on the team include Anthony Contreras (10) and Niki Iyer (11) and thrower Demonte Aleem (9).

The coaches chose Gloria Guo (10) to be one of the co-captains of the team this season, even though she is only a sophomore.

The Winged Post sat down with Gloria to get a glimpse of her journey in track and what it is like to be a captain at such a young age.

Winged Post: Why did you start running track?

Gloria: I started running track when I was in middle school because I actually realized in PE that I really enjoyed running, and then so I started running track in middle school and I ended up continuing into high school.

WP: You are one of the captains on the team. How does it feel to be the captain?

GG: Well, firstly,being one of the younger captains I was surprised that I was chosen as a captain. But then it really gave me the chance to show my leadership to the team. There’s a lot of responsibilities including leading warm-ups, as well as sending out emails and all those types of things. It has been a time where I can really communicate with my team and get to know them a lot better, so I really enjoy being captain this year.

WP: When did you specifically start running in middle school?

GG: I started running in sixth grade.

WP: And it was just because of PE?

GG: Yeah, I just started running. I mean we never really ran that much in elementary school, but then I started running in PE class and then I realized that I really did enjoy running, so because of that I started running on the track team in sixth grade.

WP: You have been running track for almost 5 years now. Why did you choose track over other sports?

GG: I think track is a sport that doesn’t really require many skills. I know a lot of people who find ways to get out of doing other kinds of sports because they don’t have the time or the equipment to do these kinds of sports. WIth track, there is really nothing that you need except shoes and you just go out running and that’s just it.

WP: What are you thinking when you run? How does running make you feel?

GG: I seem like a different person when I’m running track and field because I’m one of the quiet people and most people don’t know me for a lot of things except sports. When I’m running track, I feel like it’s one of my times to shine, especially because there are a lot people who come to watch my races, so I feel like it’s one of my more special moments.

WP: Who is one of your mentors?

GG: I think although it’s more of my PE teachers who really encouraged me to do track as a sport. Continuing on to high school, Coach Chisam has been the one pushing me and to do even better every time.

Gloria and her teammates will compete at their next meet at Palo Alto High School on Saturday.

This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on May 4, 2016.