ILA ZOLLO
- What sport are you the captain for? (please specify boys or girls)
“I am the captain of the girls cross country team.”
- How do you feel going into this season as a captain, and having a large leadership position for your team.
“I am super excited for my team this year/season! We have an amazing group of people and I cannot wait to see what they can do!
Having a lead role as a captain is something very valuable for me. I love being able to help younger athletes and act as their sort of ‘big sister.’ Mentoring for younger athletes is something that I think is very beneficial. I remember when I was a freshman on the team and how much I looked up to the captains.”
- Do you plan to continue your sport in college?
“I am planning on continuing this sport in college. It is something that has taught me so much with not even just running, but also aspects of leading, team building and perseverance. Right now, I have narrowed down my few top picks of schools that I am interested in and the most valuable aspect that I have seen in schools is how well their team is able to work together. That is something that not every team will have.”
- What are your goals for your team this season, and how do you plan on achieving them?
“Our team goal this year is to win our divisional championship. Last year we were runner up, but this year I believe we have a pretty good shot. Our other team goals include encouragement of others and building a strong and positive team. A positive and encouraging team will help us reach our number one goal of winning the divisional championship.”
- Do you do any clubs/activities outside of track and field?
“I am the president of the Random Acts of Kindness club and a member of National Art Honors Society. I enjoy baking, bike riding and traveling.”
- What is your advice to newcomers in this sport?
“My number one advice for newcomers is to try your best. If you care enough to try your best, you are halfway there. No one is there to do it for you, so if you really do care, then it will show. Prove who you can be.”
- Did you foresee yourself being captain in the past, or when you had first started?
“I have always wanted to be a captain, but I never thought I would be good enough to be chosen.”
- What are you looking forward to the most for this season, and why?
“This season I am looking forward to my team’s improvement and growth. We have come a long way since last year and we are already showing exciting improvements. I am very excited to see what this team can do!”
- Do you have any go-to pump-up songs, snacks, or pre-race rituals?
“My favorite pre-race ritual is wearing my hair ribbons. Every year we make the whole team ribbons for the first meet and they have always been my favorite! I wear ribbons in my hair every race!”
- What’s one tradition or ritual you hope to continue or start as a captain this year?
“Athletes of the meet give our teammates a chance to shout out or recognize someone who ran a great race and why they think that they deserve the title. I think that this is something valuable for younger athletes and older athletes. Giving a shout out makes that person feel good about themselves and their race. Being kind to someone is never a waste!”
BRIDGET TIERNY
- What sport are you the captain for? (please specify boys or girls)
“Girls cross country.”
- How do you feel going into this season as a captain, and having a large leadership position for your team.
“I am really excited! We have a great team of girls who are so encouraging and positive towards one another!”
- Do you plan to continue your sport in college?
“Yes, I hope to continue to run in college!”
- What are your goals for your team this season, and how do you plan on achieving them?
“Our team goal is to win the Divisional Meet! Last year we placed second as a team here so we are excited to come back and go for the win.”
- Do you do any clubs/activities outside of track and field?
“Yes! I am also a part of the Student Council, National Art Honors Society and Co-resident with Ila for Random Acts of Kindness.”
- What is your advice to newcomers in this sport?
“My advice to younger athletes is to just be positive and have fun! Running is not always easy so having a positive mindset and cheering on your teammates is so important. Showing up to practice and races with a positive attitude will spread throughout the team and can truly make a difference!!”
- Did you foresee yourself being captain in the past, or when you had first started?
“I have always looked up to past captains as they were always so kind and supportive. As I became an upperclassman I wanted to be a person that younger athletes could look up to and come to for advice.”
- What are you looking forward to the most for this season, and why?
“I am most looking forward to our team spirit week! It is the last week before the post season begins and it really helps get our team motivated for the upcoming races!”
- Do you have any go-to pump-up songs, snacks, or pre-race rituals?
“Yes! Ila and I will listen to the song “Hurricane” by Bridget Mendlar on the bus before the meet! I also always write on this little whiteboard in my room the night before saying ‘you got this’ so I see it when I wake up in the morning.”
- What’s one tradition or ritual you hope to continue or start as a captain this year?
“During invitationals/bigger meets we will write ‘When your legs get tired run with your heart’ which is one of my favorite things to do because when the race starts to get tough it is a reminder that we are all doing this together.”
LILY MCMANUS
- What sport are you the captain for? (please specify boys or girls)
“Walpole Girls Cross Country Team”
- How do you feel going into this season as a captain, and having a large leadership position for your team.
“I am very grateful to help lead this amazing team with my fellow captains. I think that if we work together to help motivate and send out positive messages to our teammates, we can accomplish amazing things.“
- Do you plan to continue your sport in college?
“Unfortunately I will most likely end my competitive running career in college, but I am considering joining a running club for fun next year.“
- What are your goals for your team this season, and how do you plan on achieving them?
“For this team, I think we can win Divisionals this year. If everyone takes care of themselves, listens to their injuries, and follows the workout/training plan, I think our team will be very strong and have a good chance of coming in first place.“
- Do you do any clubs/activities outside of track and field?
“I am a member of National Honor Society, Photography Club and UNICEF. “
- What is your advice to newcomers in this sport?
“If you are new, you might not be used to running to this extent. Some days will feel harder than others, so it is very important to do the small things like cool down and stretch so you have a smaller chance of getting injured. Trust the training process and everything will come together!”
- Did you foresee yourself being captain in the past, or when you had first started?
“When I first started, there were only two other freshmen with me, and since cross country always has three senior captains, I always envisioned me and those two other girls becoming captains. As the years went by and more amazing people in my grade started to join, I lost that vision and instead, encouraged my friends to apply. Of course, I am very grateful and happy as a captain and look forward to every practice.“
- What are you looking forward to the most for this season, and why?
“I am looking forward to the invitational meets! They are always so much fun, especially the bus rides there and back. Often they are less competitive with other teams, which relieves the pressure for many members. Instead, our runners get competitive with other individuals around their pace and use it to do better and even PR during a race.”
- Do you have any go-to pump-up songs, snacks, or pre-race rituals?
“On the bus ride before a meet, I listen to hype up songs from a playlist our team made a year or two ago. All Of The Lights by Kanye West is a personal favorite of mine! Before a race, I will usually be warming up, stretching, rolling, or doing dynamics.”
- What’s one tradition or ritual you hope to continue or start as a captain this year?
“I hope we keep the tradition of wearing wigs! Almost every year, our team attends the Twilight Invitational, and all the girls love wearing short, colorful wigs on the bus ride there. Unfortunately, our team plans to attend a different invitational instead, but I hope to preserve the wig-wearing tradition so newcomers won’t miss out on the fun bonding experience!”
