DyeStatCal Girls
Athlete of the Week
Erin Gilingham
(Torrey Pines - SD Section)

Week of 9/11-16, 2006
California

DyeStatCal Girls
Athlete of the Week
Erin Gillingham
(Torrey Pines - SD Section)

Week of 9/11-16, 2006
California

A team out of San Diego has started very strong this fall harrier season, Torrey Pines, with team leader Erin Gillingham, just a sophomore, leading the squad to a couple of very fine efforts in the Wolfpack and Bronco Roundup affairs.  Erin won her division at the Wolfpack meet with the fastest time of the day, and looks to be one of the state's best runners this Fall season.  She was runner-up Division I last year in the San Diego Section during the fall cross country season, with another local second place finish in track over the 1600m distance at 4:57.31.  From her answers below she looks primed to go for a great rest of the fall, with some big match-ups with local rivals La Costa Canyon down the road, with high team hopes and goals at the state and national level.  The team started the year ranked #19 in the entire nation!!

Thanks Erin and best of luck
Doug Speck - DyeStatCal.com

1) Nice first effort this fall in your first Invitational at the Wolfpack meet--describe how the race went for you and your thoughts on your effort?

It was a good first race of the season, I felt strong. I took it out comfortably with the rest of the pack and gradually picked it up after half way.

2) How much running were you able to do this summer?

Over the summer I ran a moderate amount, about 35 miles a week. We ran mostly longer steady state runs with some short tempos too.

3) Good team effort at Wolfpack, how much running did you do with your teammates as a group this summer?

We had a great team effort, our whole team raced very well. I think we had a total of 10 girls under 10 minutes. Amanda Moore won her grade level race, with Jessie Bodenhamer in second, and Anna Prim placed second in her grade with Ashlin Yahr right behind her. We have the same team back from last year, plus some new additions, and I am very excited for this season. Over the summer we ran together about 3 times a week. Plus, the whole team went to a running camp for about a week towards the end of the summer. It was a great team bonding experience, and we definitely learned a lot. We also have a new mascot this year. I am sad to report that Biff the Shark is no longer with us. So, we now have Cliff the Crocodile, Biff’s step-brother.

4) What are some of your general goals for the fall cross-country season?

This season, I really want to have success both as a team and individually at state. Last year I got really sick the week leading up to state, and I wasn’t able to run my best. This year I want to make sure I stay healthy and run well.

5) You did some good age-group running prior to high school, how do you think that helped you?

Age group running taught me a lot about running in general and racing in particular. It helped me make a smooth transition into high school running.

6) What are some of your interests besides running?

Besides running, I love to shop, go to the beach, hang with friends, watch TV and movies, nothing unusual.

7) What other sports did you do while you were growing up?

Growing up I played a lot of soccer. I still love to play, but it is not my favorite sport anymore, running definitely is. I also tried out a bunch of other sports like basketball, softball, tennis, swimming, dancing, gymnastics, none of which I liked very much.

8) What was the last book you read? Movie you saw? Song (and by who) you loaded on a music device (or CD purchased)?

The last good book I read was Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. I thought it was as good as if not better than The DaVinci Code. The last movie I saw was She’s the Man. I had heard it was really good, so I rented it, but after seeing it I didn’t think it was that good. The last song I downloaded was Get Up by Ciara from the movie Step Up.

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