Natalie Sojka (Mt. Shasta - Northern Section)
Top Small School team has one of its stars talk

photo by Margaret Gallagher
Natalie Sojka at the Ed Sias Invitational

Mt. Shasta HS in the Northern section has a great recent tradition in the sport, with 2007 appearing no different with the team out charging at the start of the Fall.  One of the squad's leaders is Natalie Sojka, who last Fall was ninth in the overall Section Finals run and went on to finish fourteenth in the State Division V contest for her State winning team.  In the spring track season she was 5:15.14 for 1600 meters and third in the Northern Section Finals in that event. 

The 2007 fall season has had a couple of multi-school competitions already, with a nice win at the Siskiyou Preview meet and trip to the Bay Area for the Ed Sias Invitational, where Natalie was second in the Small Schools race.  Below, she takes some time out from a busy start of school schedule to talk with us a bit, and we are looking for the blue and gold for Mt. Shasta to once again be out competing for the championships in our fall sport.

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

1) So how are things generally going as we head a couple weeks into the 2007
season?

NS - Things are going really good so far. I've felt pretty strong the last couple
races and I'm just getting excited and ready for the rest of the season.

2) What is the attitude on the team, with it looks like some folks stepping
in this year to assist the varsity in a possibly very promising way?

NS - The attitude on the team is great. All of the girls are pumped up and ready
to run and win (hopefully) again. We got a girl from Utah, Hannah Grover who
looks really promising along with some other new girls.

3) How has the weather been up your way at the start of the season, and what
adjustments, if any, have you had to make for heat?

NS - The weather has been hot, but not unbearable. There have been a few hot days
this season, in which we substituted our workouts for things such as a H20
relay (running up and down a hill with cups of water and dumping then into a
bucket at the top, which usually ends up in a giant team water fight) and we
have made a couple trips to Siskiyou Lake.

4) How did you feel about your first two weekend races at Siskiyous and Ed
Sias? Any goals time or place-wise, how did you feel, etc.

NS - I felt great at the Siskiyou Warm-up Race which was surprising to me because I
hardly ever feel good the first race of the season. At Ed Sias, however,
I definitely did not feel my best. From the start of the race my legs felt
pretty dead, but I just pulled through with a second place. My goal for
the early races were just to start the season strong and confident, and finish
up at the top and make some PR's, which I did.

5) How much training did you do this summer for the cross-country season?

NS - I got a fair amount in. I definitely didn't do as much as I could of done or
wanted to do, but I felt pretty good at the end of the summer. I really
started rolling after running camp in Humboldt which was at the end of July.
I think by the end of the summer I managed to get about 300+ miles.

6) What are some of your goals for the fall for yourself and the team?

NS - This fall I would really like to get into the sub 18:30's for a 5K. As for the team, I
would love for us to just keep on winning as much as we have been the past
couple of years.

7) What are your thoughts for schooling past high school? Do you have ideas
on distance from home, type of running program, possible major, etc. thought
through at all--

NS - Right now I am looking at Chico St. and four private schools in California. They are Saint
Mary's College of California, Santa Clara University, University of San
Francisco and Loyola Marymount. I'm looking for a pretty successful program
and a fair distance away from home, but definitely still in California. I'm
looking at either majoring in Business or Communications.

8) Few off the top of head answers:

a) If not running or studying, what can we find you doing with your spare
time (if you have any?)

NS - You can find me basically laughing all the time with my friends. I love
eating, and that's one of the few things to do in Mt. Shasta, so I'm doing
that a lot. I also have a job and you can usually see me at the Supermarket
on the weekends.

b) Last movie you saw?
NS - I think it was Hitch on the bus ride home from Ed Sias.

c) Last music you loaded on listening device, downloaded, or purchased?
NS - Apologize by Timbaland.

d) Favorite Cross Country course?
NS - States in Fresno.

e) Least favorite Cross Country course?
NS - My home course.

f) Favorite Workout to do or place to run?
NS - My favorite workout would definitely have to be either speed or hills. I
love doing hill crests in the trails right behind our school, and I love
doing speed workouts at the track.

g) Least favorite Workout or place to run?
NS - Running on the roads when I've forgotten my iPod.

h) In ten years we will find you (doing, living where, etc.) ------
NS - You will find me working at a Fortune 500 company doing something - who knows?. I will be
living in California in either the Bay Area or Santa Monica.

thanks
Doug Speck
DyeStatCal.com

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