Email Interviews

1) Your Name 

2) The School you attend (also its city and your state) and if you run for a 
club in the summer what is the 
name of the club? 

3) What grade are you in? 

4) Briefly summarize your 1999 Track and Field Year so far--

5) What are your lifetime bests in your event or events (if you compete in 
more than one)? 

6) What are your thoughts as you head to the World Youth Meet in Poland next 
week? 

7) What do you enjoy most about Track and Field? 

8) Do you have any interesting stories or incidents about your involvement 
with Track and Field?  Any 
relatives of note in sports?  Awards in Other Sports or Academics?  

9) Have you done anything different this year in your preparation because of 
your membership on the 
World Championship Youth Team? 

10) What tips could you offer other young athletes just beginning in the 
sport of Track and Field?

My name is Brandon Royster.

I attend Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Virginia.  My summer team is the
Glenarden Track Club in Glenarden, Maryland.

I am going into 12th grade.

I have had a great year so far in track.  For school, I got second in the
state in long and triple jump for indoor track, and also fourth in the
55m hurdles.  I jumped a personal best 24 feet 9 inches during districts
in spring track.  I placed first in six events at the outdoor district
meet with district records in the long jump and 110m hurdles as Fairfax
won the district championship.

Personal bests

three primary events:
Long Jump - 24' 9"
110m high hurdles - 14.27
Triple Jump - 47'0
other events:
high jump 6'0   100m dash 11.0  300m hurdles: 40.6  shot put: 43'3"

Heading to Poland, I am greatly looking forward to the experience.  I am
curious about the country and what it is like all over Europe.  I also am
looking forward to meeting new people on the US team and especially
athletes from other countries.

The thing I enjoy most about track and field is the thrill of
competition.  It is a pure sport that has something for everybody, and
many athletes can do many amazing things.

I don't have any great stories or anything.  The only thing I have is a
story that my uncle used to run sprints against O.J. Simpson in high
school.  My uncle got out of the blocks better than O.J., but O.J. always
won in the end.

Awards:  In my sophomore season of outdoor track for Fairfax High ('97),
I was the region male co-MVP.  That school year I was also the district
offensive MVP for football.  I am in the National Honor Society and have
slightly over a 4.0 GPA.

Advice I would give to athletes is to never give up.  I know everybody
says that, but it is true especially in track and field.  This is one of
the only sports that you can work with almost no natural talent and
achieve at a high level.  Hard work is everything in track, and it shows.
 For some, success comes early, later for some.  But if you continue work
hard, you will succeed.