Shannon Rowbury of San Francisco

This is a new name in our sport. This young lady took over the national lead in the girls' 800 meters at the Arcadia Invitational and then followed that performance with a quick 1,500 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays.

Event(s) / PRs: Event, mark, year:
4 x 400 - approx 58 - CCS top 8 - 2000
400 - 59.3 - GPSL meet - 2001
800 - 2:08.52 - Arcadia Invitational - 2001
1500 -- 4:30.28 -- Mt. SAC Relays - 2001
1600 - 4:56.7 - Piedmont Distance Carnival - 2001
3000 -- 10:01.04 - Stanford Invitational - 2001 - Placed second behind Sara Bei.
3200 - 10:50.55 - Woody Wilson Invitational - 2000
cross country - 17:52 (5K) - Calif State Meet - Woodward Park - 2000
- 17:48 (2.98 miles) - Calif CCS Championships - Crystal Springs - 2000

Height: 5 foot 5 inches

Weight: 115 pounds

Born: September 19, 1984

Where were you born? San Francisco, CA

Current Residence: San Francisco, CA

High School: Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep

Coach: Andy Chan

Track Club: Reebok Aggies (I do not train with this club - run road races, etc. during off season)

Career Highlights: Place in major competitions

2001: 10th - Nike Indoor Classic - 800 meters - junior
2nd place -- Stanford Invitational--3000 meters--junior
1st place -- Arcadia Invitational--800 meters--junior
2nd place -- Mt. SAC Relays--1500 meters--junior

2000: 1st place - CCS championships - 800 meters / 3rd place - CCS championships - 3200 meters - sophomore
5th place - State championships - 800 meters - sophomore
1st place - CCS championships - cross country - division 3 - junior
2nd place - State championships - cross country - division 3 - junior

1999: 1st place - CCS championships - 800 meters - freshman
1st place - CCS championships - cross country - division 4 - sophomore
4th place - State championships - cross country - division 4 - sophomore

1998: 5th place - CCS championships - cross country - division 4 - freshman
21st place - State championships - cross country - division 4 - freshman

"Shannon is quite an accomplished dancer," said Paula Rowbury, Shannon's mother. "She has placed 2nd in the Western US championships and 7th in the National Championships (Irish Step Dancing). She has travelled to Ireland twice to compete at the World Championships as well."

CONNING: How did you get started in track and field?
ROWBURY: I started running cross-country during my freshman year in high school because my friends said it was fun. I figured the running would help me stay in shape for soccer. It turned out that I enjoyed running so much, that I decided not to play soccer anymore.

CONNING: Why do you participate in track?
ROWBURY: I run because it keeps me active and fit. I have learned that by working hard, I can achieve success in my running. I like the "team" atmosphere that my coaches have worked so hard to create. I have made a lot of great friends through the cross-country and track teams at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

CONNING: What is your favorite training location?
ROWBURY: I really like trail runs. It is nice to be out in a natural environment. It makes me relax and I focus more on the surroundings than on the workout I am doing.

CONNING: What is your favorite track to compete at and why?
ROWBURY: I recently ran at the Piedmont Distance Carnival at Piedmont High School. They have a really nice facility. Unfortunately, we don't have a track at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

CONNING: What kind of workouts do you do?
ROWBURY: My workouts vary throughout the season, depending on the time of year and many other factors. In general, we incorporate long runs, interval workouts and easy workouts into our training.

CONNING: How many workouts do you do per day?
ROWBURY: I workout once per day Monday through Friday. During the outdoor track season, we usually race at invitationals during the week-end and have league meets (instead of workouts) during the week. I also participate in an Irish Step Dancing class once per week.

CONNING: When you compete, do you have a plan or strategy?
ROWBURY: My coaches and I discuss my race strategy prior to each event. My strategies differ depending on the level of competition in the race and what my current training goals happen to be.

CONNING: Where were your parents born?
ROWBURY: My mom was born in El Centro, California (just north of the Mexican border). My dad was born in San Francisco, California.

CONNING: What high schools and colleges did your parents attend?
ROWBURY: My mom attended Armijo High School in Fairfield, California and UC Berkeley. My dad attended Lincoln High School in San Francisco and San Francisco State University.

CONNING: What are your parents' occupations?
ROWBURY: My mom is an education and event planner and my dad is in the exhibit and tradeshow industry.

CONNING: Where are your ancestors from?
ROWBURY: My mom's ancestors are Norwegian and Luxembourg and my dad's ancestors are Irish and English.

CONNING: What is your GPA?
ROWBURY: I have a 4.0 GPA.

CONNING: What community activities are you involved in?
ROWBURY: I have been involved in Irish Step Dancing since I was six years old. I have participated in local, regional, national and world championship competitions in Irish Dance. I have also danced at numerous community performances over the years. In addition, I recently began volunteering for the Special Olympics in San Francisco. My coach works for this organization and he helped me get involved with the Special Olympics. I really enjoy working with the handicapped athletes.

CONNING: What clubs do you belong to in school?
ROWBURY: Block club

CONNING: What college do you want to attend?
ROWBURY: I am undecided at this time. I plan to visit several colleges over the summer and hope to make my college decision by November 2001.

CONNING: What do you want to study in college?
ROWBURY: My current interests are in Media / Communications.

CONNING: What would you like to do for a career?
ROWBURY: It is a bit early to make a career choice, but broadcasting looks like it might be something I would enjoy.

CONNING: Do you plan to continue with track and field after high school?
ROWBURY: Yes…and cross-country too.

What are your goals?
ROWBURY: I hope to continue to improve on my PR's and qualify for and compete well at the California State Championships in both track and cross-country.

NICKNAME: I don't really have a nickname but my mom calls me "Shanny".

FAVORITE FOOD: I really like all kinds of food…but there is a delicious fruit tart that I ate from a bakery in Half Moon Bay. I would drive 2 hours out of my way to be able to eat one of those tarts.

FAVORITE MUSIC ARTIST (S): I like all kinds of music, but if I had to choose one style I guess it would be R&B.

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: I don't really have time to watch sports on television or in person, so I don't really have a favorite sports team.

FAVORITE PLACE TO HANG OUT: Downtown San Francisco with my friends.

BEST BOOK YOU HAVE READ: The Awakening.

FAVORITE CLASS: History is my favorite subject.

FAVORITE T.V. SHOW: Friends - the actors are really goofy and they make me laugh.

FAVORITE ATHLETE: Regina Jacobs.

FAVORITE NON-TRACK ACTIVITY: Relaxing

ONE WORD THAT DESCRIBES YOU: I guess you could say that I am really focused.

IF YOU WERE GOING ON A ROAD TRIP AND COULD ONLY TAKE ONE CD, WHICH ONE WOULD OU TAKE: Now 5.

BEST VACATION OR TRIP YOU HAVE EVER TAKEN: Maui, Hawaii in December 2000. I went with my family and two of my best friends. We really had a great time!!

OPPONENT YOU WOULD MOST LIKE TO BEAT: I don't aspire to beat anyone. My goals are to give my best effort during a race. If I achieve that goal, I am happy whether I win or lose.

HOW DO YOU PREPARE BEFORE A MEET? I try to get a good night sleep, eat 3 - 4 hours before my event, drink a lot of water, warm-up and stretch well before my race.

BEST PART ABOUT YOUR GAME: I guess my finishing kick at the end of a long race.

WHAT IS THE BEST SPORTING EVENT YOU HAVE EVER ATTENDED AS A SPECTATOR? Arcadia was really exciting last year. I competed in that event, but I also got to watch most of the races as a spectator too.

SOMEWHERE YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN THAT YOU WOULD MOST LIKE TO VISIT: Paris, France.

IF YOU COULD HAVE DINNER WITH A FAMOUS PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE: Paul Walker.

WHAT DO YOU SEE DOING IN 10 YEARS? I hope to have a family of my own in ten years.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR ATHLETIC CAREER TO THIS POINT: Making friends with all of my teammates.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? Relax and hang out with my friends.

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN YOUR LIFE: My parents have always been involved in my life. They attend all of my dancing competitions and cross-country and track meets. They are very supportive of me, they trust me and they respect my choices in life.

WHAT IS SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT FEW PEOPLE KNOW: I broke my leg when I was five years old. After my leg healed, my Nonie (grandmother) decided that she was going to take me to dance class to strengthen my legs so I would never break my leg again. My coach believes that my Irish Step Dancing training helped develop my "fast twitch" muscles at a young age, and that is one of the reasons that I have developed so much speed as a runner.

FAVORITE BREAKFAST CEREAL: I don't eat cereal. I usually eat yogurt for breakfast.

NOBODY KNOWS HOW MUCH I LIKE: Ice cream!!!

EARLIEST TRACK MEMORY: Our coach took us on a team camping trip during the summer. We had a lot of fun and did a lot of team bonding activities during that trip.

FAVORITE PRE-MEET MEAL: Omelette.

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