(Photo courtesy of Cam Blegen)
Cam Blegen: Outdoor track
What is your favorite event and why?
My favorite event is the 4×400 relay. I love the team aspect of relays and the energy surrounding the 4×400 since it is always the last event at the meet and everybody is watching and cheering you on. I have some great teammates running with me in the 4×400 and don’t like to think about the day when I run my final race and pass down the historic “Team Ramrod” baton to Sam Stevens.
Do you prefer soccer or track? Why?
I prefer track because it is the purest sport — can you run faster, jump higher or throw farther than the guys standing next to you? I also feel pretty cool throwing a spear in the javelin!
What is your warm up for a big race? How do you prepare?
Before every race Jesse Peterson and I do the “Victor Finch” warm up we learned from one of our former track coaches here at Lawrence. After getting our heart rates up, we do a combination of dynamic movements and accelerations — finishing up with a couple of 90 percent accelerations in our spikes a few minutes before the race. Mentally, I like to go through my race strategy during the week leading up to the meet so as soon as the gun goes off, it’s automatic.
How did it feel to break the school record in the distance medley during the winter? How do you plan to build off of that success for the rest of the season?
It felt great to break the school record in the DMR because it really put an exclamation mark on a very successful indoor season for me, as I saw my 400 time drop dramatically over the course of the season. I’m hoping to continue to drop time from my 400 to help our 4×400 team score points at Conference in May.
How do you like the new LU track?
The new track Coach Fast was able to get for us is awesome! Our workouts are a lot more productive and enjoyable now that we have a good surface to train on, plus it’s blue! Gone are the days where we would practice starts and tear up pieces of the track in doing so — enough said.
Davide Harris: Baseball
If you were stranded on an island with any member of the team, who would it be and why?
If I were stranded on an island I would pick Sam Ausloos because we would pass the time by playing the “would you rather” game and quoting “Wedding Crashers.”
If you could go to any pro baseball game, who would be playing and at which stadium would it be?
There is no baseball stadium I’d rather go to than Wrigley Field. It’s called “the friendly confines” for a reason, and they’d be playing the St. Louis Cardinals.
What is the easiest part about your position? The hardest? Why?
The easiest part about my position is the short throw to first base. The hardest part about my position is memorizing all the different signs and where I need to be on every given play.
Pregame meal? Postgame meal?
I’m not very superstitious on what I eat before games. I will usually snack on seeds or eat a chewy bar. For postgame meals, I like eating sandwiches.
What has been your favorite part about playing college baseball so far?
My favorite part of college baseball so far is bonding with the other guys on the team. The Florida trip for spring break is always an exciting time.
(Photo courtesy of Davide Harris)