Student-Athlete of the Week - Tarah McKay
September 19, 2008 | Women's Cross Country
Sept. 19, 2008
Name: Tarah McKay
Sport: Women's Cross Country
Post-college ambition: To compete in the Olympics and be a speech language pathologist
Person with greatest influence in athletic career: Pete Grinbergs
Biggest thrill in sports: Winning Canadian Junior National Cross Country Championships in my first ever competition at a national meet
Athlete you most admire: Carmen Douma Hussar
What impresses you most about your coaches: They are open-minded about modifying races and training in order to best suit each individual athlete
Hobbies and outside interests: Playing violin, flute and guitar, ultimate Frisbee, camping, languages, traveling
Pre-competition superstition: I have to change my socks when I change into my spikes before I race
Favorite movies: Remember the Titans, Cool Runnings
Favorite TV shows: Friends, Full House
Favorite foods: Mexican - burritos and quesadillas
Favorite class: Normal speech and language development
Favorite sports writer or announcer: Garett Wall
A "Stupid Human Trick" you can do: I can't wink
People you'd most like to meet: Mother Teresa
Words that describe you best are: Committed, accountable, respectful, dedicated, hardworking
Best advice you've gotten about sports: "It means everything and it means nothing. When you are preparing for a race, you need to do everything you can to be the best you can be, but if the race doesn't go as planned, you have to learn something from it and move on."
What people should know about you but probably don't: I speak French and am learning Swahili
If they filmed a movie of your life, who would star in it: Ann Hathaway
Why you chose U of L: I chose U of L because I felt it was a good place to succeed academically and athletically and it was still close enough for my parents to come visit
Best part of being an athlete: Automatically being part of a group when you first come to college and having people who genuinely care about you
The moment you realized you were really good at your sport: When I came in second at our city cross country meet in 7th grade
If you won the lottery, you would use the money for: Traveling around Africa teaching ESL and giving money to people who really need it
The strangest thing that has ever happened to you while you were training in your sport: I was asked if I was a beginner swimmer when I went to the pool to do water running to cross train
What is your favorite place you have ever visited: Kenya
What is your favorite season or seasons of the year (spring, summer, etc.): Autumn
