Off the field: cross country freshman Krista Parks
Krista Parks (East Kentwood H.S.) is a freshman on the Central Michigan women’s cross country team. Parks, running attached, finished second at the 25th Jeff Drenth Memorial on Sept. 3.
Matt Herrod: As a student-athlete, what advice would you give to other incoming college students? Krista Parks: Make sure you are on top of everything, you prioritize and write down everything you do so you don’t want to miss any homework or sports.
MH: Why did you pick CMU? KP: I picked it for the facilities, the coaches and the team members. I liked everyone a lot. I feel like I fit in here really well.
MH: What are you planning on majoring in? KP: Health fitness. I want to be a physical therapist.
MH: When you are not busy running, what do you do in your spare time? KP: I love shopping, eating and hanging out with friends.
MH: What’s your favorite place to shop at? KP: The mall, but there are no malls around here. I wish there was.
MH: Favorite place to buy clothes? KP: Charlotte Russe.
MH: What got you into cross country? KP: My sisters ran and they ran because their friends ran. I ran because they ran and I ended up being pretty good, so I kept on doing it.
MH: Do you have any pre-race rituals? KP: I eat a peanut butter bagel in the morning, make sure to drink Gatorade and water and I do the same warm up every time basically.
MH: What’s your favorite part about being on the team? KP: Getting to know the girls and hanging out because everyone is friends. It is not just working hard, you also have friends that you’re hanging out with at the same time.
MH: If you didn’t run cross country and track, what other sort would you play? KP: Basketball. I played it until high school, and then I chose to run instead of playing basketball.
MH: Who is your favorite professional athlete? KP: My favorite athlete ever is Michael Jordan because of his work ethic and his inspiration. He is probably the best player I have ever witnessed.
MH: What’s your favorite movie? KP: Ugh, it is hard. I don’t have a favorite movie. I like a lot of movies.
MH: OK then, what is the best movie you have seen in the past few months? KP: “Dinner for Schmucks.” It was hilarious.
MH: If someone looked through your iPod, what are some artists/bands they would find? KP: I have a lot of R&B, like Alicia Keys, Usher and Mariah Carey. I kind of like the old R&B style.
MH: Where is one place you would like to travel to that you haven’t visited? KP: Europe, anywhere in Europe would be pretty cool.
MH: Why? KP: It (seems) different from here, it is far away and I have never been outside of the country.
MH: What do you hope to accomplish in your four years running at CMU? KP: I want our team to improve and do really well. I want to help in any way I can and get some conference championships and go to nationals.
