Shreena Chopra talks about her experience as captain of Oxford's dedicated Cross Country team.

GameDay: If you could describe cross country in one sentence, what would it be?

Shreena: An awesome sport that requires mental and physical determination.

GD: What goes through you mind when you are running the three miles. What keeps you going? 

Shreena: Actually, when I am running the three miles during the meets, I just want to go faster and faster and push myself to catch up with the next girl, and the next, and the next.  I try to keep up a good pace throughout and then build when there is a downhill.  This teaches me how hard and fast I can go without killing myself.  The things that keep me going are my teammates and the fact that I can always run faster.  Sure, a lot of people PR (get a personal record) during every meet, but that’s not the only thing that I worry about.  The thing is, you can always go faster and try a little harder.  The effort you gave might have been the best that you could have done that day, but there is always room for improvement and Lokesh Agoramurthy, another captain, has always told me that.  My teammates keep me going because when I think that I have no more energy left and that I just cannot go any more, my teammates show up out of nowhere and cheer me on.  This gives me the energy that I need to finish the race and sprint it out at the end.  Also, Chaldu is always there encouraging us and telling us how much farther we have left.  He is an amazing coach and the team that we have is so encouraging.  It just makes running so worthwhile.

GD: With hours of practice after school everyday, how do you academics and your personal life?

Shreena: I realize that I have a really hectic schedule, and my parents have told me to quit some things multiple times.  When I get home, I eat, shower, and then immediately do homework.  Sports really teach you to become self-dependent and organized.  If you aren’t then you will not survive.  Especially going to Oxford, it’s really hard to do both sports and homework some nights because practice just wipes you out.  But, you do what you have to and get it done.  As for my personal life, I really do not have time to do anything but homework and go to meets or games during the weekends.  There are simply not enough hours in a day or week to do everything you want to do, but you sacrifice some of your time for the things you love to do, and for me that is play sports.

GD: Do you have any routines that you follow before every meet? (for example: eat specific meal or listen to a certain song)

Shreena: Haha, yeah I actually do.  The day before, I must have pasta and bread.  I remember one night before a meet, my mom had made something other than pasta.  I threw a fit like a little kid and almost did not eat that night because of that.  Then, a few minutes before I go to bed, I pack up my bag with everything I need, and that’s almost everything I have.  The day of the meet, in the morning I have one round of an English muffin and a glass of orange juice.  I then put on my jersey, XC shirt, and sweats with my lucky headband, socks, underwear, and bra.  (Crazy, I know)  When we arrive at the site, we warm-up ½ hour before our race.   I listen to some specific songs on my iPod: Cobrastyle, by Robyn, Come Back to Me, by Plain White T’s, The Cup of Life, by Ricky Martin, Cyclone, by Baby Bash, and Dare You to Move, by Switchfoot.  I actually just started this routine this year.  I figured I needed to really concentrate, so I just scrolled down to a random song and the songs that I listened to on the first day of the first meet this year were the songs that I keep listening to.  Oh, and then for warm-up, I wear my sweatsuit, and practice shoes and then right before the race, I change into my jersey and racing shoes.  Yeah, I’m crazy.

GD: Are your practices intense or easy going? What are some of the things you guys do during practice?

Shreena: Omg, is that even a question?  Almost all of our practices are super intense.  Let’s break down a typical practice schedule: Monday is usually our long day where we run between 5-10 miles.  (All of these numbers exclude the warm-up and sometimes cool down.)  Tuesday is usually slightly shorter where we average 4-5 miles.  Wednesday is interval day.  This day is the hardest of all of our workouts because for the entire practice, we are doing things on the track.  A typical interval day would include a timed mile, 2-3 1200’s (3 laps), 3-4 800’s (two laps), and 3-4 400’s (1 lap).  This may not seem difficult, but when Chaldu only gives us 2-3 minutes in between each interval, and when you are pushing each one your hardest, and when the sun is beating down on your face and the wind is blowing against you, it is a pretty hard day.  That is the one workout that all of us hate with a passion.  Thursday, depending on what mood Chaldu is in, we average 3-4 miles.  Friday, usually the day before a meet, we jog an easy 2-3.  That’s our normal routine, but sometimes it changes due to a different schedule or days of meets.

GD: If you could rate your team from a scale of 1 to 10, what would it be? Why?

Shreena: Omg, our team is a 10+!  We are a gigantic family.  We have gotten so comfortable with each other and we are almost never segregated into grades.  Everyone makes friends with everyone and if someone is hurt or not feeling well, everybody cares and tries to lift them up.  We also always help each other do better and encourage each other during meets.  It’s just an amazing feeling to know that so many people have your back and are cheering for you.  We also have so many inside jokes that it is hard to believe that we are going to be split apart next year.

GD: As captain of cross country, what do you think the team’s prospects of winning are this year?

Sheena: Our team this year has lost a lot of important people, especially on the girls’ side (Jillian Youngerman and Alexis Culhane).  Even though we have lost these two amazing runners, the entire varsity team has stepped up and a new crew has taken over.  For the girls this year, all of us have improved tremendously from our first time trial and we are each doing amazing.  Currently, the varsity girls are ranked 4th in league, JV girls 1st, and JV and Varsity boys each in 4th.  I think with a lot of work, all of our teams could come in third allowing us to move on to CIF.  I personally am trying to make CIF even if my teammates do not.  I am currently ranked 6th in league and I want to stay there to secure my spot.  The Varsity boys are doing pretty well, and I think with some more practice and encouragement, they will be able to go to CIF as well.  Overall, our team just needs a little extra boost to help us clench 3rd place, and I really do believe that we can do it.

GD: How difficult was it to make varsity? What does it take to be on varsity?

Shreena: Well, it was pretty difficult to make varsity my freshman year.  During summer of last year, it seemed as if I could make one of the top spots on JV, but not exactly make it to varsity.  I really wanted to give it all I had and show all of the people on the team that a short, little freshman could be just as good as all of the seniors.  So, it took a lot of determination and pushing of my body physically, but in the end, I make it and I was so proud.  To be on varsity, you don’t only have to be fast, you have to be mentally strong.  If you are fast, but don’t try during practices and think that you can slack off and still do fine in meets, which to me is not varsity material.  Varsity runners have to have their mind on running before, during, and after practice.  Before practice, you have to think about how you are going to run and how good you feel that day.  That makes you stronger because you give yourself the energy to push yourself then.  During practice, if Chaldu says go run 10 miles, (which he has) you can’t just think, “Oh, that’s too far.  I’m gonna walk because I am tired.”  Well, of course, it’s reasonable to want to walk, and maybe to do it on a long run, but varsity runners keep going through the pain, because the faster you run, the faster you’re done. (fsho) Your mind also has to be on the run after practice because then you can evaluate what you did good during the run and what you can try next practice.  Being on varsity also means cheering on your teammates and giving them encouragement that they need.  I think that is a big part of being on varsity: always showing your teammates that you care and giving them support.  Varsity takes a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it to help out your team.